- Official Tribute To Fallen Highway Workers Closes Baltimore Beltway Section
- Canada's Proposed Federal Budget Would Extend Confederation Bridge Toll Freeze
- TRB Hosts Webinar On Valuation Of Right Of Way Use By Utilities
- These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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Official Tribute To Fallen Highway Workers Closes Baltimore Beltway Section
“A procession of more than 350 highway work vehicles brought sections of Baltimore’s Beltway to a halt around noon [yesterday], as state and federal authorities practically begged motorists to take notice and slow down,” WUSA reports. (Organized by Maryland DOT, the event was coordinated with the Federal Highway Administration as a kick-off to this year’s National Work Zone Awareness Week.) Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld, who spoke at the tribute to highway workers killed on the job, said work zones in the state averaged about 1,500 crashes per year between 2018 and 2022. Including the six people who died in the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge last month, 14 workers have lost their lives on the job since March 2023. State Highway Administration (SHA) Director William Pines and State Police Superintendent Roland Butler also spoke at the event, which was held on a closed highway section as cars waited at an entrance ramp. The Maryland legislature recently doubled the fines for violations captured by automated work zone enforcement cameras. Officials have also lowered work zone speed limits and approved the installation of fluorescent green flashers to make work vehicles more visible.
Francis Scott Key Toll Bridge Collapse Highway and Bridge Maintenance Highway and Bridge Safety (Including COVID-19 Impacts) Maryland Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) US Department of Transportation (USDOT)Canada's Proposed Federal Budget Would Extend Confederation Bridge Toll Freeze
CBC News reports, the federal budget presented to Canada’s Parliament yesterday by finance minister Chrystia Freeland includes funding to freeze toll rates at the Confederation Bridge linking Prince Edward Island to the mainland. The (one-way) charge to cross the span is currently CDN 50.25 (USD 36.50) for a two-axle vehicle, and the Canadian government agreed last December to hold the bridge’s toll rates steady for 2024. Freeland’s proposal would extend that by two years through 2026, a commitment worth CDN 14 million (USD 10.17 million) The budget also would freeze the rates for certain ferry services in Canada’s eastern provinces.
VINCI Highways holds an 85 percent stake in Strait Crossing Bridge LTD, the span’s concessionaire.
Canada Company and Agency Financial Issues And Reports Confederation Bridge New Brunswick P3 & Privatization Prince Edward Island Strait Crossing Bridge LTD (Canada) VINCI GroupTRB Hosts Webinar On Valuation Of Right Of Way Use By Utilities
The Transportation Research Board (TRB) notes that more digital communication, energy and utility companies are seeking to use highway right-of-way space for their development projects. “State DOTs [and toll road operators, too] are investigating the use of compensation structures in exchange for accommodating these utilities, and are seeking approaches and valuation methods to set fees.” TRB will host a webinar next Wednesday afternoon, April 24, to “present a range of approaches to consider for setting compensation structures for utility accommodations.” The presentation will be based on two National Cooperative Highway Research Program documents, NCHRP Research Report 1053: Valuation and Compensation Approaches in Utility Accommodation: A Guide and NCHRP Web-Only Document 359: Valuation and Compensation for Accommodating Utility and Communications Installations in Public Rights-of-Way. Participants will learn how to determine right-of-way value and explore different approaches to setting compensation structures.
Economic & Social Considerations Affecting Transportation Issues of Law Non-Toll Revenue Sources Transportation Research BoardThese are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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