- Op-Ed: Eliminating Halifax, NS, Bridge Tolls Would Be "Bad Public Policy"
- IBTTA Elects 2025 Officers And Several Board Members
- Recent Flash Flooding Heavily Damaged Spain Transportation Infrastructure
- These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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Op-Ed: Eliminating Halifax, NS, Bridge Tolls Would Be "Bad Public Policy"
In a Saltwire op-ed column, Dr. Tom Urbaniak, a Cape Breton University political science professor, explains why Nova Scotia Premier and Progressive Conservative Party leader Tim Houston’s campaign pledge to eliminate tolling of two Halifax bridges is “bad public policy” that “won’t make a dent in resolving any problem.”
Echoing the objections of some transportation experts, Dr. Urbaniak notes that toll elimination would cost the province CAD 40 million to 50 million in tax revenue each year, a “significant accumulated hit” to a provincial budget that is “already in deficit.” The public expenditure would transfer the burden of paying for the bridges’ operation and upkeep from users to taxpayers, some of whom “can seldom afford to travel to Halifax.” Dr. Urbaniak adds that the cost shifting is unlikely to result in significant traffic congestion reduction, which is the primary rationale for Houston’s proposal.
Dr. Urbaniak also raises an important new issue concerning responsibility for management of the Macdonald and MacKay Bridges. Halifax Harbour Bridges (HHB), an entirely-toll-financed public corporation, operates the span through a staff trained and dedicated to overseeing major suspension bridges. Urbaniak wonders what Houston proposes to do with HHB after its sole source of revenue is eliminated. He asks, “Will it be merged into the arguably less-effective provincial Department of Public Works?” And, if that’s the case, would the new overseers have sufficient focus, funding, and expertise to handle the specialized tasks associated with bridge operations?
Canada Company and Agency Financial Issues And Reports ETC Systems Halifax (NS) Harbour Bridges Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Maintenance Nova ScotiaIBTTA Elects 2025 Officers And Several Board Members
ITSInternational.com reports, the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) elected 2025 board officers during its recent annual meeting. Starting one-year terms on January 1, 2025, are:
- President: James Hofmann, North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) executive director
- First Vice President: Joi Dean, Richmond Metropolitan Transportation Authority (RMTA) CEO
- Second Vice President: Ferzan Ahmed, PE, Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission (OTIC) executive director
- International Vice President: María Moreno, director of the international department of SEOPAN (the association of Spanish construction and concession companies)
- Immediate Past President: Bill Halkias, president emeritus of HELLASTRON (the association of Greek toll roads)
Five member representatives were elected to serve four-year terms as board directors starting January 1, 2025. They are Anna Bonet (Elizabeth River Crossings), Christophe Boutin (ASFA, the association of French motorway companies), Rene Moser (ASFINAG, the Austrian autobahn operator), Craig Shuey (Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission), and Vincent Valdez (Transportation Corridor Agencies). Nick Roethel (Bay Area Toll Authority) was elected to serve a two-year board term. James Carone (New Jersey Turnpike Authority) will start a three-year board term on January 1.
Recent Flash Flooding Heavily Damaged Spain Transportation Infrastructure
Le Monde (subscription required for full access) reports, Spain’s transport ministry released EUR 24.8 million (USD 26.76 million) at the end of last week to cover initial emergency repairs of highway and rail infrastructure severely damaged by recent flash flooding in and around Valencia. “But this will just be the beginning. The priority is to rebuild the section of the A-7 freeway viaduct destroyed by the floods. The viaduct, which forms part of the [Valencia city] ring road, usually handles 78,000 vehicles a day. While waiting for it to reopen, a temporary three-lane detour will be set up.” The article also discusses the region’s extensive rail network damage.
“Global Construction Review” reports that “two carriageways of the Valencia metropolitan area bypass have been out of service. The section is used by around 77,600 vehicles a day and it can’t be diverted to the regional or local network because they are also seriously damaged, the [transport] ministry said.” The N-322 and the N-330 highways outside the metro area were also damaged by rivers swollen by a year’s worth of rain in just eight hours. “Experts have blamed global warming for [the] catastrophic flash floods in Spain. ‘We’re going to see more of these flash floods in the future,’ Hannah Cloke, professor of hydrology at the University of Reading, told Reuters.”
Associated Press reports on the storms that caused the flooding, the consequent loss of life and damage to property, and current recovery measures.
Climate Change & Infrastructure Resilience Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Maintenance Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Safety (Includes COVID-19 Impacts) SpainThese are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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