Daily News Briefs, November 30, 2022

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Virginia And Ferrovial Celebrate The Completion Of 66 Express

WTOP reports, motorists have been using the last completed section of 66 Express Lanes since last week, but the facility’s formal inauguration took place yesterday in the presence of Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and Ferrovial executives, including chairman Rafael del Pino and CEO Ignacio Madridejos. The entire 22.5-mile network of dynamically tolled lanes is now operational, somewhat ahead of schedule. “These improvements,” said Youngkin, “will serve countless commuters, (and) provide convenient access to major employment and activity hubs, while helping to transport essential goods and services quickly and efficiently.”

Construction of the $3.6 billion facility was “one of the largest [P3] projects undertaken in the infrastructure area in the United States this century,” according to a news release issued by Ferrovial, the parent company of the Cintra-led consortium that financed and built the lanes and will now operate them under a 50-year Virginia DOT concession. In addition to highlighting the monitoring and communication technology embedded in the lane infrastructure, Ferrovial’s release notes that 66 Express is the fifth US managed lane facility now under its control, the others being the three TEXpress facilities in Dallas-Fort Worth and I-77 Express in North Carolina.

66 Express Lanes (Outside DC Beltway) Cintra US Express Lanes Ferrovial P3 & Privatization Virginia Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Washington (DC) Metro Region

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Shailen Bhatt Appears Headed For Confirmation As FHWA Administrator

“Engineering News-Record” reports, “Shailen Bhatt, President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Federal Highway Administration . . . is moving nearer to confirmation, with a key Senate committee’s approval for the post. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee [yesterday] cleared Bhatt’s nomination by a voice vote, apparently unanimously. The next step is a vote by the full Senate. Judging by the committee’s strong bipartisan vote, Bhatt seems on the path to confirmation.”

Appointments-Promotions-Retirements US Department of Transportation (USDOT)

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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Is Safer Thanks To $100 Million Improvement Project

New Orleans CityBusiness reports that a two-year, $100 million project to improve Lake Pontchartrain Causeway safety has achieved positive results. Since shoulder additions and railing upgrades were completed in 2020, causeway crashes have dropped by 25 percent and fewer traffic injuries have occurred. Although railing collisions have taken place, the improved barriers have prevented vehicles from careening off the roadway into the lake. It was hoped that a 2017 toll rate increase imposed to finance the safety project would be rolled back over time. However, Carlton Dufrechou, general manager of the causeway operating commission, now says inflation may require an additional increase when rates are reviewed in late 2023.

Highway and Bridge Safety (Including COVID-19 Impacts) Lake Pontchartrain Causeway (Metro New Orleans) Louisiana

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

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