Louisiana Toll Bridge Will Fully Open Tomorrow
WDSU reports, following a brief additional construction delay, the Belle Chasse Bridge will open to traffic tomorrow morning. Crews are still working this weekend to complete roadway surfacing.
WWL reported that a weekend opening of the “long-awaited” span had been anticipated. Its completion marks “a major milestone in the Belle Chasse Bridge and Tunnel Replacement Project. All four lanes of the bridge will be operational, providing a smoother and more efficient commute for residents and travelers. Officials anticipate tolling will begin a few days after the bridge opens, with an exact start date to be announced soon.” (TRN inserted a link in quoted text.)
The $170 million facility opened to southbound traffic only in late 2023. Last August, Plenary Infrastructure delayed a complete opening and the start of tolling after discovering an unanticipated level of ground settlement at the span’s approaches. The problem triggered remediation work that included some ramp reconstruction.
Permit For Francis Scott Key Bridge Replacement Granted
The US Army Corps of Engineers Baltimore District (USCACE) announced that it granted the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) a permit to build the replacement bridge reconnecting I-695 over the Patapsco River, WTOP reported. The approximately $2 billion project received authorization weeks ahead of the first anniversary of the ship collision that caused the bridge’s collapse. USCACE district commander Colonel Francis Pera said, “To have both removed the bridge wreckage and issued relevant permits for its reconstruction on this timetable is a testament to our dedicated regulatory branch and our commitment to support an energetic economy across the Mid-Atlantic.”
Although some geotechnical investigations and demolition work remain, construction is expected to start this summer. The new bridge is targeted for completion by 2028.
Proposed Toledo-Columbus Connector Could Be A Toll Road
WTVG reported, a Senate committee amendment to Ohio’s biennial State Transportation Budget bill would require Ohio DOT and the Ohio Turnpike to collaborate on an engineering plan to improve the congested highway connection between Toledo and Columbus. According to the article, the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission was given a role in the planning process because a new connector could be tolled to finance its construction and maintenance. The amendment requires that the engineering plan propose one of these four alternatives: SR 229 expansion, expansion of another state route or highway, a new freeway between US 23 and I-71, or a toll road between US 23 and the interstate. Up to $500,000 is allocated for the planning process. (See Sub. H. B. No. 54 at Sections 203.25 and 755.60.)
The House unanimously approved the budget bill on February 26, providing, among other things, $393 million in appropriations for new highway construction and $4.1 billion for state highway maintenance. If the bill as amended receives an affirmative Senate vote, it must go back to the House for final approval.
These are a few of the toll industry developments TRN covered last week. If you’re not a subscriber to Daily News Briefs, click here for a free, 14-day trial. Read the news as it happens every weekday.
North Carolina Turnpike Completed Toll Feasibility Analysis For Capital Area MPO
Triangle Business Journal reported that the North Carolina Turnpike Authority (NCTA) has completed a toll financing feasibility analysis for the North Carolina Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), and the MPO board may consider the results at a March 19 meeting. The MPO requested the analysis last year to determine whether a toll funding strategy could advance a long-delayed and unfunded NCDOT project to widen and improve a congested segment of Capital Boulevard (US 1) between I-540 in Raleigh and Wake Forest. According to an NCTA spokesperson, the agency “looked at four toll delivery scenarios. . . . The scenarios include two all-tolled scenarios like the Triangle Expressway or Monroe Expressway, as well as two options for express lanes like the I-485 express lanes in Charlotte.”
The article noted that NCDOT officials are aware of the public’s resistance to tolling but insist tolls must remain a financing option based on present infrastructure needs and funding realities. Tax revenues aren’t sufficient to keep up with transportation system demands imposed by the state’s growing population. At the same time, inflation is continuously pushing up the cost of projects. Over the past seven years, the estimated cost of the Capital Boulevard plan ballooned from $465 million to $750 million in 2023 and $1.3 billion today.
Public Meetings Began On Proposed Bistate Turnpike Bridge Replacement
NJ.com provided a backgrounder on the proposed Delaware River Turnpike Bridge replacement, a joint New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) and Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission project. Span rehabilitation was considered a possibility as far back as 2003, but planning changed after a January 2017 inspection revealed a crack in a supporting truss. An extensive repair operation closed the bridge and a five-mile connector of the two turnpike systems until the following spring. The repairs prompted the agencies to launch studies of alternatives for replacing the bridge. Several public open house meetings on the studies and a month-long comment period got underway last week.
According to the article, NJTA’s current capital plan envisions a bridge replacement and allocates $500 million for the state’s share of the cost. The bridge, which has an average daily volume of 42,000 vehicles, “is a sister span to the Newark Bay Bridge which the New Jersey Turnpike Authority plans to replace with two cable-stayed bridges between Bayonne and Newark, if the U.S. Coast Guard approves permits.” (TRN inserted a link in quoted text.)
States Refocus On Traditional Infrastructure Work To Preserve Federal Transportation Aid
Roll Call reported, “As President Donald Trump pulls back on green funding, state officials are lobbying Congress to retain those dollars for other infrastructure projects that would be more palatable to the current administration and Republicans, like road and bridge repairs. Republicans negotiating the nation’s next big infrastructure bill seem amenable to the idea, as long as it means they can move funding away from green projects and toward ‘traditional’ ones.”
The article looks at how federal funding changed under the current surface transportation reauthorization law with the addition of more discretionary grant programs to the conventional formula funding. Congressional Republicans, who tended to oppose the grants, have looked at cutting the money in order to achieve an overall reduction in spending under the next reauthorization bill. State DOTs are hopeful they can convince lawmakers to shift money to formula programs rather than cut back on federal aid they contend is necessary.
AtkinsRéalis Agreed To Sell Off Its 407 ETR Stake
AtkinsRéalis announced Thursday it has agreed to sell off its entire remaining interest in the 407 ETR concession in Ontario for a total of approximately CAD 2.79 billion (USD 1.94 billion).
Ferrovial has agreed to acquire up to a 5.06 percent stake in the tollway for approximately CAD 2.09 billion (USD 1.45 billion). The transaction “is structured in two tranches, with 3.30% of the shares of Highway 407 ETR being sold under a Share Purchase Agreement, payable at closing, and the remaining 1.76% to be sold under a Put and Call Option Agreement . . . during the 18-month post-closing period.”
“Under the same Share Purchase Agreement entered into with Ferrovial, [the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments)] has agreed to purchase 1.70% of the shares of Highway 407 ETR, with CPP Investments having up to approximately 18 months to pay the purchase price, although such deferred consideration could be paid earlier. The transaction is priced at approximately $700 million [USD 487 million], with the purchase price to be adjusted, based on an agreed formula taking into account when it will be paid.”
Among other things, the closing of the transactions is contingent upon CPP Investments closing on its sale of a 7.51 percent stake in 407 ETR to another Canadian entity, the Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments).
Ferrovial issued a news release on the agreement, noting the contemplated transactions would increase its ownership stake in 407 ETR to 48.29 percent. The Globe and Mail provided a detailed analysis of the transactions and their significance for the parties.
Downstream Economic Boosts From Congestion Pricing Projected
As Manhattan congestion pricing continues to shave minutes off scores of daily commutes, the time drivers are saving will generate between $500 million and $1.3 billion in economic benefits, according to new calculations by the Regional Plan Association. Bloomberg (via Yahoo! Finance) recapped the research and advocacy organization’s latest report, which finds New Jerseyans have the most to gain, as much as $756 million annually thanks to an average savings of 21 minutes per daily round-trip commute.
In a related Bloomberg commentary, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg reasoned that the myriad downstream economic benefits of congestion pricing contribute to New York City’s health as the country’s strongest economic powerhouse. Given the impacts, which he enumerated, Bloomberg proposed that President Donald Trump direct USDOT to end its attack on the MTA program, “provided that the city and state commit to getting tougher on fare evasion.”
MTA Congestion Pricing Has Gained More Acceptance According To New Poll
Bloomberg (via Yahoo! Finance) summed up two surveys gauging sentiment about Manhattan’s newly implemented congestion pricing program. Results of a Siena College poll released Monday show that statewide, opposition to the program has declined from 51 percent to 40 percent since December, while support is up slightly from 29 percent to 33 percent. Within New York City, resident support (42 percent) now outweighs opposition (35 percent).
“Still, a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday [March 5] showed 54% of New York City residents oppose congestion pricing while 41% support it. At the same time, 49% disapprove of President Donald Trump trying to end the toll compared with 45% who approve his actions, the poll found.” (TRN inserted a link in quoted text.)
AASHTO Urged USDOT To Unblock Federal Supports For State Transportation Projects
AASHTO Journal reported, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) recently dispatched a letter to USDOT Secretary Sean Duffy requesting that the department “ensure an uninterrupted flow of federal approvals and funding to the states for federally supported transportation infrastructure projects.” The letter called Duffy’s attention to “detrimental project delivery impacts from a growing number of interruptions in federal approvals — including federal funding — that states are currently experiencing in USDOT-administered programs.” AASHTO noted, “These interruptions — whether directly or indirectly related to funding — have the effect of freezing essential construction and planning activities including those involving roadway and bridge projects. Delays like these leave state DOTs at serious risk of losing the upcoming construction season for many projects. This will not only add to overall costs to the American people but also deprive communities from receiving those economic, safety, and quality of life benefits.”
Specific problems cited in the letter include interruptions in fill access to FHWA’s Financial Management and Information Systems, delayed federal environmental reviews for transportation projects, and federal withholding of apportioned formula funds for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program.
Industry People Made News
The White House announced that Sean McMaster is President Trump’s choice to become FHWA administrator. In recent years, McMaster was employed as a lobbyist for Boeing and as an HNTB consultant. During the first Trump administration he served as a deputy chief of staff and deputy assistant secretary for congressional affairs. Prior to joining USDOT, he spent several years as a US House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee staffer. Neither USDOT nor FHWA issued a public announcement about the nomination.
“Mass Transit” Magazine reported that Steven Bradbury was confirmed Tuesday as USDOT deputy secretary. The controversial nominee was approved on a mostly party-line vote of 51 to 46 that mirrored the split in committee support for his nomination. Democrats’ objections to the nomination chiefly reflected concerns about Bradbury’s stance on safety regulations during his tenure as USDOT general counsel in the first Trump administration.
USDOT announced that President Trump appointed attorney Adrienne Camire as deputy administrator and acting administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). The post of administrator requires US Senate confirmation. Ms. Camire was FHWA chief counsel during the first Trump administration. She replaces Vinn White, who was named deputy administrator and acting administrator last summer.
The White House announced that Seval Oz was nominated for the post of “Assistant Secretary of Transportation. (New Position).” According to a FreightWaves article, “The White House has not yet specified Oz’s role at DOT, but her professional background suggests she could be responsible for overseeing self-driving vehicle policy at the department.” Oz’s LinkedIn profile lists her experience in development and marketing of autonomous vehicle and ITS technology. She is the sister of physician and television personality Mehmet Oz, President Trump’s nominee to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
VINCI Started Operation And Modernization Of 369-Mile Brazilian Tollway
VINCI Highways announced it officially took over operation of the 594-kilometer (369-mile) Belo Horizonte-Cristalina highway (Via Cristais or BR-040) on Monday. Brazil’s National Land Transportation Agency (ANTT) awarded the company a 30-year concession contract last September. The facility connects cities in the states of Minas Gerais and Goias, and is part of the Rio de Janeiro-Brasilia highway. “A strategic highway for the transport of mining, industrial and agricultural production to the ports of the South coast, it achieved 17.5 million transactions in 2023, with 40% heavy vehicles.”
In preparation for the takeover, VINCI Highways, a VINCI Concessions subsidiary, hired and trained 300 employees, opened a new control center, restarted tolling systems, and resumed essential services such as roadside assistance. Next, it will start preparations for the design and delivery of a program to expand capacity, improve safety, and upgrade service. The facility will remain open during the project, which is scheduled to be completed by 2031.
VINCI Highways now operates about 745 miles of highways and eight airports in Brazil. VINCI Concessions CEO Nicolas Notebaert called the assumption of Via Cristais operational responsibility a milestone in the company’s development in Brazil. Belen Marcos, a VINCI Concessions executive vice president and the VINCI Highways chief executive said the handover was “carried out in an exemplary manner,” and the same level of commitment “will remain our driving force for deploying our modernization and expansion plan.”
New Zealand Government Solicits Private Sector Interest In Bridge And Toll Road Projects
At last week’s Infrastructure Investment Summit in Auckland, New Zealand, national transport minister Chris Bishop said the government has started “early market soundings” to collect advice and gauge private-sector interest in building a new crossing of the city’s Waitematā Harbour. The facility could be either a bridge or a tunnel. According to Radio New Zealand, two studies would take place this year, with a preferred option to be announced in mid-2026. Bishop reportedly expects tolling or some form of road pricing to play a part in the ultimate financing of the facility. He also said “the government was exploring tolling concessions to speed up road construction. All Roads of National Significance are being assessed for tolling.”
The government posted a transcript of Mr. Bishop’s remarks at the summit.
Metro Pacific Tollways Looks To Reduce Debt By Selling Equity
Manila Standard reported, Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC) CEO Manuel Pangilinan confirmed the company is in talks with an unnamed private investor to sell off a 20 percent stake in Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC). Pangilinan declined to reveal the prospective valuation, but is on record previously saying he hoped to raise between PHP 30 billion and 50 billion (USD 524 to 874 million) to reduce MPTC debt in preparation for a planned merger with San Miguel Corporation.
The article noted that Japan’s Mitsui Corporation acquired a 6.6 percent stake in MPTC last year through the purchase of an exchangeable bond. MPTC also raised capital in 2024 following its acquisition of a 35 percent stake in the Indonesian state-owned toll road firm Jasa Marga.
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