- Private Equity Firms are Raising Billions in Anticipation of Trump Infrastructure Plan
- DOT Secretary Chao Says Infrastructure Plan Could Be Released in May. Trump Vows to Cut Highway Project Red Tape.
- Thirtieth Anniversary of Fatal NY Thruway Bridge Collapse: "It Sounded Like a Bomb Going Off."
- Indiana Senate Approves Gas Tax, Tolling Bill
- Bertha Is Done, Setting the Stage for Toll Debate
- Lawmaker Files Bill to "Stall" Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Improvements
- VMT/RUC Pilots Gain Traction in Oregon and California
- Missouri Lawmakers Refuse to Remove Ban on Using State Revenue for Toll Roads
- Video Tracks Wrong-Way Driver on Hardy Toll Road before Fatal Accident
- Kansas Work Zone Crashes Are on the Rise
- OH Turnpike Will See "Platooning Trucks" This Spring as Self-Driving Vehicle Tests Advance
- A Sneak Peek at FDOT's SunTrax Self-Driving Vehicle Test Track
- New Triangle Expressway Interchange Was a Long Time Coming
- Columnist Hammers Bill to Expand Use of AET in Massachusetts
- Tolling Contract Dispute in Ireland Lands in Court
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Private Equity Firms are Raising Billions in Anticipation of Trump Infrastructure Plan
CNBC reports, “As the Trump administration touts its as-yet-unannounced $1 trillion infrastructure program . . . private equity firms are readying their pocketbooks. They are now raising $30.5 billion in funding for 43 new funds targeting North American infrastructure, according to Preqin, an industry data service. That money will be in addition to $68 billion in ‘dry powder’ that funds have on hand but have yet to invest.” [Link inserted.]
Infrastructure Investment TrendsDOT Secretary Chao Says Infrastructure Plan Could Be Released in May. Trump Vows to Cut Highway Project Red Tape.
The Bond Buyer reports, “Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said Tuesday [April 4] that the administration may release infrastructure legislation as soon as May, causing most advocates to applaud the momentum but wonder whether it will move forward quickly.” She spoke during a “town hall” meeting for business executives. President Trump reportedly told the gathering that his infrastructure plan “will focus on funding for projects that can get underway soon.”
Associated Press also covers the meeting, reporting, “At one point the president had an aide come on stage to hold up a long scroll of the government’s approval process for building a highway. The president then pledged to eliminate more than 90 percent of the regulations involved and ‘still have safety.’ He provided no details.”
Infrastructure Investment Trends US Department of Transportation (USDOT)Thirtieth Anniversary of Fatal NY Thruway Bridge Collapse: "It Sounded Like a Bomb Going Off."
The Daily Gazette reports, “It started with melted snow and intense April rains. In the end, 10 people were dead in a catastrophe that seemed unimaginable — the collapse of a state Thruway bridge over the Schoharie Creek and five vehicles falling into deep, surging water.”
New York New York State Thruway AuthorityIndiana Senate Approves Gas Tax, Tolling Bill
The Journal Gazette reports, “Hoosiers would pay hundreds of millions in increased gas taxes and other road fees under a bill approved 34-13 on Tuesday [April 4] by the Indiana Senate. But final negotiations on a long-term, sustainable infrastructure program are yet to come in the final three weeks of the session.” The report adds that some lawmakers wore buttons to show support for “expanding Interstates 65 and 70 to six lanes statewide and possibly using tolls to recoup the costs in the future.” (The bill would allow INDOT to seek a federal waiver to toll any and all interstates.)
Indiana Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT)Bertha Is Done, Setting the Stage for Toll Debate
KCPQ reports, “Bertha’s breakthrough break through gets us one step closer to actually being able to drive in the new [Highway] 99 tunnel. But don’t forget that it’s going to actually cost money with tolls — likely around the clock.” The article looks at metro Seattle toll facilities and toll rates, and discusses WSDOT’s concerns about traffic and revenue loss resulting from toll avoidance.
The Seattle Times covers Bertha’s emergence into sunlight yesterday morning, April 4. (Photos and video are included.)
Washington State Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)Lawmaker Files Bill to "Stall" Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Improvements
The New Orleans Advocate reports that State Representative Paul Hollis (R-Covington) has filed a bill “aimed at blocking improvements to the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, saying he is not convinced they would improve safety as advertised or be worth the cost. . . . [HB 478] would require an ‘objective analysis’ before the Greater New Orleans Expressway Commission can issue bonds in any amount greater than $5 million.”
Lake Pontchartrain Causeway (Metro New Orleans) LouisianaVMT/RUC Pilots Gain Traction in Oregon and California
A KPCC reporter, one of the 5,000 volunteers participating in Caltrans’ Road Charge Pilot Program, provides an update on the testing of tax systems based on vehicle miles traveled. The article notes that a survey of participants in Oregon’s pioneering pilot program, OreGo, “showed more than 90 percent were satisfied with their experience.”
California Caltrans (CA Department of Transportation) Oregon Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) RUC & VMT ProgramsMissouri Lawmakers Refuse to Remove Ban on Using State Revenue for Toll Roads
Associated Press reports that the Missouri House defeated an attempt to remove a budget ban on the use of state revenue for toll roads. “Missouri has no toll roads, and voters have rejected them in the past, but the state transportation department has been studying the potential of using tolls as part of a public-private partnership to rebuild Interstate 70 between suburban St. Louis and Kansas City,” AP notes.
MissouriVideo Tracks Wrong-Way Driver on Hardy Toll Road before Fatal Accident
KPRC reports that authorities have released a video showing a wrong-way driver on HCTRA’s Hardy Toll Road before he crashed into another vehicle. The driver and two other people died in the collision.
Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA) TexasKansas Work Zone Crashes Are on the Rise
KSNW reports, “ New traffic data shows an increase in the number of work zone crashes in Kansas.” Kansas Highway Patrol Captain Joe Bott tells the station, “There is a lot of orange and on the turnpike itself we have a lot of different projects. We have quite a bit of construction going on.”
Kansas Kansas Turnpike Authority (KTA)OH Turnpike Will See "Platooning Trucks" This Spring as Self-Driving Vehicle Tests Advance
The Plain Dealer reports, “Ohio this spring will begin a new phase in its autonomous vehicle exploration. California-based Peloton Technology will roll out an evolving vehicle tech known as ‘platooning’ on the Ohio Turnpike. Platooning involves creating pairs of semi-autonomous commercial trucks. Vehicle-to-vehicle communication allows the vehicles to travel close together, which reduces fuel burn and cuts wind resistance. The trucks communicate on braking and speed.”
Click here to see a Peloton video explaining how the technology works.
Ohio Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission Self-Driving VehiclesA Sneak Peek at FDOT's SunTrax Self-Driving Vehicle Test Track
Orlando Business Journal posts renderings of FDOT’s new SunTrax test track for self-driving vehicles.
Florida Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Self-Driving VehiclesNew Triangle Expressway Interchange Was a Long Time Coming
Triangle Business Journal reports, “A just-opened interchange gives drivers on Holly Springs’ Veridea Parkway a direct link to the Triangle Expressway – a connection officials hope can cut down on commute times. Beau Memory, executive director for the North Carolina Turnpike Authority, says both his agency and the local communities have been pushing for the connection ‘since the conversations about the Triangle Expressway first began.’” [Links inserted.]
North Carolina North Carolina Turnpike AuthorityColumnist Hammers Bill to Expand Use of AET in Massachusetts
Boston Herald columnist Holly Robichaud rails against a bill proposed by State Representative Brian Murray (D-Milford) that would authorize the installation of electronic tolling systems on roads other than the Massachusetts Turnpike, writing that, “For some inexplicable reason, our elected leaders think that Massachusetts drivers are the golden goose of never-ending tax dollars.”
AET (All-Electronic Tolling) Massachusetts Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT)Tolling Contract Dispute in Ireland Lands in Court
The Irish Times reports, “A dispute over the award of a contract to operate the tolling contract on the M50 motorway has come before the Commercial Court. US-based TransCore has sued the National Roads Authority (NRA), operating as Transport Infrastructure Ireland, in relation to a contract worth €200 million-€400 million [approximately US$213.6 million to $427 million].”
Ireland