- PANYNJ Awards Kapsch a Replacement Toll Collection System Contract Worth Up to $147 Million
- PA Lawmakers Eye Turnpike Debt Relief, Replacement for $450 Million PennDOT Transit Funding
- Post-Gazette Editorial: Time for the State to Address PA Pike's Debt
- Burlington, NJ, Bridge Commission Releases Proposed Budget and Capital Spending Plan
- Proposal to Retire Mid-Bay Bridge Debt and Eliminate Tolls
- Macquarie Atlas Reports 2Q-2016 Revenue and Traffic Increases
- Investigators and Experts Probe Cause of Tappan Zee Crane Collapse
- Mass Pike AET Gantries Are Clocking Speed, but Not for Ticketing Purposes
- PA Pike’s Modified Mon-Fayette Raises Some Concerns
- ELizabeth River Tunnels Issues Warning on Overdue Toll Bills
- Investigation into Mysterious Florida Turnpike Deaths Continues
- MD Transportation Chief in Online Live Chat Today
- Original Newport Bridge Employee Still Collects Tolls at Age 87
- Ohio Columnist: Automated Toll Booths Can Cost You Your Sanity (Otherwise, No Worries.)
- The Crime Beat, Down Under Edition
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PANYNJ Awards Kapsch a Replacement Toll Collection System Contract Worth Up to $147 Million
Kapsch TrafficCom announces that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has awarded it a multiyear contract to design, implement and maintain a replacement toll collection system for all the bridges and tunnels managed by the authority, including the George Washington bridge and the Holland and Lincoln tunnels. The engagement to maintain the new system has an initial six-year term plus options for up to three, two-year extensions.The contract’s total potential value is $147 million. For more information, read Kapsch’s news release.
Updated 07/25/2016 @ 1:31 PM EDST
PANYNJPA Lawmakers Eye Turnpike Debt Relief, Replacement for $450 Million PennDOT Transit Funding
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports, “Some state officials say they are willing help the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission with its debt problem, but first they has to find another source for the $450 million the turnpike now annually contributes to public transit.” The report adds that Senator John Rafferty, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, “is willing to sponsor legislation to eliminate the payment to PennDOT. Mr. Rafferty had sponsored legislation in 2013 for the PennDOT payment to end in 2021, but that bill lost out to one with a 2023 provision.”
PennsylvaniaPost-Gazette Editorial: Time for the State to Address PA Pike's Debt
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial board looks at the PA Turnpike’s growing debt – the result of annual payments to PennDOT, and decides, “This is a problem that requires strategic planning, exploration of new revenue sources and inter-agency cooperation. The predicament has been years in the making, and it’s disappointing that state leaders are still grasping for solutions after all this time.”
PennsylvaniaBurlington, NJ, Bridge Commission Releases Proposed Budget and Capital Spending Plan
Bucks County Courier Times (subscription may be required) reports there will be no toll increase under the Burlington County Bridge Commission’s $33.7 million proposed spending plan for 2017. The commission’s last (September 2015) fare hike has so far increased revenue by about $14 million, even though traffic volume has decreased six percent compared with the same period of the previous year. The newspaper adds that the commission plans to use new revenue “to finance a multiyear $110 million capital improvement plan to maintain the safety and integrity of its bridges. . . .”
New JerseyProposal to Retire Mid-Bay Bridge Debt and Eliminate Tolls
Northwest Florida Daily News reports that a local business owner and legislative candidate thinks he knows how to resolve the controversy over Mid-Bay Bridge toll rates. Jonathan Tallman proposes that the bridge authority pay off its $285 million debt and eliminate tolls altogether by applying for a share of the $1.5 billion BP owes Florida for damage caused by the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. An authority official tells the newspaper, “We have directed our executive director and our attorney to look into this possibility. We are open to all ideas.”
FloridaMacquarie Atlas Reports 2Q-2016 Revenue and Traffic Increases
Australian Associated Press reports that Macquarie Atlas Roads enjoyed increases in weighted average toll revenue and traffic during the second quarter of 2016 compared with the prior corresponding period, reflecting both an increase in traffic and revised toll schedules. Toll revenue collected during the quarter was reported as EUR558.5 million (approximately US$613.5 million), the wire service adds. For more information, read the Macquarie news release.
Company and Agency Financial Issues And ReportsInvestigators and Experts Probe Cause of Tappan Zee Crane Collapse
The Journal News (Westchester County) reports that inquiries continue into the July 19 crane boom collapse on the Tappan Zee Bridge. The newspaper talks to several experts who speculate about what might have happened to cause the accident. In a separate article, a union official tells The Journal News that the crane operator was not at fault.
Governor Mario Cuomo Bridge (Tappan Zee Replacement Bridge) New YorkMass Pike AET Gantries Are Clocking Speed, but Not for Ticketing Purposes
MassLive.com reports, “The cameras on the gantries were turned on several months ago as the state continues to move toward a fall launch of all-electronic tolling on the Massachusetts Pike. But the devices are not just taking a photo of your license plate. MassDOT confirmed to MassLive that the new system, which is now in a testing phase, also captures your vehicle speed as you pass under each gantry.” The report adds, a few paragraphs deep, “‘MassDOT will not be using the AET system to issue speeding violations,’ a spokesman told MassLive.”
MassachusettsPA Pike’s Modified Mon-Fayette Raises Some Concerns
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette looks at the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s push to build the last leg of the Mon-Fayette Expressway, reporting, “The commission has scheduled hearings early next month in its latest — and likely last — effort to build the final 14-mile stretch of the toll road. This $1.6 billion plan is a modified version of the one 10 years ago with a much narrower path and the elimination of a costly, unpopular wing that would have gone from Turtle Creek to Pittsburgh.”
PennsylvaniaELizabeth River Tunnels Issues Warning on Overdue Toll Bills
WAVY-TV News (Portsmouth, VA) reports, “Officials with the Elizabeth River Tunnels are issuing a warning to those with overdue tolls. The ERT is asking that overdue tolls be paid by August 1. The risk of not paying them before that date includes court appearances and/or vehicle registration holds.”
VirginiaInvestigation into Mysterious Florida Turnpike Deaths Continues
Orlando Sentinel reports that some newly released records “offer a glimpse into the mysterious hazmat situation on Florida’s Turnpike where a woman and her 3-year-old daughter were found dead last month. But key details — including what kind of substance was involved — remain unknown.” The newspaper looks at details of the public safety response to the incident.
FloridaMD Transportation Chief in Online Live Chat Today
The Washington Post’s Dr. Gridlock (Robert Thomson) will host Maryland Transportation Secretary Pete Rahn for an online live chat at noon (eastern time) today. Participants can submit questions or comments in advance.
Maryland Washington (DC) Metro RegionOriginal Newport Bridge Employee Still Collects Tolls at Age 87
WPRI-TV News (Providence) catches up with a retired RITBA Newport Bridge maintenance worker who, at age 87, still works works 16 hours a week in a toll booth.
Rhode IslandOhio Columnist: Automated Toll Booths Can Cost You Your Sanity (Otherwise, No Worries.)
Star Beacon (Ashtabula, OH) staff writer Shelley Terry believes “automated toll booths are eating away at our sanity, just like unmanned checkouts.”
The Crime Beat, Down Under Edition
The Courier-Mail (Brisbane) (subscription may be required) reports, “Toll dodgers have amassed more than $50 million [about US$37.4 million] in unpaid fines — double the amount of last year — as authorities grapple with thousands of repeat offenders.” The report adds, “The worst offender was a male owner of a maroon Ford Falcon, who was slapped with 483 infringements worth an astonishing $72,478 [approximately US$54,220] for toll evasion between 2011 and 2014.”
Crime Beat