- San Bernardino County (CA) Adopts a $1.8 Billion Plan for 33 Miles of Toll Lanes
- Bridgegate Architect Wildstein Will Spend No Time in Prison
- AAA Wants Feds to Order a Change in E-ZPass Discount Policy
- NY Post Editors Note (a Day Late) that MTA Isn't Alone in "Being Discreetly Chintzy with E-ZPass Discounts"
- MTA Is a "Ticking Time Bomb" for Governor Cuomo, Says Pollster
- Miami-Dade Mayor Proposes Toll Hike for Venetian and Rickenbacker Causeways
- FDOT to Begin Installation of ITS Devices along I-95 Express Lanes
- NC Turnpike Board Member "Slammed" for Support of I-77 Express Won't Seek New Mayoral Term
- Official Opposition Rises to a Second Potomac River Crossing in Montgomery County (MD)
- Oregon Officials Begin to Focus on Tolling Options as Result of New Funding Law
- CFX Opens New Exit Ramp as $62.5 Million Interchange Overhaul Advances
- CFX Board Is Reviewing Proposal to Build Lake County Road Connector
- ITRCC Opens Two New Travel Plazas
- VA Lawmaker Turns to Defense Department to Help Ease Local Toll Burden for Middle Peninsula Bridge
- PA Turnpike Responds to Flooding in Washington County Neighborhood
- PANYNJ Police Nab Two Scofflaws
- China to Issue Local Toll Road Bonds
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San Bernardino County (CA) Adopts a $1.8 Billion Plan for 33 Miles of Toll Lanes
The Press-Enterprise reports, “San Bernardino County will make its first foray into toll lanes. A 33-mile corridor will be built on the 10 Freeway and span much of the county, transportation officials decided Wednesday, July 12. The $1.8-billion project would add two toll lanes from the Los Angeles County line near Montclair east to Redlands. An auxiliary lane for traffic to weave in and out at ramps also will be added at various points along the general-purpose lanes. Construction, which would be split into two stages, is expected to start in late 2018. . . . Expanding the 10 Freeway corridor . . . has long been a top priority of the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority.”
California I-10 Corridor Project (CA) San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA)Bridgegate Architect Wildstein Will Spend No Time in Prison
NJ.com reports, “David Wildstein, who orchestrated . . . Bridgegate and then cooperated with federal prosecutors to help convict two members of Gov. Chris Christie’s inner circle, will spend no time in prison. . . . The former Republican operative was sentenced to three years’ probation and 500 hours of community service,” and was “also fined $10,000 and prohibited from seeking or accepting employment with any government agency.”
Crime Beat PANYNJAAA Wants Feds to Order a Change in E-ZPass Discount Policy
CBS New York continues its coverage of a AAA report that found MTA and other toll agencies do not provide the E-ZPass discount to drivers with out-of-state accounts, noting that “AAA this week asked the federal government to issue an order to end the ‘discount deception,’ saying, ‘Drivers who cross the same bridge and pay the same way should be charged the same amount.’”
E-ZPass Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York New York CityNY Post Editors Note (a Day Late) that MTA Isn't Alone in "Being Discreetly Chintzy with E-ZPass Discounts"
New York Post editors write, “We guess it’s a bit of consolation that the MTA isn’t the only toll-taker being discreetly chintzy with E-ZPass discounts: Eight other agencies, of 38 total in the 16 E-ZPass states, also charge the full rate to out-of-state drivers.” They acknowledge that MTA’s policy isn’t prohibited, but say “it just may cause a few more cases of road rage.”
E-ZPass Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York New York CityMTA Is a "Ticking Time Bomb" for Governor Cuomo, Says Pollster
Associated Press reports, “New York City’s ongoing transit problems may be taking a toll on Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s approval ratings, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll. . . . Forty-six percent of those surveyed say they approve of Cuomo’s performance, the lowest rating for the governor in the Connecticut college’s polls since September 2015.” AP notes that Quinnipiac surveyed voters before New York City’s transportation “summer of hell” took full effect on July 11. A pollster tells AP, MTA is “a “ticking time bomb” for Cuomo.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York New York CityMiami-Dade Mayor Proposes Toll Hike for Venetian and Rickenbacker Causeways
Miami Herald reports that Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez has proposed raising Venetian and Rickenbacker Causeway tolls from $1.75 to $2.25 as part of his spending proposal for the budget year beginning October 1. The article notes that the county is facing “a slowing economy.”
Florida Miami-Dade CountyFDOT to Begin Installation of ITS Devices along I-95 Express Lanes
Sun Sentinel reports that the installation of ITS devices including traffic cameras and overhead variable message signs will take place on I-95 express lanes in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties this weekend. A warning gate system will also go up at two entrances to the express lanes. The newspaper adds that the work marks the start of a $6 million I-95 design/build project.
Express Lanes Florida Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Intelligent Transportation SystemsNC Turnpike Board Member "Slammed" for Support of I-77 Express Won't Seek New Mayoral Term
The Charlotte Observer reports, “Cornelius Mayor Chuck Travis, who came under intense criticism for his support of Interstate 77 toll lanes, said Wednesday he will not seek a third term in office. Travis said he will remain on the board of the N.C. Turnpike Authority as appointed by House Speaker Tim Moore ‘and weigh my options to serve our town and state in other capacities in the future.’”
I-77 Express Lanes (NC) North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) North Carolina Turnpike AuthorityOfficial Opposition Rises to a Second Potomac River Crossing in Montgomery County (MD)
“Bethesda” Magazine reports, “Opposition [by county officials] is beginning to build against a regional transportation group’s plan to study a second Potomac River crossing in Montgomery County.” One critic of the plan, the county council president, tells the magazine “he believes fixing traffic problems on I-270, the Beltway and the American Legion Bridge should be the region’s priority. . . .”
Maryland Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT)Oregon Officials Begin to Focus on Tolling Options as Result of New Funding Law
Willamette Week looks at the new transportation funding package that opens the door to tolling in Oregon and quotes ODOT spokesman Don Hamilton as saying “the state would consider creating tolled fast lanes or simply installing tollbooths at a few key spots, such as bridges.” Hamilton adds that congestion pricing could be on the table as well. The article also considers the impact tolling could have on metro Portland’s low-income residents.
Congestion Pricing Oregon Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT)CFX Opens New Exit Ramp as $62.5 Million Interchange Overhaul Advances
WFTV reports that a new exit ramp from westbound State Road 528 to Innovation Way –part of a $62.5 million interchange overhaul — opened in east Orange County on July 11 according to the Central Florida Expressway Authority.
Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) FloridaCFX Board Is Reviewing Proposal to Build Lake County Road Connector
WFTV reports that the Central Florida Expressway Authority board will consider moving forward on a proposal to connect US 27 and State Road 429 in Lake County. Three routing options are on the table. A Lake County Commissioner tells the station that a connector could boost development in the county.
Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) FloridaITRCC Opens Two New Travel Plazas
WNDU reports, “Wednesday, the Indiana Toll Road celebrated the grand opening of its Howe travel plazas . . . with an official ribbon cutting. It marks the first time the pit stops have been updated since the ITR began operating in 1956.” The station adds that ITR Concession Company LLC is rebuilding four pairs of plazas at a cost of about $70 million. Speaking of the Howe project, Alyssa Staley, ITRCC’s customer service director, told the station, “This is the start into Indiana from Ohio . . . so this was really a great place for us to showcase what northern Indiana has to offer.”
Indiana Indiana Toll Road Concession Company (ITRCC)VA Lawmaker Turns to Defense Department to Help Ease Local Toll Burden for Middle Peninsula Bridge
Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal reports, “Local leaders have been working with Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Montross) to alleviate the burden Middle Peninsula residents have borne in tolls for maintaining the span of the George P. Coleman Memorial Bridge.” Wittman wants the Defense Department to consider assuming some or all of the swing bridge’s maintenance costs because it is regularly opened for Navy vessels traveling to and from a Yorktown base. [Link inserted.]
Virginia Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)PA Turnpike Responds to Flooding in Washington County Neighborhood
CBS News Pittsburgh reports, “The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission said it was working to restore erosion and sedimentation controls that were washed out by [recent] storms. . . . People in McDonald, Washington County said they’ve seen flooding multiple times this summer, but Tuesday [July 11] was the worst so far.”
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Turnpike CommissionPANYNJ Police Nab Two Scofflaws
The Record reports that Port Authority police arrested two alleged George Washington Bridge toll jumpers with E-ZPass violation records on July 10. One, a 32-year-old woman, has a revoked E-ZPass account and a record of 91 toll violations totaling about $5,900, police said. The other motorist, a 28-year-old Queens man, has racked up 99 violations representing almost $6,400 in unpaid tolls and fees.
New Jersey New York City PANYNJ ScofflawsChina to Issue Local Toll Road Bonds
China Daily reports, “China will issue local toll road bonds this year to standardize local government’s financing for toll roads, according to an official statement released on [July 12]. This is the latest move to regulate local government’s financing behaviors following the rollout of local land reserve bonds. Local governments will be allowed to issue local toll road bonds to meet their financing needs, according to the statement jointly released by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Transport.”
China