Daily News Briefs, December 28, 2022

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Orlando Commuters Await FDOT's 2023 Completion Of Wekiva Parkway

Spectrum News 13 reports, residents of metro Orlando are looking forward to the completion of the Wekiva Parkway (SR 429) in 2023. Florida DOT says all but two miles of the facility are now open, and key interchanges with I-4 and SR 417 (the Central Florida GreeneWay) will be in operation before the end of next year. When the final links are in place, the toll road will form part of a Central Florida beltway that allows residents to avoid the busy segment of I-4 in downtown Orlando and “circumvent the congestion” around nearby theme parks. One commuter tells Spectrum News, “I think you’re going to see a lot more people bypassing I-4. Even though they’ve done such a nice job on the expressways in the middle, I think they’re going to see quite a bit more trucks taking the bypass route.”

Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) Florida Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (FTE) Wekiva Parkway (Florida)

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Forty-Six Vehicle Crash On Ohio's Turnpike Causes Several Deaths

The Blade reports, “At least four people were killed in a 46-vehicle pileup, including numerous tractor-trailers, Friday afternoon [December 23] on the Ohio Turnpike in western Erie County as a massive winter storm brought white-out conditions, frigid temperatures, and dangerous wind chills to northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.” The incident, centered in the eastbound lanes near Milepost 106.4, was first reported about 12:34 PM. In a follow-up report published by the newspaper yesterday, police said the crash remains under investigation.

Sandusky Register published photos of the crash site and rescue efforts. On Saturday evening, Christmas Eve, the newspaper reported that the affected segment of the turnpike had reopened to traffic, although cleanup efforts were continuing. The article also noted that Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission chair Jerry Hruby issued a statement expressing sympathy for the victims and praise for the “hundreds of unnamed individuals — staff from the Ohio Turnpike, Ohio State Highway Patrol, all local safety agencies, and emergency/medical staff as well as civilian support” — who responded to the crash.

WTVG provided video coverage of the incident.

Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Safety (Includes COVID-19 Impacts) Ohio Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission

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Federal Court Hears Argument On Mid-Currituck Toll Bridge Challenge

The Daily Advance reports that a federal appeals court recently heard arguments pertaining to a lawsuit over North Carolina DOT’s plan to construct the Mid-Currituck toll bridge. The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), which lost in a lower court challenge, asked appellate judges “to halt the project until an updated EIS can be completed in part because the projected sea-level rise is more severe” than anticipated by state and federal agencies. SELC also claimed that official traffic volume projections are outdated. Attorneys for NCDOT and FHWA defended the EIS and suggested that data on rising sea levels, if anything, underscores the necessity of building the bridge. A state spokesperson said a decision is not expected for several months and the project timeline will not be updated until litigation is completed.

Environmental Protection Policies Procedures And Initiatives Issues of Law North Carolina North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) North Carolina Turnpike Authority

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

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