Daily News Briefs, January 4, 2024

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407 International Operator Will Raise Toll Rates For First Time Since 2020

407 International, operator of the Highway 407 ETR tollway concession in the Greater Toronto Area, announced that tolls will rise on February 1, 2024, bringing an end to a four-year rate freeze. The firm noted that its toll schedule is subject to annual adjustment, but it elected not to change the rates set in February 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impacts. “Implementing the 2024 rate schedule comes as traffic levels continue to stabilize with more drivers resuming regular activities like commuting to and from work,” the announcement noted. 407 ETR toll fees are determined “by the section of the highway driven, day of the week, time of day, direction of travel and weight of vehicle.” The rates for passenger vehicles and small trucks will go up between one and 11 cents per kilometer when the new schedule takes effect. The concession company states that the majority of “personal customers” will see a change of less than 5.00 CAD (3.75 USD) in their monthly toll costs. The announcement elaborates on the firm’s investments in the extension and maintenance of the tollway over the concession term and compares the new rate schedule with the tolls charged by 28 other public and private toll facilities in North America.

407 ETR Concession AtkinsRéalis (SNC-Lavalin Group) Canada Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) Cintra Toll Rate Changes Toronto Metro Region (GTA)

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Facility Amazon Built Along Indiana Toll Road Is Unlikely To Open Soon

An 800,000-square-foot regional fulfillment center Amazon built adjacent to the Indiana Toll Road in 2022 remains inactive, and officials and residents of Elkhart County are anxious to learn when, if ever, it will open. According to WVPE, the company hasn’t responded to inquiries, but a retail industry consultant tells the station his firm is tracking 36 new, yet-to-open Amazon facilities across the US. He says Amazon “overbuilt” during the e-commerce surge that accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic. When order volume diminished with the reopening of conventional stores, Amazon delayed distribution center openings and “shifted their focus to their tech businesses.” The consultant predicts the online giant will eventually start activating shuttered facilities when demand catches up with capacity.

Amazon Economic & Social Considerations Affecting Transportation Indiana Indiana Toll Road Concession Company (ITRCC)

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USDOT Leaders Will Participate In Next Week's TRB Annual Meeting

Transport Topics reports, USDOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg will participate in the Transportation Research Board annual meeting that kicks off this Sunday, January 7, by, among other things, delivering major remarks on January 10 and joining in a panel discussion on “innovative durable materials, including green and low embodied carbon infrastructure materials, bioengineered materials, and other topics related to decarbonizing the infrastructure supply chain.” According to the article, Buttigieg will also be concerned with addressing ongoing implementation of the IIJA and its component Bridge Investment Program during the event. The article notes that FHWA Administrator Shailen Bhatt and Deputy USDOT Secretary Polly Trottenberg are also scheduled to participate in the annual meeting.

You can browse the TRB event’s complete program online.

Transportation and Infrastructure Research & Development Transportation Research Board US Department of Transportation (USDOT) US Infrastructure Funding And Financing Initiatives

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How Gov Tech Vendors Are Serving Public Transportation Agencies

“Government Technology” has published a series of articles on “who is doing what, and how” in the government technology industry. One installment looks at vendors trying to answer the needs of public transportation and transit agencies. According to the article, the services most in demand now relate to providing “[a]ccurate data that’s open and interoperable across agencies and platforms.” Readily accessible, current data inform planning and enable officials to gauge the effectiveness of programs, particularly in regard to the results they achieve for members of historically disadvantaged and marginalized communities.

Economic & Social Considerations Affecting Transportation Information Technology Resources and Acquisitions Transportation and Infrastructure Research & Development

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

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