- Debate Over What The MTA Program Postponement Portends For Congestion Pricing's Future In America
- Heat Wave Prompts Illinois Tollway To Augment Regular Highway Patrols
- Commentary: "Infrastructure Requires Money. More Toll Roads Are the Way."
- These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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Debate Over What The MTA Program Postponement Portends For Congestion Pricing's Future In America
Democratic New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s decision to halt — at least temporarily — a long-anticipated congestion pricing plan for Manhattan’s central business district has implications far beyond the New York metro area, The New York Times reports. “It has also renewed conversations among city and transportation leaders and experts about the future of transit systems around the country and how to pay for them.” Some experts fear that the governor’s action “turned what was supposed to be a major win for mass transit into a cautionary tale.” The article sums up evolving conversations about potential congestion pricing programs in Boston, San Francisco, Washington, DC, Los Angeles and Chicago, as well as the recent road-use charging debate in San Diego. It includes some expert’s views about the future of the congestion pricing concept in the US. Opinion ranges from a prediction that Governor Hochul “didn’t just kill congestion pricing in New York, she killed it across the country for a long time,” to optimism that the MTA program can still get off the ground.
For WBUR, Radio Boston goes into some depth of discussion with former Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation Jim Aloisi about what the Manhattan development and what it might mean for Boston.
Congestion Pricing ETC Systems Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York New York City Transit and Toll RoadsHeat Wave Prompts Illinois Tollway To Augment Regular Highway Patrols
The Illinois Tollway Authority announced it is “operating around-the-clock Hot Weather Patrols this week to more quickly locate and assist any customers stranded along its roads during the dangerously high temperatures and humidity expected to continue through Friday [June 21]. . . . While the Illinois Tollway’s Highway Emergency Lane Patrol (H.E.L.P.) trucks supported by GEICO run from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, a minimum of 12 Hot Weather Patrols are providing additional coverage around the clock throughout the heat wave to augment H.E.L.P. trucks.” The patrol units search the Tollway network for stranded motorists and respond to calls for assistance. “[C]rew cab trucks equipped with arrow boards . . . can accommodate passengers if motorists need to get out of the heat or be transported to a Tollway maintenance garage or Tollway oasis while service is obtained.” Tollway chief executive Cassaundra Rouse commented, “Protecting our customers is always our highest priority and during extremely hot weather it is critical to rapidly reach drivers who need assistance and provide the help they need to safely complete their travels.” The announcement includes summer travel advice for motorists.
Chicago Metro Area Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Safety (Includes COVID-19 Impacts) Illinois Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (IL Tollway) Service PlazasCommentary: "Infrastructure Requires Money. More Toll Roads Are the Way."
A Bloomberg Opinion column endorsing toll and public-private partnership financing of transportation infrastructure is getting wide circulation through Tribune Publishing’s news syndicate. Author Thomas Black sees road and bridge projects benefiting most from IIJA funding when that money would be better spent, in his opinion, on public works “that are critical yet unlikely to be financed by local budgets or private companies, such as replacing lead pipes in the water system. . . .” Black argues that current fiscal and infrastructure conditions suggest more states should join Georgia, Florida and Texas in embracing user fees — tolls and managed express lane charges, in particular — as practical and “fair” methods of financing transportation system improvements. In Black’s view, these funding mechanisms have the added virtue of creating opportunities for private capital to supplement public investment. Taking a high-level look at Ferrovial’s US projects, he acknowledges the company has experienced some failures and taken significant risks. However, Black’s overall assessment of the firm’s record is that P3 investment has the potential to produce successful outcomes for motorists and public agencies, as well as corporate shareholders.
Cintra US Economic & Social Considerations Affecting Transportation ETC Systems Express Lanes Ferrovial Infrastructure Investment Trends P3 & PrivatizationThese are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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