- PANYNJ Approves Financing for Hudson River Rail Tunnels, Promises Not to Raise Tolls
- VDOT's Plan to Add HOT Lanes in Hampton Roads Irks Some Drivers
- Bridgegate: Governors Christie and Cuomo Discussed Lane Closings "Within Days" of Reopening
- KTA Turns Up Heat on Toll Violators
- Dallas Mayor Pushes TxDOT to Study Trinity Parkway Plan
- A Valentine Peach Pass? GDOT's Henry County I-75 Express Lanes Project Will Open in February
- FDOT Could Move 95 Express Entry and Exit Point in Palm Beach County
- A Proposal for Safely Implementing Autonomous Trucking: Give Trucks Separated Highway Toll Lanes
- Tesla CEO: Bad Reporting about Self-Driving Cars Can Kill People. (It's the Coverage - Not the Cars.)
- Traffic Fatalities Spike Despite New Safety Tools, Technology
- ITR Looks for Seasonal Workers, Offers $1,000 Completion Bonus
- Hiking the Gas Tax Gains Traction in Louisiana, Tolls Not Cited
- PANYNJ Police Arrest Alleged Toll Violators at Holland Tunnel
- Maintenance Worker Killed on FL Turnpike
- FL Turnpike Reopens after Police Standoff
- FL Trooper Rescues Bald Eagle from Turnpike
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PANYNJ Approves Financing for Hudson River Rail Tunnels, Promises Not to Raise Tolls
NJ.com reports, “Tolls on the Port Authority’s bridges and tunnels will not be increased to help fund construction of new Hudson River rail tunnels, officials said Thursday [October 20] after approving a financing plan for the Gateway Project. Authority officials will discuss revising the agency’s 10-year capital plan next month to include Gateway, building a new Port Authority Bus Terminal and replacing the aging Newark Airport Monorail, said John Degnan, the board chairman.”
New Jersey New York Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ)VDOT's Plan to Add HOT Lanes in Hampton Roads Irks Some Drivers
WTVR News reports, “The plan to add a toll for some drivers on Interstate 64 in Hampton Roads is not sitting well with commuters. The Virginia Department of Transportation announced eight miles of Interstate 64’s reversible High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV-2) lanes from the I-264/64 interchange to I-564 in Norfolk would be converted into High Occupancy Toll (HOT) or Express Lanes.”
Express Lanes Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)Bridgegate: Governors Christie and Cuomo Discussed Lane Closings "Within Days" of Reopening
NJ.com reports, “Within days of Fort Lee access lanes to the George Washington Bridge reopening, Gov. Chris Christie’s political confidant and top appointee to the Port Authority, David Samson, warned New York agency officials they ‘made a big mistake’ in the leaking [of] the “Fort Lee issue” to reporters.” The report adds, “Scott Rechler, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s top appointee to the bi-state agency’s board of commissioners, testified Christie and Cuomo talked about a month after the Fort Lee lane closures, and that Christie expressed aggravation over executive director Patrick Foye and his belief that [the] New York appointee was leaking information to reporters.”
New Jersey New York Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ)KTA Turns Up Heat on Toll Violators
KMBZ News reports, “The Kansas Turnpike Authority is adding technology to keep an eye on its electronic toll booths. The pilot project affects toll lanes for the turnpike’s electronic K-TAG or equivalent devices. Video cameras will be used to catch drivers who don’t obey the rules.” In a news release, KTA CEO Steve Hewitt says, “We’re excited to begin this next phase that will lead to improved customer service in the lanes while helping keep tolls low.”
Kansas Turnpike Authority (KTA)Dallas Mayor Pushes TxDOT to Study Trinity Parkway Plan
The Texas Tribune reports, “The Texas Department of Transportation could soon answer some of the biggest questions looming over a controversial Dallas plan to build a toll road alongside a massive urban park inside a flood plain.” The report adds, “Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings wants the agency to analyze plans for the Trinity Parkway as part of an existing study of downtown highways called CityMAP. [Link added.] That report looks beyond highway congestion forecasts to also estimate how different construction scenarios — including the removal of one particular downtown highway — would affect economic development, neighborhood connectivity and the quality of life for nearby residents.”
Texas Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)A Valentine Peach Pass? GDOT's Henry County I-75 Express Lanes Project Will Open in February
Marietta Daily Journal reports, “Peach Passes may make good Valentine’s Day gifts since Henry County’s I-75 express lanes project is due for a February [2017] finish. Construction began October 2014 on two reversible lanes between 12 miles of existing roadway between Ga. 138 and Ga. 155.”
Express Lanes GeorgiaFDOT Could Move 95 Express Entry and Exit Point in Palm Beach County
The Palm Beach Post reports, “The state could move the southernmost 95 Express entry and exit point in Palm Beach County. The express lanes along Interstate 95, which already operate in Miami-Dade and southern Broward counties, eventually will reach north into Palm Beach County, with work on the final link – into Delray Beach – going out for bids in 2019.”
Express Lanes Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT)A Proposal for Safely Implementing Autonomous Trucking: Give Trucks Separated Highway Toll Lanes
Forbes.com posts a contributed article in which the authors warn, “Prematurely accelerating the implementation of fully autonomous trucking (no driver in the cab) seems like an idea that could be fraught with risk. . . . There is growing pressure, however, to make it a reality sooner rather than later – particularly as long-distance trucking faces a worsening driver shortage.” They argue for “a carefully crafted path to implementation. We believe that separated highway toll lanes could not only mitigate perceived risks, but provide a solution to a convergence of public and private needs.”
Self-Driving VehiclesTesla CEO: Bad Reporting about Self-Driving Cars Can Kill People. (It's the Coverage - Not the Cars.)
Fox Business.com reports, “Self-driving cars hold the promise of saving thousands of lives each year on U.S. roads. But does pointing out flaws with the technology effectively put people in danger?” Tesla CEO Elon Musk seems to think so, according to the report, which adds, “’If, in writing some article that’s negative, you effectively dissuade people from using autonomous vehicles, you’re killing people,’ said Musk, who expects his self-driving technology to be at least twice as safe as cars driven by humans.”
Self-Driving VehiclesTraffic Fatalities Spike Despite New Safety Tools, Technology
NPR reports, “Our cars and trucks are being made with more safety features. New technologies such as lane departure warnings, blind spot detection, vehicle stabilizers and anti-lock brakes can, and do, save lives. Yet more people are dying on the nation’s roadways — nearly 18,000 in the first six months of this year. That’s a huge jump of 10.4 percent over the same time period in 2015, and it’s part of a disturbing trend, according to federal officials, because traffic fatalities rose significantly last year, too.” The report adds that “the government is teaming up with safety advocates, highway designers and others in a new effort to try to reduce the number of traffic fatalities — to zero — within 30 years.”
ITR Looks for Seasonal Workers, Offers $1,000 Completion Bonus
WIMS News reports, “ITR Concession Co., the operator of the Indiana Toll Road, announces it is seeking applicants in locations across the Toll Road for seasonal equipment operators to work during the winter months.” The jobs pay $15 per hour (for a weekly minimum of 30 hours’ work), and ITRCC is offering a $1,000 bonus to workers who complete the entire season, according to the station.
Indiana Toll Road Concession Company (ITRCC)Hiking the Gas Tax Gains Traction in Louisiana, Tolls Not Cited
The Advocate (Baton Rouge) reports, “A state task force on how to repair Louisiana’s transportation problems is hearing citizen support for an increase in the gasoline tax, the co-chairman of the panel said Thursday October 20]. Shawn Wilson, secretary for the state Department of Transportation and Development, said regional meetings of the group have turned up widespread comments that there is a funding problem for roads and bridges.”
Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD)PANYNJ Police Arrest Alleged Toll Violators at Holland Tunnel
NJ.com reports, “A Bergen County woman was arrested at the Holland Tunnel [on October 18] after police found she owed nearly $8,000 in unpaid tolls and fees, authorities said.”
NJ.com also reports that a motorcyclist “was arrested [on October 19] after he tried to skip the toll at the Holland Tunnel by closely following a bus through the toll lane” and then tussled with the officer who stopped him.
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) ScofflawsMaintenance Worker Killed on FL Turnpike
Miami Herald reports, “A highway maintenance worker was killed Tuesday [October 18] when a car veered into the shoulder of Florida’s Turnpike just south of the Sawgrass Expressway and slammed into him as he stood outside his truck, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.” The cause of the accident is under investigation, the newspaper adds.
Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (FTE)FL Turnpike Reopens after Police Standoff
WSVN News reports, “A section of the Florida Turnpike has reopened after a standoff with police ended peacefully in Homestead. The standoff forced officials to shut the highway down for hours, Thursday. Miami-Dade Police were in a stand off with a man accused of threatening to harm his family, in-laws and law enforcement, causing officials to close the Turnpike between U.S. 1 and Southwest 137th Avenue in both directions.”
Florida Florida Turnpike Enterprise (FTE)FL Trooper Rescues Bald Eagle from Turnpike
WLS News reports that a Florida state trooper rescued an injured bald eagle on the shoulder of the turnpike. The video footage is worth a click.