Daily News Briefs, August 31, 2016

This is a Subscribers-Only area. If you are a subscriber, please login. If not...

Become a Subscriber Today »

MDTA to Lead Study of Potential New Chesapeake Bay Crossing

The Washington Post reports, “Maryland transportation officials are about to begin a four-year study examining where to build another crossing to relieve future traffic congestion on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said Tuesday [August 30].” The report adds, “The Maryland Transportation Authority, which owns and operates the Bay Bridge and other state toll facilities, will conduct the [$5 million] study.”

Maryland Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA)

Top


TxDOT Says It Would Cost a Mere $24.23 Billion to Eliminate Tolls

Houston Chronicle reports, “Texas could rid itself of toll roads, but at a steep price, according to the latest estimates by transportation officials. Based on outstanding debt and additional costs related to buying back bonds . . . , Texas Department of Transportation executive director James Bass told lawmakers [during an August 30 House Transportation Committee hearing] the state would need to pay $24.23 billion, as of Jan. 1, 2016. As more payments are made, additional interest also accrues, so the final total cost would change depending on exactly when the roads are paid off.” The Chronicle adds that TxDOT will submit a final report on the subject tomorrow, September 1.

Texas Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)

Top


Bankrupt TX SH 130 Cited during Legislative Hearing on Toll Roads

Texas Public Radio reports on the August 30 House Transportation Committee session on “the benefits and liabilities of Texas’ toll ways and whether the state should be in the business of tolling drivers at all. . . .” The committee’s examination included SH 130, whose operators, TPR notes, “declared bankruptcy because the revenue being generated from the low-volume of drivers wasn’t enough to pay off the debt the company had accrued by maintaining the road.” The committee chairman, Representative Joe Pickett (D-El Paso), acknowledged that “SH 130 is part of a network of toll roads and simply removing tolled lanes from this stretch of highway would be a difficult task.”

Texas Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)

Top


TxDOT Launches First of $3.1 Billion in Congestion Relief Projects

Dallas Business Journal reports that TxDOT and NorthGate Constructors have launched “the first of the $1.3 billion congestion relief projects to begin with funding provided through an initiative by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to reduce gridlock in some of the state’s most congested areas.” The project is the $61 million SH 121/360 Interchange “that will add new direct connectors for SH 114, SH 121 and SH 360 to minimize weaving, reduce congestion and improve safety in the area,” according to the report.

Texas Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)

Top


Locals Nix TxDOT's Golden-Cheeked Warbler Offer, and TX 45 Southwest Toll Project Remains Stalled

Austin American-Statesman reports, “A Texas Department of Transportation attempt to loosen the environmental knot stalling construction of the Texas 45 Southwest toll road was recently rejected by local officials.” At issue is a golden-cheeked warbler habitat. (Yes, link added, and, no, this is not the red warbler. Just sayin’.) The report adds, “The decision last week to spurn TxDOT’s offer doesn’t settle the fate of the proposed 3.6-mile tollway, which will likely be decided by a judge looking at other issues. But it does complicate matters for the agencies seeking to build the four-lane tollway at the south end of MoPac Boulevard.”

Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) Texas Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)

Top


ATA President Blasts Rhode Island Truck Toll Law

WPRI News (Providence) reports, “The head of the American Trucking Association[s] has lobbed a new grenade at Gov. Gina Raimondo’s truck-toll law, describing it as an unacceptable effort to force his industry to underwrite the cost of repairing Rhode Island bridges. “We don’t know if this program is legal, but it is bad policy and an extortion of our industry,” ATA President Chris Spear said in a statement after meeting with Rhode Island members last week.

Rhode Island

Top


RITBA Suspends Use of "Snooper" Trucks as OSHA Launches Investigation into Vehicle Mishap

WPRI News reports, “The two private contractors involved in the bucket truck that tipped over on the Sakonnet River Bridge Monday [August 29] are now the focus of a Occupational Health and Safety Administration investigation.” The report adds that the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority is temporarily suspending its use of Under Bridge Inspection vehicles (also called “Snoopers”). Click here to read RITBA statements on the August 29 incident.

Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority (RITBA)

Top


Chicago Skyway Maintenance Workers Plan to Strike

WBEZ News reports, “A small group of Chicago Skyway maintenance workers plans to go on strike starting [August 30]. [Link added.] There’s only 11 of them, but the workers play a vital role in keeping the Skyway Toll Bridge running smooth all hours of the day.” [Link added.]

Illinois Skyway Concession Company

Top


Florida Highway Patrol Tip for Severe Weather: Don't Wait for Suspension of Tolls Before Evacuating.

WFTV News (Orlando) reports, “As a tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico strengthens on its way to Central Florida, the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) urged drivers to prepare for severe weather.” FHP tips include, “Do not necessarily wait to evacuate until after the announcement is made that Turnpike tolls have been suspended. Tolls are often suspended in conjunction with mandatory evacuation orders which may come only after the threat of a hurricane is imminent. [Emphasis added.] Consider paying the toll and leaving early when traffic is much lighter.”

Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Florida Turnpike Enterprise (FTE)

Top


Company Says IL Tollway Labor Day Travelers Can Avoid Tollbooth Delays with New App

Pragmistic LLC announced the release of FastToll, “a new toll tracking mobile app, launched just in time for Labor Day weekend travel.” The company adds, “Last year, an estimated 7 million+ vehicles traveled on the Illinois Tollway and that number is expected to rise this holiday weekend. FastToll allows users to drive on the Illinois Tollways without having to stop at tollbooths to pay the fare by cash.”

Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (IL Tollway)

Top


DRJTBC Announces Start of Noise Walls Construction for Scudder Falls Bridge Project

Bucks County Courier Times reports, “Beginning next week, motorists and residents near the Scudder Falls Bridge will see noise abatement walls going into place along portions of Interstate 95 in Lower Makefield. The work will begin after Labor Day, Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission spokesman Joe Donnelly said in a press release.”

Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC)

Top


A Guided Tour with the CEO Leads Newspaper's Update on the I-77 Express Project

Charlotte Business Journal takes a tour of the $650 million I-77 toll lanes work site, led by Javier Tamargo, CEO of I-77 Mobility Partners (an affiliate of Ferrovial’s Cintra subsidiary), and provides an in-depth look at the running battle over the project led by state legislators and Widen I-77. Among other issues, the newspaper notes, “The two sides have fought over toll cost estimates, with Widen I-77 estimating the cost at $20 to $30 round-trip from Mooresville to Charlotte during commuter hours. Tamargo [told the newspaper on August 29] no rates have been set.”

I-77 Express Lanes (NC) North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT)

Top


Longmeadow Parkway Bridge Project Meeting Draws Opponents

Elgin Courier-News staffs a public meeting on the Longmeadow Parkway Bridge project that focused on the opposition to the toll project. The report notes, “The Kane County Department of Transportation recently completed an Environmental Assessment reevaluation required by the Federal Highway Administration. Portions of the transportation department’s original Environmental Assessment were outdated so a reevaluation was required. The reevaluation is available at www.co.kane.il.us/dot.”

Illinois

Top


Dulles Toll Road Driver "Unfairly Accused" in Unpaid Toll Case

The Washington Post reports that a Virginia law student was caught up in a “bureaucratic nightmare” as $26 in unpaid Dulles Toll Road tolls “became a potential judgment of $8,334.” The report adds, “A Fairfax County judge recently dropped the cases against [the student], slamming the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and saying she was given false and misleading information in her quest to challenge the tickets. The MWAA uses a contractor to administer its tickets.”

Issues of Law Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) Washington (DC) Metro Region

Top


Delaware Newspaper Backs Mileage Fee Pilot

The News Journal editorial board support a federal pilot project to study the potential for a Vehicle Miles Traveled fee, noting “Delaware and our neighboring states are getting $1.5 million in federal money to study a model in which drivers would pay for road upkeep based on how much mileage they travel on said roads.” The editors pose a series of challenges for the pilot and add, “Mileage-based road usage fees will require added layers of technology and enforcement.”

Delaware RUC & VMT Programs

Top


Fitch Rates Hays County, TX, Toll Revenue Bonds

Fitch Ratings assigned an ‘AA’ rating to $38 million of Hays County, TX, pass-through toll revenue and limited tax bonds, series 2016. The bonds are scheduled for competitive sale on September 13, 2016, and proceeds will be used for road improvements. Fitch also affirmed its ‘AA’ rating of other Hays County, TX, bonds. The Rating Outlook is Stable.

Investment Ratings Texas

Top