Charlotte MPO Authorized NCDOT To Advance I-77 Express P3 Delivery
The Charlotte Observer reported, during its Wednesday meeting, the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization (CRTPO) board endorsed a proposal to design, construct, and operate 11 miles of tolled express lanes on I-77. Although the vote was split, 11 jurisdictions joined the City of Charlotte in approving a resolution that authorizes North Carolina DOT to move forward with a P3 delivery process for the project. Just seven CRTPO-member jurisdictions — Mecklenburg County and six municipalities — opposed the resolution.
WFAE also covered the meeting, noting “[T]here was significant opposition to the public-private partnership — mostly because of the controversial privately built and managed toll lanes on I-77 North that opened five years ago.”
In a pre-meeting report on the next steps in the planning process, the Charlotte Business Journal noted:
- The resolution requires formation of an advisory group that would collaborate with NCDOT on developing a request for qualifications addressed to prospective contractors. The group would be composed of CRTPO members “and-or other experts.”
- “To ensure public disclosure and confidence among CRTPO board members,” the board would be able to reject the terms of procurement and terminate the P3 delivery process at any time before NCDOT advertises for proposals. The CRTPO would have 60 days to review the terms.
- “The process of assembling bid terms and deciding whether to move ahead will occur over the next nine months.”
- NCDOT maintains a P3 project could get started as soon as 2028 and be completed by 2033. Its estimate of the building cost stands at $3.7 billion, triple the amount projected in 2014.
Neither NCDOT nor the team of advisors it selected to help prepare a report comparing approaches to the express lane construction project gave CRTPO a recommendation. However, according to the Business Journal article, they “make clear that enlisting a private developer and operator offers the quickest path to relieving congestion on the traffic-clogged interstate corridor.” NCDOT’s advisors included HNTB, KPMG, PFM Financial Advisors, RS&H, and Stantec.
THEA Anticipates Releasing South Selmon Capacity Project RFP Next Month
The Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA) held an industry forum on Tuesday to provide design-build teams with information about its pending South Selmon Capacity Project. Attendance at the forum was not required in order to respond to the project’s request for proposals, which the agency plans to issue in mid-November.
Among other things, the project scope involves adding one lane in each direction on the Selmon Expressway in downtown Tampa, improving select interchanges and ramps, and inside-widening of 26 mainline bridges. More details about THEA’s two-phase procurement process can be found in the forum announcement. Project documents are available on the project website.
TRN noted, the nearly $400 million project is part of THEA’s $882 million work program for 2025-2030.
Netherlands Selected Consortium To Implement Truck Toll System
ITSInternational.com reported, the Netherlands Vehicle Authority (RDW) awarded Triangle — a consortium of Brisa’s Via Verde Portugal, Ascendi O&M and Mundys’ Yunex Traffic — the contract to implement the new electronic toll collection system for commercial trucks that the country will launch in 2026 in place of its existing Eurovignette system. Under a 10-year contract, the partners will supply the on-board units used to track distance driven on select roadways, collect payments, and convey the proceeds to the government.
Eduardo Ramos, CEO of Via Verde and Triangle’s leader, commented, “The Netherlands has been at the forefront of sustainable and efficient mobility solutions for years. The contract we have won . . . for the truck toll on the Dutch road network will be an example for other countries opting for smart and sustainable mobility.”
More information on Triangle’s ETC system proposal can be found in a Highways Today article and a Yunex Traffic news release.
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.
APG Will Acquire Globalvia’s Entire Stake In Spanish Toll Road Concession Company
APG, the Netherlands pension investment management firm, announced Wednesday it has reached an agreement to acquire Globalvia’s 40 percent stake in Itínere Infraestructuras, a major Spanish toll road concessionaire. The proposed transaction “is part of a comprehensive set of agreements that solves all outstanding litigation between the parties related to Itínere’s shareholdings. These definitive agreements between Globalvia and APG reflect their commitment to setting a clear path forward. The successful completion of this deal represents a significant positive outcome for all parties involved, bringing an end to longstanding disputes over Itínere.” Financial details of the deal weren’t disclosed.
Itínere operates several concessions in Northern Spain. APG already has a controlling interest in Itínere as a consequence of a 2018 acquisition it made together with Corsair Infrastructure Partners. Globalvia, which is wholly owned by a consortium of pension management firms, acquired its initial stake in Itínere in 2018 and increased its ownership share in 2019.
Canadian Pension Fund Will Acquire Five India Toll Road Concessions
The Economic Times reported, Quebec-based pension fund manager CDPQ is prepared to sign an agreement to acquire five build-operate-transfer toll road assets of Ashoka Concessions, a subsidiary of Ashoka Buildcon LTD. All the facilities “have an average tolling track record of 10 years with established traffic density” and report recent revenue increases. Ashoka Concessions is owned by its parent company and SBI Macquarie. The deal has a reported enterprise value of INR 4,500 crore (approximately USD 535.3 million), acccording to unnamed sources.
Spokespersons for CDPQ and Macquarie declined to comment. Ashoka Buildcon did not respond to a comment request.
Washington State Reported Increases In Toll Revenue
“The tolling business is good,” according to a KIRO Radio report. A revenue presentation (see slides 11-12) prepared by state transportation commission staff shows that adjusted gross revenue from all toll facilities during the current budget biennium has totaled $494 million, 5.9 percent above forecast. A WSDOT traffic and revenue update (see slide 3) puts the total FY 2024 (July 2023 through June 2024) toll take at $209.4 million. Both analyses were presented to the transportation commission at its meetings last week.
Based on the financial reports and his own highway observations, KIRO traffic reporter Chris Sullivan attributed the revenue growth to this spring’s increase in minimum and maximum toll rates for the I-405 express lanes and State Route 167 high occupancy toll lanes. According to Sullivan’s “low-tech accounting,” tolls on the two routes have reached the $15 maximum rate during 70 to 80 percent of the morning peak periods since the rate increase took effect in March.
Are toll-paying commuters getting their money’s worth? Sullivan finds “[t]here are mornings where that $15 can save you a half hour on I-405 heading south out of Lynnwood.”
“The benefit on SR 167,” Sullivan suggests, “is not as pronounced.”
STAR Systems Reader Received Required Certifications In Brazil
STAR Systems International announced that its Titan Pro multiprotocol reader has received two required certifications and is now fully approved for use in open-road and multi-lane free flow applications in Brazil. “Receiving both the ANATEL and ARTEFATO certifications validates that the Titan Pro meets the highest safety, quality, and performance standards required by Brazilian regulators in road usage charging applications,” the company stated.
STAR Systems added that it has successfully completed multiple pilot projects with Titan Pro in Rio de Janeiro, São Paolo, and other parts of Brazil. On the basis of the tests and the certifications, the company hopes to accelerate its growth and increase its market share in Latin America.
Portland, OR, Rose Quarter Project Lost Out On $750 Million INFRA Grant
KGW reported, despite its disappointment at learning it won’t receive the INFRA grant it applied for last May, Oregon DOT will move forward with its Rose Quarter Improvement Project goals of widening I-5 and capping the highway’s Portland corridor to reconnect parts of the historically Black Albina neighborhood.
Initially, the department will use a $450 million Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods program grant received earlier this year to design and build the central portion of the full cover envisioned by the project plan. An ODOT spokesperson said the partial cover “will be compatible with the future full build out of the full highway cover and I-5 safety and operational improvements.” Completion of the cap and expansion of the highway will be deferred until additional federal or state funding becomes available. The cost of the entire project is currently estimated to be $1.5 billion to $1.9 billion.
The KGW article provided more background about the project and the controversies (mostly related to the widening proposal) it has stirred.
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Florida Governor Lifted Remaining Hurricane Milton Toll Suspensions
On Friday, October 18, a spokesperson for the Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) told TRN his agency would restart toll collection at all its facilities at noon that day. CFX received authorization to resume tolling from the governor’s office via Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise (FTE).
An FTE spokesperson later confirmed for TRN that tolling suspension orders had been lifted across the state on Friday, allowing FTE and all other Central Florida tollway operators to resume collection. A formal public announcement was not be issued. FTE’s website pages carried a banner stating, “All tolls in Florida have been reinstated following Hurricane Milton.”
Governor Ron DeSantis (R) issued a seven-day suspension order that took effect in various part of the state on the morning of October 7, two days prior to the hurricane making landfall. The suspension expired on October 14 for some facilities, however the governor, without explanation, kept it in indefinite effect for designated facilities in the Tampa and Orlando metro regions until Friday.
Hurricane Helene Damage To NCDOT Facilities Amounts To “Several Billion Dollars”
Interstate 40, the critical highway connection between North Carolina and Tennessee that was damaged in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, will remain partially closed until at least January, an NCDOT spokesperson told Asheville Citizen-Times. The affected roadway lies between exit 20 in North Carolina and exit 432 in Tennessee. “The state secured Wright Brothers Construction on a $10 million contract with incentives to stabilize the westbound lanes to open to some traffic by Jan. 4. . . . Plans to fully reconstruct the damage . . . are under discussion with the Tennessee Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration with the goal of a contract agreement by the time the stabilization is complete.”
Storm damage was particularly severe across western North Carolina, where NCDOT has 2,000 employees deployed and it expects more than 100 flood-damaged bridges will need replacement. The department spokesperson commented, “We’re into damage assessment now and . . . we are comfortable at this point saying that it’s going to be several billion dollars for all of the damage to just DOT roadway infrastructure.”
FHWA Proposes To Revise Procedures On Traffic and Construction Noise Abatement
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will accept comments on its proposal to revise federal regulations on the procedures for abatement of highway traffic noise and construction noise until December 17, 2024. Among other things, proposed revisions relate to funding eligibility for noise analysis and abatement, the factors considered when evaluating noise abatement measures, exemptions to Type 1 projects in order to narrow the focus of screening analyses, and broadening the scope of participants involved in noise study and mitigation decision-making.
The notice of proposed rulemaking, dated October 18, is published at 89 FR 83801 (Docket No. FHWA-2019-0036). The federal rules proposed for revision are found at 23 CFR Part 772.
Industry People Made News
Wisconsin DOT announced that Secretary Kristina Boardman has appointed Scott Lawry, PE, to serve as deputy secretary and the department’s chief operating officer. Mr. Lawry first joined WisDOT in 1987 as an intern. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Civil Engineering, he became a full-time staff member. “Over the years, he’s worked as a staff engineer, project manager and supervisor in a variety of division leadership roles.” Most recently, he held the post of deputy administrator of the Division of Transportation System Development. Mr. Lawry will fill the vacancy left when Ms. Boardman was elevated to WisDOT secretary last month.
Tim Lindholm was recently appointed chief program management officer for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro), the agency announced. He will be responsible for delivery of “the largest transportation infrastructure program in the nation, a $28 billion program of approximately 75 active rail, bus, and highway transportation projects. Mr. Lindholm, a licensed professional geologist, joined LA Metro 24 years ago and has held positions in project management, construction management, design and engineering, alternative delivery contracts, operations, government finance and strategic planning. He was appointed interim chief program management officer in May.
Jackson Castleberry has joined TransCore as senior vice president of smart mobility ecosystems with responsibility for leading the ongoing delivery of innovative smart mobility technologies and solutions. According to the company’s announcement, “Castleberry’s addition to the TransCore leadership team strategically positions the company to deliver enhanced value for customers across the evolving smart mobility ecosystem.” Mr. Castleberry joins TransCore from Google, where he held various strategic partnership management and business development positions over a 14-year period. Among other things, he oversaw strategic partnerships and commercial growth for Google One and Google Photos. He was instrumental in bringing Google Fiber and other products to market, and developed expertise in Google’s advertising business.
AASHTO recently named new leaders for its Committee on Internal and External Audit. Starting two-year terms are:
- Committee chair Helen Eagen, MBA, audit manager with Maine DOT. She has over 20 years of government auditing and compliance experience, and has served as Maine DOT’s representative on the committee since 2012.
- Committee vice chair Vickie Murphy, CPA, chief auditor for Arizona DOT. Ms. Murphy held several Montana state government auditing positions before being named MDT chief auditor. After a retirement, she joined Arizona DOT as its chief auditor.
The AASHTO committee is responsible for developing and maintaining standards for state DOT audit procedures that are adaptable to agency requirements and “standardized enough to achieve uniformity.”
Mumbai Toll Suspension Invited Questions And Criticism
The Hindu Business Line reported, the Maharashtra state government’s decision to suspend the collection of most tolls at all five Mumbai toll points “has been met with mixed reactions. While commuters have welcomed the decision, it has sparked concerns within the state administration about how to compensate the toll companies. Additionally, the decision has prompted demands for similar waivers in other cities, with citizens threatening to stop paying tolls if their requests are not addressed.”
A member of the government told reporters the suspension is a “revolutionary decision,” in view of the fact that concessions to operate the five toll points were not due to expire until 2026 and “could have been extended further.” He “avoided providing a clear answer” to a question about how the state will compensate concession companies and “did not address similar demands for toll waivers from other cities.”
The article noted that Nitin Gadkari, India’s road transport and highways minister, has expressed disapproval of toll waivers and similar “freebies” intended to influence voters. Opposition parties have criticized the Maharashtra suspension as a vote-getting tactic by the government, which is standing for reelection on November 20.