- PA Turnpike: Southern Beltway's First Year Performance Though Modest Is Meeting Expectations
- New York Introduces New Specialty Plates Spotlighting State's Ten Regions
- One Blue Water Bridge Span Will Be Closed From July To October For Rehab Work
- TCA Says Cattle Grazing Pilot Is Reducing Wildfire Risk And Restoring Conservation Area
- These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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PA Turnpike: Southern Beltway's First Year Performance Though Modest Is Meeting Expectations
CBS News Pittsburgh reports on the performance of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission’s Southern Beltway (Turnpike 576) as the first anniversary of its full opening approaches. PTC spokesman Carl DeFebo says approximately 8,000-10,000 vehicles (20 percent of which are trucks) use the facility each week, which means it is currently “outperforming, by a smidge, our expectations.” Given its cost — about $1 billion — the highway needs much more traffic and revenue to become self-sustaining, but in some respects it is already fulfilling goals set by the legislature and PTC. For one thing, it is drawing traffic away from nearby congested roads. There are also signs that it is beginning to spark economic resurgence in the Monongahela River Valley, which is one of the primary reasons the state invested in the beltway and the more ambitious Mon-Fayette Expressway (Turnpike 43) construction project. According to DeFebo, PTC is seeing considerable interest in economic development around beltway interchanges.
Infrastructure Investment Trends Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission Pittsburgh PA Metro AreaNew York Introduces New Specialty Plates Spotlighting State's Ten Regions
Lohud.com reports, New York State is introducing 10 more optional specialty license plate designs over the course of this month. The tags showcase the state’s geographic regions and their respective landmarks. In a news release that depicts a sample plate, Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Mark Schroeder stated, “[The new designs] allow drivers to put their own unique touch on their vehicles and show pride for the place they live.” The plates will go on sale as they are introduced and can be ordered online. Lohud notes that the new designs are distinct from the standard blue-and-white “Excelsior” plates the state started to issue in 2020.
AET (All-Electronic Tolling) Automated License Plate Recognition ETC Systems New YorkOne Blue Water Bridge Span Will Be Closed From July To October For Rehab Work
The Federal Bridge Corporation Limited (FBCL) announced that the US-bound span of the Blue Water Bridge will be closed to traffic from July 5 to October 5 for rehabilitation work. However, the Canada-bound span (“Second Blue Water Bridge”) will be temporarily reconfigured to allow international traffic to continue flowing in both directions. “All of the toll lanes will remain open as traffic approaches the toll plazas at each end of the bridge,” the announcement said. “Reduced lane access during the project will prevent the availability of a dedicated lane for NEXUS and F.A.S.T. motorists, as well as for buses. Wide loads will be restricted to less than 3.35 metres (11 ft).” The two spans that comprise the bridge are maintained jointly by FBCL and Michigan DOT.
Canada Federal Bridge Corporation Ltd. (Canada) Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Maintenance Michigan Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Ontario US Department of Homeland Security (DHS)TCA Says Cattle Grazing Pilot Is Reducing Wildfire Risk And Restoring Conservation Area
The Orange County Register (subscription required for full access) reports, a cattle grazing pilot project of the Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) is successfully reducing wildfire risk and improving native habitat to support threatened and endangered species along a stretch of toll roads the agency operates. The three-year program, scheduled to conclude in late summer, has field-tested the benefits of regenerative agriculture, which remains controversial among some environmentalists, on a 23-acre site in Trabuco Canyon. TCA “is charged with preserving 17 such sites in Orange County, a total of more than 2,000 acres,” which it acquired to counterbalance the environmental impacts of its toll roads. The Register’s feature article and photo essay provide clear explanations of the disputed science behind the grazing strategy and profile Orange County’s “Last Cowboy,” the rancher paid $11,500 per year from toll road revenues to have his 800-pound Barzona bulls do the chomping, stomping and depositing of nature’s fertilizer that appears to be making the program a success.
California Environmental Protection Policies Procedures And Initiatives Transportation and Infrastructure Research & Development Transportation Corridor Agencies (CA)These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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