- Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Commission Awards $756 Million Contract for New Tunnel Tube
- CTRMA Approves Design for Additional TX 130 Flyovers
- NJ Senate President Calls for Public Pension System Investment in Infrastructure
- MDTA Has Two New Board Members
- MassDOT Names TollPayer Advocate Appointed in March
- MA Turnpike E-ZPass Holders Complain of Billing Errors
- MassDOT Engineer Explains Why Speed Matters in an AET System
- WI Needs a Transportation Funding Solution, and Legislator Says Tolling Should Be Considered
- Maine Turnpike Authority Eyes Toll Cheats
- Leavenworth Officials Back New Missouri River Bridge but Oppose Tolling
- August 1 Groundbreaking for I-66 Inside-the-Beltway Tolling Project
- I-395 HOV Lanes Will Convert to HOT
- Think Tank Pushes Broader Use of Transponders as AET Looms for Mass Pike
- NJ Turnpike Revenue Bonds Upgraded by Moody's
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Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Commission Awards $756 Million Contract for New Tunnel Tube
The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk) reports that the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Commission formally awarded a $756 million contract to the team of Dragados and Schiavone Construction for the construction of a new 17.6-mile parallel tunnel between Virginia Beach and the Eastern Shore. The newspaper adds that the Thimble Shoal Channel Tunnel will cost an estimated $808 million (development, design, financing and construction included), and a “$116 million contingency has been set aside on top of that.”
CTRMA Approves Design for Additional TX 130 Flyovers
Austin American-Statesman reports, “The Texas 130 tollway, as it nears its 10th birthday, is ripe for its first expansion. The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority board on Wednesday [July 27] decided to spend $8.1 million designing three additional flyovers at the U.S. 290 interchange with Texas 130, augmenting the eastbound U.S. 290 to northbound Texas 130 bridge that has been in place since 2006.”
TexasNJ Senate President Calls for Public Pension System Investment in Infrastructure
NJ.com reports that New Jersey Senate President Stephen Sweeney is publicly supporting infrastructure project investment as a means of boosting state employee pension system returns. The chairman of the State Investment Council agrees the idea is worth considering, but “[a]s always, it depends on the details. If you’re fixing roads or fixing whatever, and at the same time providing beneficiaries with a good yield, then sure. But it’s never that simple.”
New JerseyMDTA Has Two New Board Members
The Maryland Transportation Authority announced that Governor Larry Hogan has appointed two new authority board members, William H. Cox, Jr., of Bel Air and John F. Von Paris of Upper Falls. Cox was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 1971 to 1991. He was formerly the chairman of the Joint Committee on Transportation and a member of the Maryland Transportation Commission. Von Paris, the CEO of a moving and storage business, is a former member of the Governor’s Workforce Investment Board.
MarylandMassDOT Names TollPayer Advocate Appointed in March
MassLive.com also reports, “The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has finally revealed the name of the tollpayer advocate, an ombudsman of sorts for drivers who will soon be paying tolls at highway speeds. His name is Leonard Fournier, but not much else is known about him. The department . . . did not provide additional background on Fournier. He was appointed to the unpaid job in March.”
MassachusettsMA Turnpike E-ZPass Holders Complain of Billing Errors
WWLP-TV News (Springfield, MA) reports receiving “dozens” of complaints about E-ZPass transponder misreads at the Massachusetts Turnpike’s Interchange 6 (the Springfield/I-291 exit). The station talks to one motorist who says she has been overcharged several times over the past two months. MassDOT issued a statement saying it is looking into the problem.
MassachusettsMassDOT Engineer Explains Why Speed Matters in an AET System
MassLive.com has been trying unsuccessfully to get MassDOT to explain why it monitors speed as vehicles pass beneath the gantries of its new AET system. Finally, an enterprising reporter finds a department engineer who explains that the procedure has nothing to do with speed limit enforcement, rather it ensures that the toll system accurately capture’s each vehicle’s transponder data and license plate image.
AET (All-Electronic Tolling) MassachusettsWI Needs a Transportation Funding Solution, and Legislator Says Tolling Should Be Considered
The Capital Times (Madison) reports that Wisconsin faces a major 2017-19 transportation funding gap, and Gov. Scott Walker, “says he will not raise taxes or fees to fund transportation projects ….” State Representative John Nygren (R-Marinette), co-chairman of the state legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance, tells reporters “all options need to be on the table,” including tolling. Nygren wants a discussion about transportation to start immediately.
WisconsinMaine Turnpike Authority Eyes Toll Cheats
WMTW-TV News (Poland Spring) looks at the Maine Turnpike Authority’s efforts to catch toll violators, reporting that “about one in every 200 transactions ends up being a free ride.” Peter Mills, the turnpike’s executive director, tells the station, “It is very important for the public to perceive that there is fairness in our system.”
MaineLeavenworth Officials Back New Missouri River Bridge but Oppose Tolling
Leavenworth Times reports, “Leavenworth city commissioners offered support [on July 26] for the concept of a new Missouri River bridge. But they voted not to support tolling to fund the new bridge.” The report adds that the Kansas Department of Transportation is studying “a possible replacement of the Centennial Bridge in Leavenworth. The study proposes replacing the existing two-lane bridge with a four-lane bridge,” and is considering “a possible $2 toll fee for vehicles with transponders, or K-TAG devices, and possibly a $4 fee for vehicles without the devices.”
KansasAugust 1 Groundbreaking for I-66 Inside-the-Beltway Tolling Project
The Washington Post reports, “Drivers on Interstate 66 inside the Capital Beltway this summer are going to notice the first signs of the project that will bring tolling to the rush-hour lanes next year. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) is scheduled to attend a groundbreaking ceremony for the project Monday [August 1].” The construction work will primarily involve erecting gantries and other tolling system infrastructure. “All drivers using this portion of I-66 inside the Beltway at rush hour will wind up needing an E-ZPass to pay the variable toll or an E-ZPass Flex set to ‘HOV’ to claim the toll exemption for two-person carpools,” the newspaper adds.
Virginia Washington (DC) Metro RegionI-395 HOV Lanes Will Convert to HOT
The Washington Post’s Dr. Gridlock reports that “Virginia government is going ahead with the plan to convert the I-395 HOV lanes to HOT,” and he provides background information on the project’s origin and scope.
Virginia Washington (DC) Metro RegionThink Tank Pushes Broader Use of Transponders as AET Looms for Mass Pike
WCVB-TV News (Boston) reports, “As Massachusetts moves towards all-electronic tolling on the Massachusetts Turnpike, the Pioneer Institute is urging the state to look into expanding the use of tolling transponders to pay for parking and retail.” Click here to download a copy of the report.
AET (All-Electronic Tolling) MassachusettsNJ Turnpike Revenue Bonds Upgraded by Moody's
Moody’s Investors Service “has upgraded to A2 from A3 the New Jersey Turnpike Authority’s . . . revenue bonds. The rating outlook is stable.”
New Jersey