- Samson Pleads to Federal Bribery Charge, Fox Faces Conspiracy Charge in PANYNJ "Chairman's Flight" Fiasco
- FDOT and CFX at Odds over Right-of-Way for $630 Million SR 408 Extension
- RiverLink Begins Transponder Sales Next Week. Tolling Could Start in December.
- CDOT Sees Managed Lanes in Future I-270 Widening Project
- County Pledges Money for Proposed Ramp to GDOT Managed Lanes
- MoPac Toll Lanes Weeks Away from Becoming Operational
- Bertha and Builders Make Headway on WSDOT Toll Tunnel Project
- Kentucky RFP for Study of Brent Spence Replacement Alternatives
- Nova Scotia Releases Highway Expansion and Tolling Study
- Israeli Tollway Operator Sues Waze over Routing Recommendation
- Shikun & Binui Will Build New Colombian Toll Road
- The (Non-White-Collar) Crime Beat
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Samson Pleads to Federal Bribery Charge, Fox Faces Conspiracy Charge in PANYNJ "Chairman's Flight" Fiasco
The New York Times reports that David Samson, former Port Authority of New York and New Jersey board chair and a Chris Christie ally, “pleaded guilty to a felony count of bribery on [July 14] and admitted that he had pressured United Airlines to operate a weekly flight to South Carolina [the so-called “chairman’s flight’] for his personal convenience. The plea . . . appears to put an end to Mr. Samson’s career as a public official and power broker.”
NJ.com reports that federal prosecutors later in the day charged former New Jersey state transportation commissioner and PANYNJ official Jaime Fox with conspiracy to commit bribery for allegedly using his influence to help arrange the flight for Samson. Fox’s lawyer called his client “an honorable public servant who believed the arrangement between United and Samson was ‘fully vetted and completely appropriate.’”
Crime Beat New Jersey PANYNJFDOT and CFX at Odds over Right-of-Way for $630 Million SR 408 Extension
Orlando Sentinel reports, “As traffic worsens in east Orange County, the region’s two biggest road-building agencies are quarreling over how to address the problem. The Florida Department of Transportation, which is currently widening a 5-mile stretch of State Road 50 between Dean Road and Old Cheney Highway, won’t agree to let the Central Florida Expressway Authority use its right-of-way to extend State Road 408 to State Road 520, a project with an estimated cost of at least $630 million.”
FloridaRiverLink Begins Transponder Sales Next Week. Tolling Could Start in December.
WDRB-TV News (Louisville) reports, “Drivers who plan on using new Ohio River toll bridges can set up accounts at two customer service centers, online or by phone starting next week. . . .” Kentucky Transportation Cabinet official Megan McLain told reporters covering the announcement that tolling will begin when Kennedy Bridge repairs are completed or the new East End bridge is finished. “The states are targeting Dec. 9 to begin tolls, although [McLain] cautioned that schedules can change,” according to the article. McLain also said recent tests of the toll system (developed by Kapsch TrafficCom) were completed “very successfully.”
Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River BridgesCDOT Sees Managed Lanes in Future I-270 Widening Project
KMGH-TV News (Denver) reports that CDOT aims to widen I-270 (one lane in each direction) from I-76 to I-25, although funding is not yet available. CDOT tells the station the new lanes “will most likely” be tolled express lanes.
ColoradoCounty Pledges Money for Proposed Ramp to GDOT Managed Lanes
The Marietta Daily Journal reports that Cobb County commissioners have pledged $5 million in support for the proposed Akers Mill Road interchange proposed by the Cumberland Community Improvement District, which still faces a funding gap. The facility would provide additional access to GDOT’s Northwest Corridor Express Lanes.
GeorgiaMoPac Toll Lanes Weeks Away from Becoming Operational
Fox 7 News (Austin) reports it’s only a matter of weeks before the North MoPac managed lanes open. CTRMA operations director Tim Reilly tells the station, “We’ve done all the work we needed to do, we’ve done a tremendous amount of testing, a lot of modeling, the system is in place, especially for the north end northbound, and we are ready to start tolling that.”
North MoPac Express Lanes TexasBertha and Builders Make Headway on WSDOT Toll Tunnel Project
The Seattle Times reports, “Portions of the vast Highway 99 tunnel are starting to look like the double-decker thoroughfare that former Gov. Chris Gregoire promised seven years ago. [Tunnel boring machine] Bertha’s recent progress along the Seattle waterfront — some 1,500 feet since diving below the Alaskan Way Viaduct on April 29 — has allowed crews to pour concrete walls and foundations for road decks.” (Video and photos are worth a look.)
Washington StateKentucky RFP for Study of Brent Spence Replacement Alternatives
The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Kentucky has issued an RFP to engage a consultant to study the Eastern Bypass proposal and other potential alternatives to replacing and tolling the Brent Spence Bridge.
Brent Spence Bridge (Cincinnati Kentucky OH) OhioNova Scotia Releases Highway Expansion and Tolling Study
CBC News Nova Scotia reports, “A study into the feasibility of twinning and tolling on major sections of Nova Scotia highways was released [July 14], but [provincial] government says it has no immediate plans for implementation.” The study estimates construction costs would be $2 billion (about USD$1.5 billion).
CanadaIsraeli Tollway Operator Sues Waze over Routing Recommendation
Hamodia (Brooklyn) reports that “Fast Lane,” the franchise holder for the Road 1 managed toll lanes into Tel Aviv, “is suing navigation app Waze — owned by Google — for ‘discriminating’ against it by failing to recommend that drivers use the fast lane during peak traffic hours. The company is seeking unspecified damages from Waze, as well as a restoration of the route into the app.” This 2014 Times of Israel article provides some context.
Issues of LawShikun & Binui Will Build New Colombian Toll Road
The Times of Israel picks up a report that Israeli infrastructure group Shikun & Binui “will build the nearly 100-mile-long Cundinamarca 010 toll road near Bogota [Colombia]. . . .” The company is also a partner in the Blueridge Transportation Group, developer of Houston’s SH 288 toll road project.
The (Non-White-Collar) Crime Beat
NJ.com (and a herd of national media outlets) reports that PANYNJ police remain vigilant for toll scofflaws. A 55-year-old motorist who has beat paying the Holland Tunnel toll 500-plus times was arrested on July 13 after making another try in front of officers who discovered she owes more than $16,000 in tolls and fees.
NJ.com is reporting that Willie Reyes, the alleged Holland Tunnel toll evader arrested on July 7 at the Holland Tunnel, is now charged with 580 toll violations and owes the port authority almost $38,000.
Crime Beat PANYNJ