Georgia Selected Ferrovial-Led Team For I-285 East Express Lanes Project
On October 15, the Georgia State Transportation Board approved the selection of Top End Mobility Group (TEMG) as the apparent best value proposer for the I-285 East Express Lanes projects, Georgia DOT announced. The group is led by Ferrovial and its Webber and Cintra subsidiaries, with financial participation by Star America Infrastructure Fund II and Tikehau Capital. AECOM Technical Services is the lead engineering firm.
The project is a multiphase initiative to build about 34 miles of dynamically priced, barrier-separated express lanes in both directions at the top of I-285 on Atlanta’s east side.
“The approval authorizes TEMG to serve as the Phase 1 developer and to develop Phase 2 and future phases under a Comprehensive Development Agreement (CDA). The State Road and Tollway Authority will enter into a [P3] Agreement with TEMG to advance Phase 1. . . .” Under the CDA’s terms, TEMG will design, build, finance, operate, and maintain two westbound lanes on the I-285 outer loop between Henderson Road and Northside Drive, connecting with SR 400 and I-85 express lanes.
GDOT said, “Specific Phase 1 project limits and team information will be announced as details are finalized. TEMG’s anticipated design and construction cost for Phase 1 is $8.9B.” The TEMG team will pay the state $515 million for project cost reimbursement $23.6 billion in concession fees. The fees, which are subject to adjustment, will be paid in annual installments following the expected financial close in October 2027. The concession term will be 50 years.
A commercial close, encompassing agreements for both Phase 1 and the CDA, is anticipated in December 2026. TEMG will then refine the project’s Phase 1 engineering design, complete environmental reevaluations and permitting, and secure project financing. Construction is expected to start in late 2027, with substantial completion of Phase 1 in 2034. All project phases must be under construction within a decade.
On an average day, the I-285 project corridor carries about 250,000 vehicles and is congested for eight hours. Meanwhile, regional growth is expected to increase traffic by 25 percent in the next 15 years.
Over the past 15 years, the Georgia Express Lanes program has grown to include four systems, on I-85 northwest of metro Atlanta, I-75 south of metro Atlanta, and I-75 and I-575 in northwest metro Atlanta. GDOT has another major P3 express lane project underway on a 16-mile segment of SR 400 in north metro Atlanta.
A “Whopping” Concession Fee Helped Ferrovial Cinch I-285 Express Project
Top End Mobility Group (TEMG), the Ferrovial-led consortium that Georgia DOT selected as the best value proposer for the initial I-285 East Express Lanes projects, pledged to pay the state a $23.6 billion concession fee in increments over a 50-year concession term. (The fee amount is subject to further negotiation based on “interest rate movements and financial structuring” prior to financial close.)
TEMG’s selection came less than two months after another Ferrovial-led team, DriveTN, proposed to pay Tennessee DOT a $24.8 billion concession fee as part of the team’s successful bid to develop the I-24 Southeast Choice Lanes project. (An unsuccessful bidder challenging DriveTN’s selection in court is seeking, among other things, access to state records regarding the concession fee offer.)
In an article on the Georgia deal, The Bond Buyer (subscription required) noted that the “whopping” concession fee offers are each approximately six times as large as the previous record payment of $3.8 billion pledged in 2024 by another Georgia DOT partner, the team developing the SR 400 Express Lanes.
“Express toll lanes [projects] . . . are having a moment in the U.S. and in the Southeast region in particular,” The Bond Buyer noted, adding, “As firms compete for the projects, the size of the concession fees has become controversial.” The article weighed criticism of the proposed fees — critics argue they will drive up toll costs for motorists or reduce investors’ revenue — against the contention that the fees “reflect a host of factors and projections, such as 50-year traffic demand, operating innovations and lifecycle performance.”
The article took note of other aspects of the TEMG bid, such as:
- TEMG’s $8.9 billion construction budget, is $1.3 billion above the figure cited in GDOT’s application for a TIFIA loan for the project.
- GDOT did not release information about the unsuccessful proposals made by the other two shortlisted teams, which were a group comprising ACS Infrastructure, Meridiam, and Acciona and a group comprising Plenary, Sacyr, and Shikun and Binui
- TEMG was selected to develop the I-285 project’s Phase 1 and to get a first crack at developing Phase 2 and future phases under a separate comprehensive development agreement.
- After Phase 1, the project will be structured differently, with GDOT soliciting progressive or project development agreements leading to predevelopment consultation and negotiation of final pricing.
Ferrovial issued a news release in which CEO Ignacio Madridejos called the company’s selection “an important milestone for Ferrovial in a state where we have been present for over a decade.”
Quarterhill Was Selected As Subcontractor For LA Metro Express Lanes BOS Project
Quarterhill, Inc., announced on October 15 that BRiC-TPS selected it as a subcontractor to support implementation of a new back-office system (BOS) for the ExpressLanes network of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro). Quarterhill’s subcontract has an eight-year base term with two three-year extension options and an approximate value of $28.2 million.
In March, LA Metro awarded BRiC-TPS a contract to implement, operate, and maintain the new BOS. The agreement has a maximum value of $114.75 million. According to today’s announcement, Quarterhill will support BRiC-TPS in delivering system modernization and support for express lanes tolling on I-10, I-110, I-105, and future corridors. BRiC-TPS’s engagement “encompasses core tolling operations, customer account and transaction management, financial and operational reporting, system integrations, and ongoing maintenance and support services.”
Quarterhill’s contributions will include “project management and documentation support, security compliance oversight, on-site Customer Service Center help desk personnel, as well as the integration of communication applications with the back office throughout implementation and ongoing operations of the program.”
The subcontract continues Quarterhill’s US expansion. During 2026, the Canada-based company has secured tolling or ITS operations contracts with agencies in Illinois, Indiana, California, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.
Texas Residents Welcomed Toll Road Extension Outside Austin
Residents who packed a recent public hearing said the 290 Extension Project outside Austin proposed by the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) cannot happen soon enough, Elgin Courier reported.
The project — about midway through its environmental study and design process — aims to improve traffic flow through a congested and dangerous corridor between the cities of Manor and Elgin. “According to CTRMA, the stretch of 290 saw about 2,700 crashes from 2020 to 2025, including about 19 fatalities.”
The project plan includes elevated segments, dedicated turnarounds, and longer turn lanes. Construction is projected to begin in 2030 or 2031. “In the meantime, the agency said it will continue gathering community input, evaluating improvements and environmental impacts, and determining whether the project should move forward.”
As previously reported by TRN, a virtual project open house will remain available online until October 30.
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TCA Approved One-Way Interoperability Agreement With Illinois Tollway
The Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) boards have approved an agreement “to implement one-way interoperability between TCA and the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority . . . , further advancing TCA’s commitment to national toll interoperability and benefitting the Agencies’ accountholders who travel outside California.” The agreement was one of the highlights noted in a news release on the October 8 joint meeting of the agencies’ boards.
The agreement will allow Illinois Tollway transactions to be posted automatically to the statements of TCA FasTrak accountholders. “The agreement builds on TCA’s innovative one-way interoperability framework, which was developed to expand interstate tolling access while California tolling agencies continue to pursue legislative changes needed for full national interoperability.”
The new arrangement will be implemented in early 2027. A similar interoperability agreement between TCA and the North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) already generates about 17,000 transactions each month.
The news release also noted that the boards approved a contract with Paymentech, LLC, a division of JPMorgan Chase Bank, to provide credit card and Automated Clearing House (ACH) payment processing services. The contract will cover an estimated 22 million TCA transactions per year.
PA Turnpike Scheduled Public Hearing On Scranton Beltway Project Revisions
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) has scheduled a public hearing on Wednesday, October 28, to share information on the environmental assessment and recent revisions to the Scranton Beltway Project, The Times-Tribune reports. The revised plans will be available for viewing at 4:30 PM, with the hearing scheduled for 5:30 PM.
The $236 million initiative is intended to connect the turnpike’s Northeast Extension (I-476) to I-81, with connector ramps at two locations detailed in the article. “It also includes new bridges, culvert extensions, sound barriers and stormwater management facilities. The commission designed it to reduce congestion on I-81, with connections allowing motorists to drive between I-81 and I-476.”
State regulatory changes regarding right-of-way impacts prompted some of the proposed revisions. Right-of-way issues are significant because the project involves acquisition of “multiple properties and easements for traffic lanes, sound barriers and other features,” and those acquisitions have been controversial.
The project is awaiting a finding of no significant impact from the Federal Highway Administration. Once that is secured, a four-year final design phase would begin, with construction expected to start in 2030.
Jacksonville, FL, Mayor Emphatically Rejected Reinstating Tolls To Address Fiscal Crisis
With the beleaguered Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) facing a $39 million operating deficit, Mayor Donna Deegan held a rare Saturday morning press conference to declare a tolling solution a nonstarter, Florida Politics reported.
Deegan’s October 10 statement was prompted by reporting that the independent regional state agency was considering the move — a characterization JTA claims was a misinterpretation of comments taken out of context at a recent committee meeting. Jacksonville used to charge roadway tolls but discontinued the practice in the 1980s when voters approved a half-cent sales tax to replace them.
The agency’s budget crunch already has prompted the layoff of 194 employees, the planned suspension of its “Skyway elevated people mover” beginning November 2 and its autonomous vehicle service beginning December 31, and a reduction in citywide bus service.
Additionally, JTA is under scrutiny by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier regarding tuition reimbursements and an allegedly questionable relationship with a development firm.
The agency is currently led by interim CEO Cleveland Ferguson III, who stepped into the post in August after CEO Nat Ford resigned to lead the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system in Texas.
PANYNJ Reopened George Washington Bridge South Walk Dedicated To Pedestrian Use
On October 15, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) reopened the George Washington Bridge’s 1.5-mile South Walk upon completion of an extensive renovation project.
Pedestrians now have dedicated use of the South Walk, while cyclists exclusively use the North Walk, which reopened after a renovation in February 2023. The two groups shared the north walkway after the south walkway closed for rehabilitation that month. In 2025, over 637,000 total trips — 55 percent by cyclists and 45 percent by pedestrians — were made across the shared facility.
The rebuilt South Walk’s improvements include accessible approaches, new viewing areas, and enhanced security fencing, lighting, pavement markings, and signage. Chokepoints have been addressed by the widening of passages around the bridge’s towers.
The New York entrance at Cabrini Boulevard has a widened approach and a staircase to a viewing platform. On the New Jersey side, an expanded Hudson Terrace entry plaza and new crosswalk improve access, including connections to Fort Lee Historic Park.
The walkway reconstruction accompanied the replacement of all 592 suspender ropes connecting the bridge’s main cables to its roadway decks. Rope replacement and cable rehabilitation, completed in March 2025, was the largest component of the authority’s ongoing $2 billion Restoring the George rehabilitation program.
Maryland Governor Paused 2027 Toll Increases
On October 14, Maryland Governor Wes Moore (D) announced that any Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) toll increases planned for 2027 will be paused, WTOP reported. “I know that times are tough, and when costs go up, governments should be looking for ways to bring them down,” he said in a social media post..
Moore suggested the decision will save Maryland residents about $50 million. It’s not clear how that revenue loss will be offset, but an MDTA spokesperson said the pause will not affect any of the agency’s operations or projects, including the ongoing replacement of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
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Michigan Mayor Considers Legal Challenge To Private Bridge Operator’s Proposed Toll Hike
Residents and officials in Bay City, Michigan, are vexed by an announcement from Bay City Bridge Partners (BCBP) that it proposes raising toll rates at the Liberty and Independence Bridges on January 1, 2027.
BCBP, a United Bridge Partners subsidiary, and Bay City have navigated a tense relationship since the start of the company’s 75-year leases on the spans, MLive.com reported. “City officials have said the bridge partners reneged on parts of the [lease agreements], and the company has been absent from city meetings for more than a year.”
According to Mid-Michigan Now, Bay City Mayor Christopher Girard is ready to seek support from the state attorney general’s office in the dispute and potentially cancel the contract. “I think long term, this company really needs to be out of our community. They have not demonstrated their partnership as they promised,” he said. Girard also expressed frustration that he learned of the rate increase from media reports, rather than through formal channels.
City Manager Rik Hayman went so far as to call the announcement a “financial spanking.” The parties reportedly had resumed talks on toll relief for the community, including the potential introduction of unlimited passes for residents. The toll increase, Hayman said, does not bode well for future negotiations.
BCBP maintains that rate hikes are necessary to fund the bridges’ upkeep. It told Mid-Michigan Now the increased revenue would support the long-term sustainability and maintenance of the infrastructure assets.
According to The Pioneer (subscription required), the amount of the proposed increase in current rates — they took effect in 2025 — range from 50 cents to $2.00, depending on the payment type.
According to MLive.com, “The new rates for vehicles with transponders would be $2.50 for Class 1 vehicles such as cars and pickup trucks, $4.50 for Class 2 vehicles including box trucks and vehicles pulling trailers, and $8.50 for Class 3 vehicles such as semis. Drivers without transponders would face higher charges of $7.50, $9.50 and $13.50, respectively.”
BCBP is reportedly accepting public comments on the rate proposal via email or postal mail for 30 days.
New South Wales Lowered Toll Rebate Threshold, Making More Drivers Eligible For Relief
Australia’s New South Wales government has lowered the weekly threshold for toll rebates from AUD 60 (USD 41.83) to AUD 50 (USD 34.85), 7News reported.
“The change is expected to make an additional 200,000 toll accounts eligible for relief and unlock $99 million [USD 69 million] in rebates for motorists this quarter, in addition to the 948,000 accounts that claimed $73 million [USD 50.9 million] under the previous cap.”
Cash-back refunds are capped at $350 per customer per week and $5,000 [USD 3,486] annually. “The average motorist who regularly spends $50 per week on tolls could get $520 [USD 362.50] back over a year, according to government estimates.”
Toll relief was introduced in 2024 as part of the government’s broader cost-of-living relief package, which also affected toll administration fees, vehicle registration costs, and public transportation fares. To date, toll refund claims totaling AUD 348 million (USD 242.6 million) have been processed, representing more than 1.07 million claims.
A New South Wales Government news release provides additional information about the lowered refund threshold.
Egis Named Jon Moretta Its US CEO
On October 15, Egis announced the appointment of Jon Moretta as its chief executive officer in the United States. The company stated he will focus on “strengthening client relationships, expanding capabilities, and bringing together Egis’ local expertise and global resources to deliver innovative, sustainable solutions.”
Mr. Moretta joins Egis from Parsons, where he held several executive posts, most recently as a senior vice president in charge of corporate business development. Over a career spanning more than 35 years, he has gained experience in engineering, operations, business development, capital project delivery, technology, and sustainability.
“The United States is central to Egis’ growth ambitions across the Americas, and Jon brings the strategic perspective, commercial discipline, and people-focused leadership needed to accelerate our progress,” said Alaa AbuSiam, Chief Executive Officer of Egis in the Americas.
In July 2025, Egis advanced its North American expansion when it acquired the US professional services firm H.W. Lochner. This summer, Lochner rebranded as Egis, completing its integration into the Paris-based global organization.
New Study Found Pollution Reduction Attributable To MTA Congestion Pricing
A new study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters found that ground-level fine-particle air pollution was measurably reduced inside New York City’s congestion pricing zone in the first year of the policy, Earth.com reported. The study is one of the first to analyze data from the entire first year of congestion pricing and among the first to study effects of congestion pricing at a neighborhood scale.
“A full year of data helps us see whether changes in air quality remain consistent across all seasons and different weather conditions,” Polina Goldberg, a graduate student who contributed to the study, told Earth.com. The journal article was co-authored by Daniel M. Westervelt, an associate research professor at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.
The analysis accounted for other pollution reduction tends in recent years to quantify how much could be attributed to traffic patterns that changed in response to the tolling scheme.
“Once those other trends were taken into account, fine-particle pollution inside the city’s congestion pricing zone came out about 13% lower in the program’s first year than expected.” The reduction appears to parallel the decline in traffic in the congestion zone.
The study also examined air quality at sites outside the congestion zone where traffic ticked up and found incremental increases in fine particulates — amounts too small to attribute to any specific cause. It also measured declines in nitrogen dioxide levels, but those declines were not large enough to attribute to tolling
“Whether those improvements will last remains an open question. Westervelt said longer studies, with more pollutants and better satellite measurements, will help show how well the first-year gains hold up.”