- Court Decision Unlocks A Half-Billion Dollars For Bay Area Transportation Projects
- Maryland Opens Comment Period On Proposed I-95 Express Lanes Toll Rates
- US House Transportation Committee Schedules New Session's First Hearing
- These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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Court Decision Unlocks A Half-Billion Dollars For Bay Area Transportation Projects
The Mercury News reports, Bay Area transportation planners “are breathing a collective sigh of relief” over the California Supreme Court’s dismissal of an appeal by a taxpayer organization that unsuccessfully challenged a 2018 voter referendum authorizing a series of toll bridge rate hikes. The ruling means $545 million in toll revenue previously tied up in escrow does not need to be refunded to motorists and is available to be spent for its intended purpose, which is to fund large-scale transit and highway projects in the region. A representative of the Bay Area Council, a business organization that led support for the referendum, commented, “This is the largest regional measure that’s been passed in Bay Area history. The voters who passed this measure are already paying for the tolls and now they can finally start to reap the benefits.”
Bay Area Toll Authority (San Francisco) (BATA) California Company and Agency Financial Issues And Reports Issues of Law Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) San Francisco Bay Area (CA) Transit and Toll RoadsMaryland Opens Comment Period On Proposed I-95 Express Lanes Toll Rates
The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) announced that at its January 26 board meeting “staff presented an updated proposal and public hearing dates as part of the toll rate range setting process for the new I-95 Express Toll Lanes (ETL) Northbound Extension and I-695 ramps. The toll proposal mirrors the existing ETL tolling plan.” A comment period is open through April 13, 2023. MDTA will hold in-person public hearings on the rate setting on the evenings of February 27 and March 6. A virtual hearing is scheduled for the evening of March 2. The $1.1 billion 12-mile extension project, which was started in 2019, is expected to open as far as Maryland 152 by the end of 2024, and fully open by the end of 2027. (TRN inserted links in quoted text.)
Express Lanes I-95 Express Toll Lanes (Maryland) Maryland Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) Public Outreach And CommunicationUS House Transportation Committee Schedules New Session's First Hearing
The US House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee announced it will hold its organizational meeting for the new session of Congress on Wednesday morning, February 1. Representative Sam Graves (R-MO 6), who was recently elected chairman, said the committee will also hold a hearing, entitled “The State of Transportation Infrastructure and Supply Chain Challenges,” immediately after organizing. Invited witnesses include Chris Spear, president of the American Trucking Associations; construction executive Jeff Firth, representing the Associated General Contractors of America; and AFL-CIO executive Greg Regan. As of this afternoon, the hearing agenda and a link to the meeting webcast were still not available.
On Friday, Graves announced his selection of Republican representatives to chair the committee’s six subcommittees. They include: Rick Crawford (AR-1), Subcommittee on Highways and Transit; David Rouzer (NC-7), Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment; and Troy Nehls (TX-22), Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials. Scott Perry (PA-10), chairman of the House’s far-right Freedom Caucus and a prominent figure in the investigation of the 2021 US Capitol attack, will chair the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.
Appointments-Promotions-Retirements Economic & Social Considerations Affecting Transportation US Department of Transportation (USDOT) US Gov't Transportation Funding US Infrastructure Funding And Financing InitiativesThese are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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