Daily News Briefs, June 7, 2017

CT Toll Bill Pulled, Despite House Approval of Lockbox Resolution

Hartford Courant reports, “With a razor-thin margin on a highly controversial issue, the state House of Representatives debated passionately Tuesday [June 6] over whether to reinstall tolls on Connecticut highways for the first time in more than 30 years. But without the necessary support on an emotional issue, the House suspended the debate after [90 minutes] without a formal vote — effectively dropping the issue for now.” The article adds that the debate followed House approval, by a vote of 101 to 50, of a constitutional lockbox that would prevent any transportation money from being spent for any other purposes. . . .”

Top

TCA Is Reviewing 18 Options for Orange County Toll Road Extension Project

The Orange County Register reports that an “overflow crowd,” many of whom “were clearly hostile” to proposals for a toll road extension, attended a TCA public forum on June 5. According to the newspaper, “Ed Sachs, chairman of the TCA’s board of directors, appealed to the audience . . . for continued participation and understanding. ‘There is no one answer and one solution that’s ready right now.’. . . Mike Kraman, the agency’s CEO, said that analysis of [18 different mobility options] is under way to weigh the costs, benefits and impacts of each. He cautioned that it is early.”

Top

CRRMA Votes to Eliminate El Paso's Cesar Chavez Express Lanes

KFOX 14 reports, “The toll lanes on the Cesar Chavez Border Highway [link inserted] could be gone as early as September” after the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority board voted on June 6 to remove them. The article adds that that the board asked CRRMA executive director Raymond Telles to present them with removal options, and notes that El Paso State Representative Joe Picket, an advocate of dismantling the highway’s express lanes, said he is confident the action can take place by September 1.

Top

RIDOT Clarifies Its Announcement about RhodeWorks Toll System Costs

Providence Journal reports, “Rhode Island’s planned truck-toll network will cost more than initially reported because officials did not include construction costs in a recent release of contract details.” Last month, RIDOT announced that toll system operations and maintenance alone would cost $2.5 million per year over ten years. The newspaper reports that design and construction costs, which are not yet finalized, will increase the value of the contract to Kapsch TrafficCom, the state’s chosen toll system provider.

Top

Court Postpones Sentencing of Bridgegate Defendant David Wildstein

NJ.com reports that a federal judge has postponed the sentencing of Bridgegate defendant David Wildstein until July 12 “after a scheduling conference with prosecutors and the defense. . .” The article adds, “Wildstein has been free on bail and living in Sarasota, Fla., since pleading guilty in May 2015.”

Top

Illinois County Considers Outsourcing Transportation Planning to Former IDOT Secretary

Daily Southtown (via Chicago Tribune) reports, “Will County [Illinois] officials are considering hiring a former Illinois Department of Transportation secretary,” Ann Schneider, “as a consultant instead of employing a full time transportation planner.”

Top

ERC Service and Policy Improvements Win Newspaper Recognition

The Virginian-Pilot editorial board commends Elizabeth River Crossings for recent customer service and billing improvements, and for changing its late fee policies. “This all comes under the direction of [Philip] Shucet, the former commissioner of the Virginia Department of Transportation and head of Hampton Roads Transit. . . . Hampton Roads residents have heard a lot from ERC over the years and surely weren’t holding their breath for change. Shucet and ERC deserve credit for trying to follow through, even if those customer service reforms were long overdue.”

Top

Preliminary Plans for the I-66 Outside the Beltway Express Lanes Project Are Scheduled for Public Review

Fauquier Times reports, “The plan for toll lanes, park and ride lots and other measures planned as part of ‘Transform 66 Outside the Beltway’ will be the subject of three public information sessions” this month, with the first scheduled for June 12. “Representatives from Express Mobility Partners, the consortium selected by the Virginia Department of Transportation, will present the preliminary concept plans and answer questions. VDOT staff will be on hand as well.”

Top

$97 Million Houston Area Expressway Breaks Ground

The Facts reports, “With the existing roadway as their backdrop, state and county officials turned dirt on a multimillion-dollar project [the Brazoria County Expressway] intended to relieve congestion while boosting economic growth along Highway 288. . . .” The newspaper adds, “The $97.17 million project will bring four toll lanes through the existing Highway 288 median from the Brazoria County-Harris County line to CR 58, a distance of just more than 5 miles. It is part of a larger project that crosses into Harris County, where toll lanes will stretch north to Highway 59.”

Top

Pharr International Bridge and CCRMA Enter Toll Collection Agreement

The Monitor reports, “In an effort to diversify an already robust Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge revenue stream, the bridge will collect tolls from trucks that pass through the bridge and the toll road connecting the city and the Port of Brownsville” by agreement with the Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority. [Link inserted.] The newspaper adds that the city is working on an MOU with the Port of Brownsville for a similar purpose.

Top

Saskatchewan City Studies Toll Funding for New Bridge Project

Prince Albert Daily Herald reports, “There could be a cost to using Prince Albert’s only bridge in the future, as city councillors look at create ways to fund the construction of a second one. On [June 6], Ward 1 Coun. Charlene Miller brought forward a motion asking for a report on the feasibility of implementing a toll on Diefenbaker Bridge.”

Top

Public Presentations Spotlight Proposed Lafayette (LA) Regional Xpressway Project

KATC reports, “The first of two meetings was held [on June 6] to present information to the public about the proposed Lafayette Regional Xpressway. There are several proposals on the table for the project, including several different corridors and a toll highway loop.” The station adds that the project, known as LRX, “was initiated in 2004 by the Lafayette Metropolitan Expressway Commission.” [Link inserted.]

Top

Lawyer Suggests Puerto Rico Toll Bond Holders May Experience "Repayment Cuts"

Reuters reports that a lawyer representing Puerto Rico’s financial oversight panel asserted at a June 5 federal court hearing that “the bankrupt island’s highway authority could run out of cash if it continues to pay all its debt, and signaled big repayment cuts for the authority’s creditors.” Reuters adds that the judge scheduled an August 8 trial on bondholders’ legal challenges to toll revenue “clawbacks” taken by the Puerto Rico Highway and Transportation Authority.

Top

Vancouver Mayor Calls for Regional Tolling System Overhaul at Introduction of New Mobility Pricing Commission

CBC News reports, “Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson says the region’s tolling system is ‘broken’ and now is the time for the provincial government to change it. Robertson made those comments Tuesday [June 6] at an event held by the regional Mayors’ Council to announce the new leaders of a commission that will look at mobility pricing [in Metro Vancouver].”

A commission backgrounder and news release are available from TransLink and the Mayors’ Council.

Top

Do P3s Outperform Purely Public Projects in Long-Term Financial Benefits? Some Experts Say "No."

The New York Times reports, “As President Trump prepares to deliver a speech [today] about infrastructure, his administration is promoting the benefits of having local governments work with private corporations to build, repair and manage the nation’s ailing roads, bridges and airports.” Yet, the newspaper observes, “whatever the advantages of giving the private sector a stake in public works . . . experts agree that while some public-private partnerships may result in near-term savings, there is little hard evidence that they perform better over time.”

Top

Columnist Sets the Record Straight on Using E-ZPass for Rental Car Trips

NJ.com’s Larry Higgs tells E-ZPass account holders they can use their transponders to pay rental car tolls, if they adhere to a few rules and procedures . . . and disregard contrary information from a rental car company employee.

Top