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Weekly Review: Week of April 21-27, 2024

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Florida DOT Opened Tampa’s Gateway Expressway

Florida DOT opened the Gateway Expressway on Friday afternoon after seven years of construction.

WTSP reported that the new facility consists of two multilane toll roads, SR 690 and SR 686A, as well as a segment of I-275 tolled express lanes. In a news release, Florida DOT stated the oft-delayed project “will bring congestion relief and travel route options to thousands of Tampa Bay area drivers.” All three facilities are equipped for cashless toll collection, but charging won’t begin until noon on Friday, May 3, to give drivers an opportunity to become familiar with the roadways and their time-saving capabilities.

According to FDOT’s project website (scroll down to the “Tolls” heading), fixed toll rates determined by vehicle classification will be charged on SR 690 and SR 686A. Drivers are not required to have a transponder account. Illustrative toll rate information is shown on a map of the roadways. I-275 express lanes tolling will be different. The lanes (one in each direction) are reserved for use by passenger cars, registered vanpools and buses. Toll rates will be set dynamically, and drivers must have a transponder account or face a $25 daily violation charge.

FDOT District 7 posted 15 short animated navigation videos to help prepare motorists to travel on the new facilities.

Lane Started Building Another Virginia DOT Express Lanes Segment

WVEC reported, construction is underway on a new section of Hampton Roads Express Lanes designated Newport News Segment (4A-4B). Lane Construction has started to execute a $110 million contract to extend Virginia DOT’s network of I-64 tolled lanes by 13.5 miles. Over an approximately 10-mile stretch, an existing HOV lane in each direction will be converted into an express lane. Along the remaining 1.3 miles, the contractor will convert one general purpose lane in each direction to an express lane. The project, recognized as a priority by the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization, is scheduled for completion in spring 2027.

Maryland Scheduled An Industry Forum On Key Bridge Reconstruction

The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) announced Thursday it will host an open Virtual Industry Forum on rebuilding of the Francis Key Bridge on May 7, 2024, from  2:00 to 4:00 PM Eastern. MDTA representatives will discuss “the anticipated Progressive Design-Build (PDB) Process with potential consultants, contractors and subcontractors to help inform” a Request for Proposals the state expects to release by the end of May. “MDTA and staff will be available to answer questions about the PDB project delivery method, procurement process and [Maryland Disadvantaged Business Enterprise] opportunities and certification. While there will be an opportunity to ask questions during the Virtual Industry Forum, the MDTA is encouraging industry professionals to submit questions in advance online at KeyBridgeRebuild.com. All forum materials, including questions and answers, will be posted to the website following the virtual event. Questions will be limited to the upcoming procurement opportunity only.” Online registration for the forum is now open.

T.Y. Lin Received A New Jersey Turnpike Widening Program Design Contract

NJ.com reported, on Tuesday, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) awarded a $25.5 million contract to T.Y. Lin International, the lowest of three bidders, to prepare the final designs for the northernmost section of the Interchanges 1 to 4 Capacity Enhancements Program. NJTA’s primary program goal is to add a third lane in each direction across a 36.5-mile corridor. That stretch of roadway in southern New Jersey is the only part of the turnpike still in the original four-lane configuration. T.Y. Lin’s section 8 design contract is the first of eight agreements that lead to next year’s expected start of construction. The firm will advance preliminary engineering work done by AECOM pursuant to the 2021 program contract it received. NJ.com noted, “While not as controversial as the proposed $10.7 billion project to widen the Turnpike extension from Newark to the Holland Tunnel in Jersey City,” the exit 1 to 4 widening plan has encountered some public opposition.

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.

Ohio Turnpike Said Its New Collection System Is Running “Smoothly”

According to chief engineer and deputy executive director Chris Matta, the Ohio Turnpike’s new toll collection system has been operating smoothly since its April 10 launch. In a statement to Cleveland.com, he attributed the success of the system transition to phasing in the components and conducting extensive pre-initiation testing. Turnpike commission chief executive Ferzan Ahmed described the conversion project as complex and challenging, but he is convinced the work of the commission’s staff, consultants and contractors “will leave a lasting legacy. . . . [And] the local, regional, and national economic benefits of our top-performing facility will be immense for our commuters, travelers as well as the commercial freight industry.” (Toll point reduction and associated rate structure adjustments were probably the most difficult aspects of the new system for customers to grasp. Cleveland.com reporter Jeremy Pelzer did a good job of describing  those changes under the “New toll rates” subheading.)

Ohio Turnpike Volume Rose Modestly In 1Q-2024

The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission (OTIC) released 1Q-2024 volume data showing 648.7 million vehicle miles traveled, a year-over-year increase of 1.1 percent. Both passenger car miles (364.97 million) and commercial vehicle miles (283.68 million) increased, 1.9 percent and 0.2 percent, respectively. The combined number of vehicles that traveled on the turnpike was 11,072,584, up 2.1 percent for the quarter, reflecting both passenger and commercial vehicle volume increases. Passenger cars accounted for 72.9 percent of volume, commercial vehicles, 27.1 percent. OTIC saw slight increases in E-ZPass use during the quarter. Over the period, 65.4 percent of passenger vehicle customers and 91 percent of commercial vehicle customers used E-ZPass.

More Tolled Express Lanes Could Be North Carolina’s Answer To An I-77 Project Funding Dilemma

WFAE reported, the longer North Carolina DOT delays a long-planned widening of  I-77 between uptown Charlotte and the South Carolina border, the higher the costs grow and the more likely it is the state will resort to a solution that involves P3 development of tolled express lanes. In just four years, inflation has driven NCDOT’s project cost estimate up to $3 billion, nearly triple the amount anticipated in 2020. This thorough article explained the delays in decision-making about how and when to widen a topographically complex 12-mile urban corridor beset by congestion and thick with bridges needing replacement. WFAE touched on disagreements over highway and transit investment in Charlotte, impediments to conventional state funding of a multibillion dollar project, and a suggestion the city should chip in on I-77 improvement. However, most of its reporting centered on tolled express lanes and the prospect they will be the chosen remedy for the corridor’s deficiencies. Cintra-led I-77 Mobility Partners, which operates an existing segment of express lanes north of Charlotte, made an unsolicited proposal to build an extension that was rejected by NCDOT and the regional MPO last summer. Officials have said Cintra could participate in bidding on a future toll project.

Massachusetts Governor Nixed Highway Border Tolls Idea

On Monday, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey (D) attempted to put the kibosh on the suggestion the state could implement tolls at its borders, WGBH reported. “‘To be clear, I am not proposing tolls at any border. I have spoken to [MassDOT Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt] and made that clear,’ [the governor] said.” The idea came up earlier this month when the secretary summarized potential solutions under discussion by a gubernatorial transportation funding task force she’s chairing. Her remarks quickly ignited a political firestorm. WGBH’s coverage included reactions from a range of political leaders, both supporters and opponents of tolling.

Harris County’s Removal Of Obsolete Tolling Infrastructure Progresses

The Harris County (TX) Toll Road Authority (HCTRA) announced that traffic reconfigurations planned for this weekend between the I-10 interchange and the Sam Houston Tollway (Beltway 8) South Plaza will advance the Barrier Free HCTRA initiative. Temporary lane closures will enable workers to continue removing obsolete infrastructure and reconfiguring the plaza and nearby ramps for open-road toll collection. “The interim configuration of the lanes will allow all drivers including non-tag customers to use the EZ TAG lanes.” Although HCTRA discontinued cash toll collection several years ago, it started to reconstruct the six Sam Houston Tollway plazas just last year. It has already removed obsolete plazas from the Hardy Toll Road. The Westpark Tollway and Tomball Tollway were built without toll plazas.

KPRC provided a background report on the plaza conversion process in February.

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New York Business Leaders Back Congestion Pricing, Despite Some Implementation Skepticism

A Commercial Observer article on Manhattan congestion pricing provides some insights worth considering. Among other things, the business publication reports:

  • The tolling program “enjoys the official support of much of the city’s business community, including its commercial real estate industry,” although some industry leaders don’t publicly support the MTA proposal out of concern for its potential impacts on executives who commute by car and tenants who operate parking garages.
  • Business leaders and transportation reform groups think city government hasn’t done enough to prepare for the significant traffic pattern changes expected to follow congestion pricing’s implementation. “Other major cities,” Commercial Observer notes, “revamped their central business districts to be more pedestrian friendly well before instituting congestion pricing tolls.” The article looked at some incomplete MTA and New York City DOT measures, as well as an advocacy group’s recommendations for action.
  • Congestion pricing “could have a transformative effect on New York’s air quality, public safety and mobility,” but there’s another potential benefit — improved productivity — that the business community especially values. Its leaders anticipate the program will cut the significant costs associated with people sitting in traffic gridlock every day. Kathy Wylde, chief executive of a CEO organization and a major supporter of congestion pricing, commented, “Excess traffic congestion is not free. It’s far more expensive — 20 times more expensive — than [the $1 billion in tolls MTA expects to collect annually].

US Bridge Safety Standards Need Careful Updating

A comprehensive article in The Washington Post reported that US bridge safety standards “rely on half-century-old West German experiments on model ships for a key mathematical formula. Their minimum specifications cite the danger of empty 195-foot barges breaking loose from their moorings and drifting into bridges, a threat that seems quaint compared with the hulking 985-foot container ship that strayed off course after an electrical failure and toppled the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore last month.” Some history and details of the standard-setting process are explained, including the role of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the challenges inherent in the country’s tiered and multi-jurisdictional approach to bridge safety. Ideal and modern safety standards also are discussed, with an international comparison, and experts weigh in on the likelihood that the Key Bridge disaster will spur updated standards in the US. One expert cautioned that a rush toward regulatory reform could produce unrealistically high standards that effectively waste resources.

ATA Truck Tonnage Index Dip Pointed To Continued “Recession” In Freight Hauling

Transport Topics reported, the American Trucking Associations’ monthly For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index recorded the thirteenth straight year-over-year decline in March. The one percent dip to 113.4 was the second smallest of that 13-month period, but it represents a two-percent decline from February. The associations’ chief economist, Bob Costello, stated in a news release, “[T]ruck freight volumes remain lackluster, and it is clear the truck freight recession continued through the first quarter. In the first three months of 2024, ATA’s tonnage index contracted 0.8% from the previous quarter and declined 2.4% from a year earlier, highlighting ongoing challenges the industry is navigating.” The article noted, “The ATA index is dominated by contract freight rather than spot market freight,” and it is indexed to 2015 annual data.

Philippine Toll Company Leaders Remain Optimistic About Merger Deal

The Philippine Star reported, “Negotiations on the planned merger of the toll road units of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. and San Miguel Corp. are moving smoothly so far, with tycoons Manuel V. Pangilinan and Ramon Ang bullish on sealing the deal within the year.” According to Mr. Pangilinan, the companies are continuing to exchange information to get a “better sense of the numbers and how the structure could be developed as a consequence of the numbers.” Two important issues that remain unresolved are the outlook on concession agreement expirations and whether a merger would include Metro Pacific assets in Indonesia and Vietnam. The parties aim to list a merged entity on the Philippine Stock Exchange. (TRN inserted a link in quoted text.)

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