- A Comprehensive Primer On The Expanding Network Of Bay Area Express Lanes
- Reporter Predicts FDOT's Gateway Expressway Will Transform Some Tampa Drivers' Commutes
- Michigan Sets A Goal To Train 5,000 More Infrastructure Workers by 2030
- DRJTBC Bridge Replacement Proposal Causes Public Uproar
- MTA Observes A Bronx-Whitestone Bridge Landmark Anniversary
- These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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A Comprehensive Primer On The Expanding Network Of Bay Area Express Lanes
San Francisco Chronicle provides a primer on the San Francisco Bay Area managed lanes network, noting, “As highway express lanes fan out across the Bay Area, they’re reaching into areas where drivers may be unfamiliar with the hybrid toll-carpool lanes and how they work. And even those with experience using the lanes may have questions — such as how their rules are enforced, how authorities can tell how many people are in your car, how toll rates are set and why they’re constantly changing.” Among other things, this comprehensive, illustrated article reports that the region now has 215 express-lane-miles in operation and approximately 45 additional lane-miles either under construction or conversion from conventional HOV facilities. A description of several active development projects is included.
AET (All-Electronic Tolling) California Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) ETC Systems Express Lanes Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) National Road Operating and Constructing Co. LTD (Jamaica) San Francisco Bay Area (CA) San Mateo County Express Lanes Joint Powers Authority (SMCEL JPA) Scofflaws Vehicle Occupant Detection SystemsReporter Predicts FDOT's Gateway Expressway Will Transform Some Tampa Drivers' Commutes
Tampa Bay Times reporter Jack Evans offers a detailed description of his tour of the new metro Tampa toll roads and express lanes Florida DOT opened Friday at the culmination of its Gateway Expressway project. The Gateway district — “where St. Petersburg’s neat grid gives way to a tangle of curvier roadways, posing a complex sequence of merge lanes and traffic lights for anyone trying to get from Interstate 275 to U.S. 19 or the Bayside Bridge” — was an FDOT highway expansion focal point because of its congestion level and rate of growth. Although Evans encountered light traffic volume on Friday afternoon, he predicts, “For any motorist who has tried to get from Hillsborough County to Largo or Pinellas Park in a timely manner, or who commutes between south Pinellas and Clearwater, [the new facilities] are potentially game-changing transformations.”
Express Lanes Florida Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Tampa Bay Next (TBN) Tampa Bay-Hillsborough County FL Metro AreaMichigan Sets A Goal To Train 5,000 More Infrastructure Workers by 2030
Bridge Michigan reports, Michigan’s labor department — in collaboration with the transportation department, the state infrastructure office and other agencies — “must develop plans to train 5,000 new infrastructure workers by 2030 under an executive directive Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed [yesterday].” The directive, which is immediately effective, also requires the labor department “to establish a statewide strategy aimed at meeting infrastructure workforce development needs by May 1, 2025. The job training push comes as Michigan begins to tap into the roughly $10.4 billion in federal infrastructure funding heading to the state in coming years.” In addition to facilitating construction activity, the plan aims to “open up paths to the middle class via the skilled trades.” The labor department is authorized, where permissible, to allocate up to five percent of federal funds received for an infrastructure project for workforce development. The directive states those funds can be used to scale-up existing programs or create new services or technical assistance programs for expanding the workforce.
Economic & Social Considerations Affecting Transportation Infrastructure Investment Trends Michigan Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Transportation and Infrastructure Leadership And Workforce Diversity Transportation And Infrastructure Workforce Issues US Gov't Transportation Funding US Infrastructure Funding And Financing InitiativesDRJTBC Bridge Replacement Proposal Causes Public Uproar
Bucks County Courier Times reports, “They won’t use muskets and grapeshot, but residents on both sides of the Delaware River channeled the Spirit of ’76 [yesterday], saying they will fight plans for a larger bridge near the spot where Gen. George Washington set off to turn the tide of the American Revolution.” The bistate Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC) announced in February it is proceeding with evaluation of a proposed replacement of the narrow, 119-year-old Washington Crossing Toll-Supported Bridge. (The span, which locals consider a historic structure, is located adjacent to the place where Washington made his legendary river crossing en route to the Battle of Trenton.) During its meeting yesterday, the DRJTBC board heard from a crowd of area residents who passionately oppose the project based on their belief a modern bridge will “destroy the bucolic setting” of the site. Commissioners responded that a project decision is “years” in the future, and their only immediate aim is to hire an a engineer to consult on a potential replacement.
Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC) Economic & Social Considerations Affecting Transportation New Jersey PennsylvaniaMTA Observes A Bronx-Whitestone Bridge Landmark Anniversary
A Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) news release celebrates yesterday’s eighty-fifth anniversary of the opening of the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge. The span’s debut was timed to coincide with the first day of the 1939 New York World’s Fair. It formed “part of a new highway network that allowed drivers from upstate New York to get to Queens and Long Island without going through Manhattan and western Queens and became a key factor in the growth of Long Island after World War II.” MTA has mounted a commemorative exhibit in Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Passage that displays historic photos of the bridge and artifacts. The crossing, a brainchild of Robert Moses, was completed in 23 months. At its opening, it was the fourth longest suspension bridge in the world.
These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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