- I-405 Tolls Could Be Here to Stay. Revenue Might Be Leveraged to Fund New Projects.
- AZ Officials Eye I-17 Reversible Lanes in Maricopa County
- Brent Spence Bridge Replacement Is Number 2 on Trump Administration Project List
- Fitch Recognizes Grand Parkway's Early Successes, Sees Positive Signs for Greenfield Toll Road Projects
- PA and NJ Turnpikes' Delaware River Bridge to Remain Closed for the "Foreseeable Future"
- PA Lawmakers Advance Work Zone Speed Camera Pilot
- NJ Lawmakers File Bill to Require NJTA and SJTA to Install Electric Charging Stations
- Construction on I-35W (Part of the North Tarrant Express) Ramps Up
- Delaware Memorial Bridge Sees Record Level of Traffic
- SRTA's Tomlinson Addresses I-75 Questions, Says Truck-Only Lanes Are Part of "Future Project"
- West Virginia Lawmakers Nix Talk of Expanded Tolling
- PANYNJ Police Arrest Toll Evading Jitney Bus Driver
- Trump Infrastructure Plan Could Hit Roadblock in GOP Deficit Concerns
- Massachusetts Turnpike Toll Plaza Demolition to Be Wrapped Up by Year's End
- IL Tollway and Pace Bus Service Are Close to Deal for Public Transit on Jane Addams Tollway (I-90)
- Staten Island Newspaper Backs Ferry Route That Would Allow Commuters to Avoid Verrazano Bridge Tolls
This is a Subscribers-Only area. If you are a subscriber, please login. If not...
Become a Subscriber Today »
I-405 Tolls Could Be Here to Stay. Revenue Might Be Leveraged to Fund New Projects.
Bellevue Reporter reports that any legislation to eliminate I-405 tolls won’t see any life this year, and it adds that “[Rep. Judy Clibborn, D-Mercer Island, chairwoman of the House Transportation Committee] is already thinking about making the toll lanes permanent in 2018. The state would then be in position to sell bonds and use the stream of toll revenue to cover the long-term debt payments required for major congestion-easing projects eyed in the 17-mile corridor.”
Express Lanes Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)AZ Officials Eye I-17 Reversible Lanes in Maricopa County
The Daily Courier reports that the Arizona State Transportation Board is considering the possibility of building two reversible lanes in the median of I-17 in Maricopa County. Both P3 and tolling are on the table for discussion, although board members acknowledged that tolling is not exactly popular among Arizonans.
Arizona P3 & PrivatizationBrent Spence Bridge Replacement Is Number 2 on Trump Administration Project List
The Cincinnati Enquirer reports, “The Trump administration has the Brent Spence Bridge project ranked No. 2 on its list of nationwide transportation priorities, according to a document obtained by the Kansas City Star and Tacoma News Tribune. The newspapers, owned by Sacramento-based McClatchy, reported on the list Tuesday [January 24].” (Number 1 on the list of “Emergency & National Security Projects” is the Amtrak-PANYNJ Gateway Program for rail infrastructure.)
Brent Spence Bridge (Cincinnati OH-Northern KY) Kentucky OhioFitch Recognizes Grand Parkway's Early Successes, Sees Positive Signs for Greenfield Toll Road Projects
Fitch Ratings issued a January 24 statement on Grand Parkway Transportation Corporation (GPTC) financial performance and traffic that, according to Fitch, represent a “positive sign” for greenfield toll road projects. The public, non-profit corporation “issued $2.9 billion of toll revenue bonds in 2013 to finance the design and construction of major sections of a third ring road around Houston,” and, according to Fitch, it “is well on track to meet expectations relative to its original finance plan.” Fitch adds, “Greenfield toll roads globally have historically struggled to meet projections. Importantly, recent experience for traditional toll roads has been a departure from these long-term trends with North Carolina Turnpike (Triangle Expressway), Central Texas Turnpike System, and the Grand Parkway at or close to original projections. . . . It is too early to call this a meaningful shift in the standards and quality of forecasts as there are projects like SH130 . . . that have severely underperformed; however, it does indicate that greater conservatism is being incorporated to address opening year and facility ramp up risks.”
Houston Grand Parkway Houston Metro Area Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)PA and NJ Turnpikes' Delaware River Bridge to Remain Closed for the "Foreseeable Future"
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports, “Motorists who typically use the Delaware River Bridge connecting the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Turnpikes should make new driving plans for the foreseeable future, officials urged Tuesday [January 24]. It will be at least two weeks before the nature of the bridge repairs is known, and making the fix will take longer, they said.”
New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC)PA Lawmakers Advance Work Zone Speed Camera Pilot
Pennlive.com reports, “The Senate Transportation Committee on Tuesday [January 24] approved legislation that would establish a five-year pilot program of installing speed detection cameras in work zones on PennDOT and Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission highways.”
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC)NJ Lawmakers File Bill to Require NJTA and SJTA to Install Electric Charging Stations
Asbury Park Press reports that two state senators have introduced a bill (S 874) to require the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and the South Jersey Transportation Authority to install level 3 electric vehicle charging stations at all turnpike, Garden State Parkway and Atlantic City Expressway rest stops.
New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA)Construction on I-35W (Part of the North Tarrant Express) Ramps Up
NBC Dallas-Fort Worth reports, “Construction on I-35W, part of the North Tarrant Express/I-35W project, is ramping up this week. The 10.1-mile project rebuilds the I-35W corridor from Interstate 30 downtown to U.S. 287 Decatur cutoff in Northeast Tarrant County. This stretch of construction is among the most congested highways in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The project includes plans to rebuild the main lanes, expand the frontage lanes and install four toll lanes. The work should be completed in 2018.”
Houston Metro Area NTE Mobility Partners TexasDelaware Memorial Bridge Sees Record Level of Traffic
Associated Press reports, “The Delaware Memorial Bridge saw its second consecutive year of record traffic in 2016. The Delaware River and Bay Authority on [January 24] said 17,813,664 vehicles traveled through the toll plaza of the twin span, which connects Pennsville in New Jersey with New Castle, Delaware. That eclipsed the previous record of 17,749,946 in 2015.”
Delaware River and Bay AuthoritySRTA's Tomlinson Addresses I-75 Questions, Says Truck-Only Lanes Are Part of "Future Project"
WGCL brings a series of Facebook questions and posts to State Road and Tollway Authority Executive Director Chris Tomlinson, who responds to concerns about the new I-75 reversible managed lanes project scheduled to open this Saturday, January 28. One question focuses on truck-only lanes, and Tomlinson explains, “This is an expansion of 75. But because of Atlanta’s dynamic growth, if we just build new lanes and don’t take some steps to manage them, they will fill back up. In terms of truck traffic as part of a major mobility truck program, we are planning on a future project that has truck-only lanes.”
Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) State Road and Tollway Authority (GA)West Virginia Lawmakers Nix Talk of Expanded Tolling
WTAP reports that any talk of expanding the West Virginia Turnpike, or tolling in general, is not going to get far in the statehouse.
West Virginia Parkways Authority (West Virginia Turnpike)PANYNJ Police Arrest Toll Evading Jitney Bus Driver
NJ.com reports that PANYNJ police arrested a “known toll evader” driving a jitney bus. She reportedly owes $50,990 in tolls and fees, and has “653 known E-Z Pass violations.” The bus carried an E-ZPass transponder “for use only in a passenger vehicle.”
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) ScofflawsTrump Infrastructure Plan Could Hit Roadblock in GOP Deficit Concerns
The Hill reports, “President Trump’s ambitious plan to invest $1 trillion in the nation’s crumbling infrastructure may run into roadblocks in the Republican-led Congress, according to one of Trump’s advisers. ‘He has to come up with a financing plan, and I think there’s going to be a little bit of a tug of war between the conservatives in the Republican party who are concerned about deficits and the president who’s concerned about jobs,’ Richard LeFrak, whom Trump tapped to advise him on an infrastructure proposal, said on CNBC’s ‘Squawk Box’ [on January 23].”
Massachusetts Turnpike Toll Plaza Demolition to Be Wrapped Up by Year's End
WWLP reports, “It’s been two months since the toll booths along the MassPike were demolished, but the construction isn’t over just yet. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation says they’re hoping to have the entire project across the state finished by the end of 2017.”
AET (All-Electronic Tolling) Massachusetts TurnpikeIL Tollway and Pace Bus Service Are Close to Deal for Public Transit on Jane Addams Tollway (I-90)
Daily Herald reports, “The Illinois [T]ollway and Pace [link added] are cementing plans for public transit on the Jane Addams Tollway (I-90) that include express routes and park-n-ride lots. An intergovernmental agreement allowing Pace buses to use I-90 shoulder lanes to avoid traffic jams was approved [on January 23] by tollway directors at a Finance and Operations Committee meeting.”
Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (IL Tollway)Staten Island Newspaper Backs Ferry Route That Would Allow Commuters to Avoid Verrazano Bridge Tolls
SILive.com editors are backing a ferry route plan that could give some Staten Islanders an alternative to paying Verrazano Narrows Bridge tolls. The editors write, “Giovanni Verrazzano and Henry Hudson had it figured out 500 years ago. Water transportation is the way to go around New York. We just don’t seem to get it.”
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York City