Daily News Briefs, August 18, 2023

Kansas' 69 Express Project Is Running Ahead Of Schedule

“Construction leaders said they are slightly ahead of schedule on the express toll lane project along U.S. 69 Highway in Overland Park, Kansas,” KSHB reports. The project, dubbed 69 Express, will bring a new express lane in each direction adjacent to the existing general-purpose lanes along a stretch of the state’s busiest four-lane highway. A federal grant is funding most of the $572 million project, and $30 million of the state’s $114 million contribution will come from tolls. Expected completion, the end of 2025, would be in time for the 2026 World Cup soccer games scheduled in nearby Kansas City, Missouri. (TRN removed a link from quoted text.)

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WSDOT Schedules Weekend-Long I-405 Closure To Advance Express Lanes Expansion

KIRO reports, Washington State DOT will close the entire I-405 segment between Renton and Bellevue this weekend (late tonight through early Monday morning) to expedite one part of its project to widen the highway’s express lanes. The ten-mile-plus closure, which is expected to have regional traffic impact and requires some major routing accommodations, will permit contractors to entrench and install a fish-passable culvert under the roadway and then replace the excavated lanes in just three days. WSDOT said weather conditions and the fish spawning cycle make the accelerated work plan necessary. Some of the 100 workers assigned to the weekend project will be employed improving drainage facilities and doing expansion joint repairs along the segment. KIRO also reports on the overall progress of the express lanes expansion.

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Transurban Releases 2023 Urban Mobility Trends Report

Transurban has published its latest Urban Mobility Trends report, analyzing survey data from markets the company serves in Australia and North America. “This year’s report includes data on driving habits, workplace attendance and congestion concerns – and identifies some new trends in how we’re getting around.” The report predicts that work travel and daily driving will both continue to tick up in the next 12 months, and it finds increasing congestion is a significant concern for drivers, especially when contemplating traffic in the next decade. Concern about fuel prices, on the other hand, has declined since last year. The full report includes data on modal choices, trends and expectations for commuting, and attitudes toward transportation infrastructure funding. Earlier reports dating to 2020 also are available.

Transurban CEO Scott Charlton observed earlier this week that the 2023 report shows more people are driving regularly and fewer people are using public transport than was predicted. Nevertheless, he expects transit patronage to recover. “It’s just taking a bit longer,” he said.

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I-95 Express Extension Opens On Schedule

WTOP reports, a 10-mile extension of Virginia DOT’s I-95 Express Lanes developed and operated by Transurban opened on schedule late last night, bringing the major part of the $670 million FredEx project to a successful close. WTOP provides a complete guide to use of the new facility and information about the project’s unfinished phase, which is slated for completion this winter.

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These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.

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