NJ Turnpike Could Start Newark Bay Bridge Construction Later This Year
NJ.com provided detailed updates on the status of two major projects proposed by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA).
A turnpike spokesperson said construction of the initial phase of the controversial $10.7 billion Newark Bay-Hudson County Extension Improvements Program could start later this year. Plans call for replacement of an obsolete bridge that carries the Hudson Extension across Newark Bay. NJTA expects to award a contract to build trestles for that span and 16 others later this year. Last week, authority commissioners approved a construction impact mitigation plan that is awaiting US Coast Guard approval. The plan must be in place and several other contingencies must be met before NJTA can obtain a Coast Guard environmental permit to start the bridge replacement. “No time frame was given about when the permit could be issued.”
Environmental approval of the next and most controversial phase of the program — adding a third lane to the turnpike through Bayonne and Jersey City — is also still pending. NJTA is working on design but still faces substantial opposition from some area residents and local officials.
NJ.com also reported on the progress of the Interchanges 1 to 4 Capacity Enhancements Program, which aims to add an additional lane in each direction to the southernmost leg of the turnpike. NJTA’s spokesperson said the earliest construction contract awards are expected in 2026, adding “Most of the final design for 1 to 4 has yet to begin.” The article included a section-by-section design and construction schedule.
Maryland Unveiled Key Bridge Replacement Design
Maryland Matters reported, “State officials unveiled the design for the new Francis Scott Key Bridge on Monday, almost a year after a container ship slammed into the old bridge, sending it tumbling into the Patapsco River and killing six workers . . . .” Renderings show the span will be a “soaring cable-stayed” structure. It will have two traffic lanes in each direction and provide 230 feet of clearance over the ship channel, compared to the old bridge’s 185 feet of vertical clearance. “When it is completed — the contractor predicts the bridge could open in fall 2028 — the bridge will restore a major roadway between Dundalk and Baltimore.”
Officials said the replacement project’s next step will be demolition of the collapsed span’s remains. “Demolition is expected in the spring and construction will begin shortly after. Preconstruction operations have already begun, such as collecting soil samples and mapping subsurface waterways, the Maryland Transportation Authority said in January.”
Maryland Governor Wes Moore (D) concurrently announced a $15 million investment in a project to increase container capacity at a major Baltimore Harbor logistics center.
A subpage on the Key Bridge Rebuild website has design images and information. Governor Moore issued an extensive news release on the design reveal.
Report On Ohio Turnpike Traffic And Revenue Upward Trend
Cleveland.com reported that the Ohio Turnpike and Information Commission (OTIC) received $448 million in revenue from all sources in 2024, a year-on-year increase of $29.2 million.
Toll collections amounted to $388.4 million, $147.6 million from passenger vehicles and $240.8 million from commercial vehicles. The year-on-year increase in toll collection — $27.6 million — was due in part to 2024 being the start of a series of five annual rate adjustments.
However, traffic volume was also a factor in the revenue gain. The number of vehicles using the turnpike in 2024 rose to 56.1, up 5.4 million from 2023. Last year was the fourth straight year of volume increases.
Miles traveled on the turnpike were recorded as three billion last year, suggesting there was a nominal drop off. However, OTIC noted that miles-traveled data collected in 2023 and earlier years can’t be accurately compared with data obtained in 2024 and subsequent years. Data collection changed as a consequence of the toll system restructure the commission introduced in April 2024.
California Commission Allocated $1 Billion For Transportation Projects
Caltrans announced Monday that the state transportation commission (CTC) allocated an additional $1 billion dollars for a variety of projects, funding derived largely from the IIJA ($623 million) and the state’s Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 ($264 million). The funding was approved during the commission’s January meeting.
Caltrans Director Tony Tavares stated that the projects aim to cope with mobility challenges and make the highway system more resilient to climate change. The department news release includes a few examples of funded projects. More information is available in attachments to the agenda of CTC’s January 30-31 meeting or through the Building CA website.
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.
Tampa Expressway Authority Saw 2024 Traffic And Revenue Growth
Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA) traffic volume and toll revenue is growing along with the population of the region it serves, Tampa Bay Business Journal (subscription required) reported. According to authority sources, “nearly 78.22 million toll transactions were processed in fiscal year 2024, with more than 65.33 million of those on the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway mainline.” Annual toll revenue collections reached $126.75 million.
The article also looked at 2024 expenditures and the authority’s long-term obligation to reimburse FDOT for operation and maintenance costs starting this year. In July, THEA owes the state approximately $200 million, and it will continue making annual payments over the next 19 years.
THEA Executive Director Greg Slater discussed the authority’s financial picture and its $882 million six-year work plan. He said that level of investment is needed to ensure safe and efficient operations and to meet demands on the transportation system resulting from the region’s substantial growth.
Indiana Bill Would Allow Governor, INDOT To Expand Tolling Without Specific Legislative Approval
Indiana Capital Chronicle took a detailed look at legislation (HB 1461) that aims to reform and expand Indiana transportation financing to prevent looming budget shortfalls. Among other things, the measure would update 2017 legislation that opened up opportunities (so far, neglected) to raise revenue through highway and bridge tolling. One provision would authorize INDOT to apply to the federal government for a project tolling waiver with the governor’s approval. If a waiver were granted, state legislation authorizing the project wouldn’t be required. At a January 27 committee hearing, tolling got the support of construction industry representatives and the state chamber of commerce, while the state’s trucking association cited objections.
A video record of the January 27 House Roads and Transportation committee hearing is available online. A lengthy summary and fiscal analysis of HB 1461 has been prepared by the Indiana Legislative Services Agency.
Emovis Completed Free-Flow System Implementation At Hampton Roads Tunnels
Emovis, an Abertis company, announced the successful implementation of a new free-flow tolling system it developed in collaboration with Elizabeth River Crossings (ERC), operator of the Downtown and Midtown Tunnels in Virginia’s Hampton Roads region.
The system, now in initial stage of operation, includes four strategically located gantries, each equipped with advanced roadside sensors and pavement detection technology. Vehicle data is processed through Emovis’ cloud-based “Emovis Identify” platform and “seamlessly integrated with ERC’s Toll Transaction Host for rating and invoicing in near real time.” Emovis said the system is designed to “provide accurate, reliable toll collection, minimize revenue leakage and improve operational efficiency while enhancing the overall travel experience for users.” The free-flow system was installed alongside ERC’s existing roadside collection system, which remains in operation during a transition that will involve its full decommissioning.
Kapsch ATMS Platform Has Multiple Applications Across North America
Kapsch TrafficCom spotlighed the adoption of its Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) by infrastructure operators across North America.
The technology is in use to improve vehicle traffic flow and safety at several major transportation facilities, including PANYNJ’s George Washington Bridge and the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. However, operators have also deployed the ATMS platform at airports such as Newark Liberty, on transit systems including MTA’s New York subway, and at public utilities that use the technology to improve resource management.
Kapsch stated in a news release its ATMS installations integrate with “Intelligent Transportation Systems and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) technology to provide real-time data, automated alerts, and remote system controls. This allows transportation authorities to detect and respond to incidents quickly, ensuring minimal disruptions and greater efficiency. The system is flexible, boasting extensive functionalities ranging from substation control to incident detection, air quality monitoring, ventilation system control, dynamic message signs, CCTV, to core systems like lighting, power control and many more.”
“Fast Company” And Broadway Accentuated Congestion Pricing Positive Impacts
“Fast Company” is the latest national publication to take note of the positive outcome from the first month of Manhattan congestion pricing. While acknowledging it’s still early days, an article on the magazine’s website reported that current MTA data, supported by independent measures, reveals positive trends in traffic reduction, travel times, and transit adoption. (Initial information about toll revenue yield and air quality should be available later this month.) The article focused on the program’s immediate impact on improving commutes by car and bus into and within the congestion zone.
Concerns that congestion pricing would seriously curtail New York City theatre attendance have so far proved to be unfounded, Streetsblog NYC reported. “Despite doom prognostications, congestion pricing has not hurt Broadway’s bottom line a bit — and, in fact, may be boosting it. According to the Broadway League — the Great White Way’s trade group — ticket sales rose year-over-year in both the third and fourth weeks of January,” the period following the usual holiday surge in attendance.
MTA policy and external relations chief John McCarthy commented, “Most [theatergoers] take subways, buses, bikes, cabs or walk to Broadway shows. The relatively few who drive are seeing much less traffic. So, no surprise that attendance and ticket sales are way up.”
Sample Daily News Briefs, our weekday news report. A 14-day trial is free.
Report: Transurban “Is Shaping Up As A Buyout Target” For Institutional Investors
The Australian Financial Review reported, “Transurban’s lacklustre share price and valuable collection of toll roads is raising investor expectations that the infrastructure giant could become a prime target for pension funds chasing big-ticket assets.”
Both the company’s challenges — they include state government pressure to restructure toll rates and slowing growth — and external market conditions are behind the recent marginal loss of share value. However, analysts say Transurban, with its portfolio of assets that are virtual monopolies, remains an attractive target for international investors and pension fund managers. The article noted that some major investors already hold stakes in Transurban, which, along with Atlas Arteria, is among the few infrastructure companies that remain listed on Australia’s stock exchange.
Transurban declined to comment for the newspaper.
US Firm Began Raising Capital For $3.5 Billion Kenya Tollway Project
Construction Review reported that US infrastructure investment manager Everstrong Capital has launched an effort to raise capital for the $3.5 billion Usahihi Expressway project. Last May, the Kenya National Highways Authority signed a P3 development deal with Everstrong for construction of a 440-kilometer (273-mile) tolled expressway between the country’s two major cities, Nairobi and Mombasa. Initially, the firm is seeking funding from Kenyan pension funds. “Everstrong is expected to host a signing ceremony in Nairobi which will mark the Transaction Advisory and Placement Services Agreement. This marks a very crucial milestone for the project.”
Business Daily Africa (subscription required) reported in detail about Everstrong’s fundraising in collaboration with a Kenyan financial services firm. Although it is also looking to foreign investors and aid agencies for money, Everstrong expects to raise a substantial amount of construction capital from local retirement funds. The newspaper article also discussed previous failed attempts by the Kenyan government to get the project off the ground.
Annual And Lifetime Toll Passes May Soon Be Available To Indian Drivers
Unnamed sources told The Times of India the national government’s proposal to offer non-commercial motorists unlimited-use toll passes is at an advanced stage of planning. An annual pass costing INR 3,000 (USD 34.35) would be one available option. Another would be a “lifetime” pass with a one-time fee of INR 30,000 (less than USD 350). The highways ministry is also reportedly considering a reduction of the base per-kilometer toll rate to ease costs for transponder account holders. The government views the pass program as a way to reduce the cost of travel for motorists, but it also expects pass sales to boost its modest toll revenue yield from passenger car drivers.
How would the pass system be implemented? According to HT Auto, a Hindustan Times website, and other national media, the road transport and highways ministry proposes to integrate a pass into a driver’s existing FASTag ETC account. Annual pass customers would then have to recharge their accounts just once annually. A “lifetime” pass would also be integrated with FASTag and would require repurchase every 15 years.
ATRI: Trucking Delay Costs Due To Congestion Reached Record High In 2022
Transport Topics reported, according to research conducted by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), US highway congestion “added $108.8 billion in costs to the trucking industry in 2022, up from $94.6 billion in 2021.” The findings were set out in a “Cost of Congestion” study update ATRI released in December.
Hours of congestion actually decreased slightly during the year, but an increase in truck operating expense made vehicle slowdowns more costly by a factor of 15 percent. ATRI said the level of highway delay compares to “more than 430,000 commercial truck drivers sitting idle for one work year and an average cost of $7,588 for every registered combination truck.” It also noted that the 6.4 billion gallons of diesel fuel trucks wasted due to congestion added $32.1 billion to the industry’s costs.