Daily News Briefs, December 1, 2106

LA Metro Ends Long Dispute, Agrees to Pay $300 Million More to Kiewit for 405 Freeway Widening Project

Los Angeles Times reports, “The Metropolitan Transportation Authority [LA Metro] has agreed to pay nearly $300 million more to [Omaha-based Kiewit Corporation,] the contractor of the 405 Freeway widening project, capping a years-long dispute over responsibility for schedule delays, design changes and cost overruns. The settlement will push the cost of the controversial Sepulveda Pass project above $1.6 billion, about 55% higher than the original budget.” According to the Times, “In a report to [LA Metro] directors, staff members wrote that the ‘significant lessons learned’ from the . . . settlement included the importance of ‘detailed underground utilities investigations’ before beginning a billion-dollar project.” [Links added.]

Omaha World-Herald quotes Kiewit spokesman Bob Kula as commenting, “We’ve been working positively with Metro in Los Angeles and appreciate the significant effort made by the Metro board and leadership to help resolve key issues on the I-405 project.”

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Moody's Report: 2017 Outlook for Domestic Toll Road Industry "Remains Positive"

Moody’s Investors Service announces the release of a new research report, “Tolls Roads – US: 2017 Outlook – Strong Traffic and Revenue Growth Support Positive Outlook” (subscription required), in which it finds that the 2017 outlook for the domestic toll road industry “remains positive, reflecting the expectation of continued strong traffic and revenue growth in the next 12 to 18 months. . . . Moody’s estimates that median traffic growth among 48 rated toll roads will range from 3% to 4% in the remainder of 2016 and into 2017, and that median toll revenue will grow from 5% to 6% at the same time.” Moody’s announcement adds that 2016 traffic and revenue growth has so far exceeded its expectations.

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The Plot Thickens in NY State vs FHWA Battle over Tourism Signs as Feds Question Legality of Rest Stop Stores

Long Island Press reports that FHWA “suspects New York State may have broken federal law when it recently opened a store at the Long Island Expressway rest stop in Dix Hills. . . . [NYDOT] officials maintain that the new rest area — and several others like it that recently opened statewide — is a legally permissible welcome center and market designed to promote tourism in addition to selling locally made products. But the FHA suspects otherwise, and it has scheduled a meeting with state DOT leaders next month to discuss it and a related issue regarding state tourism signs that federal officials say are also not in compliance.” The disagreement puts part of New York’s $1.7 billion in federal highway funding at risk, according to the report.

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Indiana Funding Task Force May Recommend Tolling

WFYI reports, “Indiana’s roads task force may recommend the state begin tolling interstate highways. Previous debates over how to pay for Indiana’s infrastructure needs focused on fuel taxes, alternative fuel vehicle levies, and fees based on the number of miles someone drives. The discussion broadened at the second-to-last roads task force meeting. Engineer Steven Davidson recommends Indiana should explore tolling every interstate highway.” The report adds, “Task force co-chair Sen. Luke Kenley (R-Noblesville) says tolling is a realistic possibility. ‘Certainly tolling would be the only way you’ll get any revenue out of somebody who’s from out of state who didn’t stop to buy gas,’ Kenley says. The roads task force will issue its recommendation to lawmakers before the legislative session begins in January.”

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Questions About Math Behind Trump Infrastructure Plan and P3s Persist

The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) looks at the surge in construction materials and infrastructure construction stocks precipitated by expectations of a Trump revitalization program, but cautions that the “math doesn’t add up” and raises a red flag on P3 projects, reporting that, “Such projects have fared poorly in the past. A 2015 Congressional Budget Office report counted 14 completed highway projects that relied on some form of private financing. Of the eight that have been open for more than five years, half, including projects in Texas, California, and South Carolina, have either declared bankruptcy or experienced a public buyout of the private partners. All relied on toll revenue. They built it, but not enough came.”

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No Firm Date for Start of Ohio River Bridges Tolling. Project Officials OK Toll System Procurement Changes.

WDRB (Louisville) reports that ORB project officials “are hesitant to say when tolling will start on three Ohio River bridges, acknowledging that the all-electronic collection system needs additional scrutiny before it goes live. For months, Kentucky and Indiana representatives said tolling was expected to begin in December. But the states’ tolling body on Wednesday [November 30] agreed to begin charging drivers only after the final tests are complete. ‘We anticipate this may happen around the end of the year,’ said Clint Murphy, tolling director for the Indiana Department of Transportation. The testing is ‘very logistical [sic] complex and rigorous, so we don’t want to estimate too closely what we think that might be.”

An ORB project news release about the November 30 meeting notes that officials authorized “changes to the contract with Kapsch TrafficCom, the toll system provider. Changes include allowing contract work to be delivered in smaller testable sections. Another change approved a compatible transformer for the power circuit feeding the East End Crossing equipment pad. Another resolution authorizes the Kentucky Public Transportation Infrastructure Authority, KPTIA, to procure electronic tolling equipment. As a member of the E-ZPass network, KPTIA may have access to better prices for equipment.”

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CTRMA's MoPac Delivering Faster Travel Times

KXAN reports, “The agency that runs the MoPac Expressway is out with new numbers showing the opening of the northbound express lane in mid-October is speeding up travel times for commuters headed to north Austin. When Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority reviewed traffic data from Oct. 24, they determined that what was a 19-minute drive in the main lanes before the new addition, is now closer to seven minutes. Express users shave another minute off their drive.”

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Bridgegate: NJ Judge Hears Arguments in Misconduct Complaint Filed Against Governor Christie

The Wall Street Journal reports that a Bergen County superior court judge heard argument on November 30 about whether to appoint a special prosecutor to handle an official misconduct complaint against Governor Chris Christie stemming from the George Washington Bridge lane closures incident. The Journal adds that the complaint was filed by a citizen activist who claims that testimony given in the recent Bridgegate criminal trial shows that Christie “knew about the lane closures while they occurred but refused to stop them, an allegation Mr. Christie has repeatedly denied.”

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Guessing Date for Gordie Howe Bridge Opening Is Called a "Mug's Game"

Windsor Star reports that predicting the Gordie Howe International Bridge’s opening date is a “mug’s game” according to Windsor-Detroit bridge authority interim chairman Dwight Duncan. In remarks made after a November 30 chamber luncheon speech, Duncan said a completion date estimate will be easier to make after a contractor is selected in 18 months. The newspaper also reports that the bridge authority will spend $1 million for a university study to “identify exactly how many jobs the bridge project will create during construction, along with the potential number of jobs and corporate investment following its completion.”

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Ohio Investing $15 Million to Develop Testing Ground for Autonomous and Connected Vehicles

The Plain Dealer reports, “The state is investing $15 million in a 35-mile stretch of road outside of Columbus that will act as a testing ground for autonomous and connected vehicles. Dubbed the Smart Mobility Corridor, the stretch of road on U.S. 33 between Dublin and East Liberty will be outfitted with high-capacity fiber optic cable that will provide data on self-driving vehicle operations.” The report adds, “The turnpike also will become a testing ground for self-driving vehicles. ‘People shouldn’t notice,’ said Turnpike Director Randy Cole, who already has been in the cab of [a] self-driving truck while it traveled down the turnpike in self-driving mode.”

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MA Governor Talks Up Turnpike's AET Transition, Though "Most Drivers" Remain Opposed to More Tolls

WWLP reports, “Governor Charlie Baker is calling the Mass Pike’s transition to all electronic tolling a success. Now people are questioning whether it should or would be implemented on other highways in the state.” The report adds that the governor “has expressed pride in the transition to the all-electronic gantry system without causing gridlock” and notes that “while more tolls have been discussed over the years most drivers remain opposed.” (The station’s video report concludes with a reference to an online poll that found that 93% of the respondents were opposed to additional tolls.)

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RI Lawmaker Makes Case for Constitutional Amendment to Ban Tolling of Cars

Cranston Herald publishes an op-ed by State Rep. Blake A. Filippi, an independent from Block Island, who hammers the state’s truck tolling program, arguing that, “Although our current leaders promise passenger cars won’t be tolled, their commitment isn’t binding on future leaders. The only way to secure this promise is to constitutionally require that voters must approve any tolling expansion – similar to how we already must approve any gambling expansion.”

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El Paso Releases CRRMA and City E-Mails Related to $3.2 Million Phishing Scam

KVIA reports that the City of El Paso released copies of emails related to an alleged phishing scam that resulted in the misdirection $3.2 million in funds. The scam, which the city describes as “sophisticated,” involved the misdirection of two payments to someone posing as a legitimate construction vendor. The first payment ($2.9 million) came from “state funds for a project managed by the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority (CRRMA), city officials said.” Officials redacted the names of a city employee and a Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority employee from the released documents due to an ongoing law enforcement investigation. To date, the city has recovered $1.9 million in funds. KVIA notes that the City of El Paso is the fiscal agent for CCRMA, “meaning it handles all purchasing and financial matters.”

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Mackinac Bridge Authority Employee Talks About Driving Fearful Motorists Across the Span

UpNorthLive.com chats up a Mackinac Bridge Authority employee whose job is to drive anxious or fearful travelers across the bridge. The report adds that, “About 100,000 people cross the Mackinac Bridge every month, but according to the Mackinac Bridge Authority, about five people a day need to be driven across by one of [the authority’s employees].”

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