- CTRMA and TxDOT in a "Public Family Squabble" over Tolling of TX 130 and US 290 Flyovers
- MoPac Contractor CH2M Subs Out Remainder of Work
- IDOT's $2.7 Billion, I-290 Toll Project Doesn't Sit Well with Some Motorists
- Hawaii Lawmaker Proposes HOT Pilot Project
- IN Lawmakers Advance Funding Bill that "Opens the Door" to Interstate Tolling
- NOLA Causeway Improvement Plan Makes National Priority List (But Whose List Is It?)
- Virginia E-ZPass Users Could Help Fund Safe-Driving Education under New Distracted-Driving Bill
- Arlington County Supervisors to Vote on VDOT's Plan to Widen Part of I-66
- RiverLink Traffic Is Slightly Lower than Anticipated
- NHDOT Delays Dover Tollbooth Move while Assessing AET for Spaulding Turnpike
- Golden Gate Bridge Traffic Rose in 2016
- Senate "Skirmishes" in the Path of Trump Infrastructure Plan
- I-77 Toll Lanes Project Advancing
- MTA Approves Four Percent Toll and Fare Increase
- The Economist: Trump Plan Means Tolls and Long Waits at the Tollbooth
- Elon Musk Will Build a Tunnel under Los Angeles . . . to the SpaceX Employee Parking Lot
- PANYNJ Nab Three Alleged Scofflaws with $600,000 in Unpaid Tolls, Violations
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CTRMA and TxDOT in a "Public Family Squabble" over Tolling of TX 130 and US 290 Flyovers
Austin American-Statesman reports, “The Texas Department of Transportation and the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, in an uncharacteristically public family squabble, are at odds over whether to slap tolls on the planned bridges between Texas 130, operated by TxDOT, and the U.S. 290 tollway, run by the mobility authority. Or, if there are toll charges on the three new flyovers, who will get the revenue. Officials with the mobility authority, who in July set aside $8.1 million to do preliminary engineering on the bridges, said the stalemated talks with TxDOT are forcing them to put the brakes on planning for the flyovers.”
Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)MoPac Contractor CH2M Subs Out Remainder of Work
Community Impact Newspaper reports, “Citing a $66 million loss as a result of delays on the MoPac express lane project, contractor CH2M announced [on January 24] it will subcontract the remainder of the project. However, the change is not expected to affect the timeline of the new opening date for the entire project, which has been pushed back to June, according to CH2M. ‘We’re pretty confident in hitting mid-June,’ CH2M Project Director Craig Martell said [yesterday, January 26] at the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority board meeting.”
Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA)IDOT's $2.7 Billion, I-290 Toll Project Doesn't Sit Well with Some Motorists
Daily Herald reports, “The Illinois Department of Transportation hopes to squeeze more lanes out of the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290) to fix an infamous bottleneck, but there was skepticism about the solution at a Wednesday [January 25] public hearing in Forest Park. That’s because IDOT planners want[ ] drivers to pay for the $2.7 billion project with the help of tolls.”
Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT)Hawaii Lawmaker Proposes HOT Pilot Project
KITV reports that Representative Gregg Takayama (D-34) has proposed legislation (HB 148) to launch a three-year pilot project that would convert two Oahu HOV 2+ “zipper lanes” into HOT lanes. As introduced, the bill would impose a fixed, $1.00 toll on solo motorists who use the lanes.
HawaiiIN Lawmakers Advance Funding Bill that "Opens the Door" to Interstate Tolling
The Times of Northwest Indiana reports, “The House Republican road funding plan that increases fuel taxes, vehicle registration fees and opens the door to widespread highway tolling is on the move. By an 8-5 margin, the House Roads and Transportation Committee voted Wednesday [January 25] to approve House Bill 1002, sponsored by state Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, and send it to the Ways and Means Committee for further review of its financial impact.” The report adds that “the proposal directs the Indiana Department of Transportation to seek federal approval to toll the existing interstate highways crisscrossing Indiana.”
IndianaNOLA Causeway Improvement Plan Makes National Priority List (But Whose List Is It?)
The Times-Picayune reports, “A high-profile Lake Pontchartrain Causeway improvement initiative is on a list of about 50 projects compiled by President Donald Trump‘s advisers for possible federal funding.”
However, as TRN reported yesterday, a source familiar with the Trump transition suggests the list does not necessarily reflect official thinking about infrastructure project priorities.
Lake Pontchartrain Causeway (Metro New Orleans)Virginia E-ZPass Users Could Help Fund Safe-Driving Education under New Distracted-Driving Bill
Associated Press reports, “A coalition of Democrats and Republicans called [on January 24] for new [state] laws to discourage Virginia motorists from using their cellphones while driving.” The report adds that one proposed bill (HB 2015) would allow E-ZPass account holders to make a voluntary contribution to a safe driving education fund.
E-ZPass VirginiaArlington County Supervisors to Vote on VDOT's Plan to Widen Part of I-66
ARLnow.com reports, “A Virginia Dept. of Transportation plan to widen part of I-66 could soon get the partial blessing of the Arlington County Board. Under VDOT’s ‘Transform 66’ plan, an extra lane would be built within the existing eastbound right-of-way from the Dulles Connector Road to the Fairfax Drive exit in Ballston. The lane would stretch about four miles.”
Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)RiverLink Traffic Is Slightly Lower than Anticipated
WHAS reports, “It’s been less than a month since tolling began and RiverLink said roughly 80,000 are making the journey across the three toll bridges each weekday. RiverLink expects the number to increase by an additional 30,000 to 110,000 vehicles a day by the end of next year.”
Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River BridgesNHDOT Delays Dover Tollbooth Move while Assessing AET for Spaulding Turnpike
Foster’s Daily Democrat reports, “The state has put the proposed move of the Dover tollbooth on the Spaulding Turnpike ‘on hold’ as it assesses the use of an Automated Electronic Tolling (AET) option that would eliminate the need for tollbooths entirely. The New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) Bureau of Turnpikes had proposed moving the existing toll plaza from its current location just north of Exit 6 to a new location another 1.25 miles farther north.”
AET (All-Electronic Tolling) New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT)Golden Gate Bridge Traffic Rose in 2016
Marin Independent Journal reports that more commuters are driving over the Golden Gate Bridge instead of using public transit according to year-end data. All in, Golden Gate Bridge vehicle traffic rose 2.3 percent in 2016, with about 41.5 million people driving the span, according to the report.
Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District (GGBHTD) San Francisco Bay Area (CA)Senate "Skirmishes" in the Path of Trump Infrastructure Plan
Reuters (via “Newsweek”) reports, “Republicans and Democrats argued over the best way to rebuild U.S. infrastructure – a high priority of President Donald Trump – with no agreement in sight following skirmishes on Tuesday [January 24] between the two parties.”
I-77 Toll Lanes Project Advancing
The Charlotte Observer reports, “As part of the Interstate 77 toll lanes project, preliminary work has begun for a new I-77 bridge at Davidson exit 30. The bridge will replace the existing one on Griffith Street and include new bike lanes and sidewalks, I-77 Mobility Partners announced this week.”
I-77 Express Lanes (NC) North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT)MTA Approves Four Percent Toll and Fare Increase
Newsday reports that on January 25, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board approved an increase in fares and tolls averaging four percent. Toll bridge and tunnel rate changes will take effect in March.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)The Economist: Trump Plan Means Tolls and Long Waits at the Tollbooth
The Economist business travel blogger suggests, “For business travellers trying to work out what the Donald Trump era will mean for them, one of president’s central campaign promises seemed to bode well: investing up to $1 trillion in American infrastructure. But anyone hoping for smoother roads, faster rides and more efficient airports might be in for a rude awakening, in the form of long waits and extra expenses at the toll booth.” (No mention of AET, cashless . . .)
Elon Musk Will Build a Tunnel under Los Angeles . . . to the SpaceX Employee Parking Lot
Business Insider reports that Elon Musk is serious about digging a tunnel underneath Los Angeles, “[b]ut the tunnel project, at least in its current form, reportedly isn’t designed to provide an alternative route to cut down on traffic, but to help SpaceX employees get to the company’s parking lot.”
PANYNJ Nab Three Alleged Scofflaws with $600,000 in Unpaid Tolls, Violations
NorthJersey.com reports that PANYNJ police have arrested three New Jersey residents who have a combined $600,000 in unpaid tolls and violations.
PANYNJ Scofflaws