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Another Alabama City Endorses Proposed State Acquisition Of Private Toll Bridge

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WBMA reports, another local government authority, the Northport City Council, has adopted a resolution supporting the proposal to have Alabama purchase the Tuscaloosa By-Pass toll bridge from its owner, Detroit-based American Roads LLC, a CVC DIF holding. For several months, Alabama State Senator Gerald Allen (R-21) has been gathering community support for a deal that would emulate the one last May that resulted in Alabama DOT buying American Roads’ Foley Beach Express bridge and eliminating its tolls.

Last month, Senator Allen said he is seeking a meeting with Governor Kay Ivey (R) to discuss the proposed acquisition.

New Study Prods Wisconsin Lawmakers To Fix Longstanding Transportation Fund Imbalance

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According to The Daily Reporter, a new comprehensive study by the nonpartisan, independent Wisconsin Policy Forum lays out several scenarios whereby lawmakers could restructure state transportation funding, which has been faltering ever since a 2006 policy change that stopped adjusting fuel taxes for inflation. The study report takes an in-depth look at steady declines in revenue that have accompanied substantial project cost inflation.

The article provides a detailed recap of policy forum findings about nearly two decades of historical changes in transportation funding and revenue allocation. It also notes that a separate study finds that, while the condition of the state’s most traveled highways has improved in recent years, the local road network is increasingly characterized as either “poor” or “failed.”

AASHTO Opens Registration For 2025 Washington Briefing

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The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) announced that the registration portal for its 2025 Washington Briefing is now open. The annual legislative conference is scheduled for February 3-6, 2025, at the Westin DC Downtown Hotel.

The event “will focus on how state DOTs will partner with President Trump’s administration and the 119th Congress on building momentum for federal surface transportation reauthorization, and highlight the successes of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA in informing future transportation investments. The conference will also examine closeout of fiscal year 2025  appropriations as well as ‘budget reconciliation’ that may bring significant spending and tax changes throughout the federal government.” In addition, AASHTO’s president, Connecticut DOT Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto, will discuss his term’s emphasis areas.