- WSDOT Breaks Ground on Express Toll Lanes Project
- Elected Officials Contend FDOT Misled Them on Howard Frankland Bridge Toll Lanes
- CTRMA Kicks In Funds for Study of Aerial Gondola System
- Local Opposition to Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Bond Issue and Toll Hike Stiffens
- KY Governor Has a Brent Spence Bridge Replacement Plan without Tolls
- MassDOT Secretary Says Turnpike's Proposed AET Rates Could Be Modified
- MassDOT Having a Hard Time Managing "E-ZPass Frenzy" in Advance of AET
- Trump Cutout in HOT Lanes Doesn't Fool Police (Orange Hair Is a Dead Giveaway)
- Bridgegate: The Inevitable "Who Knew What When in Christie's Inner Circle" Timeline Is Out
- TCA 241 Toll Road Proposal Is "Rising from the Ashes"
- Arizona Studies Maricopa County Toll Road Plan Despite Likely "Negative Reaction"
- Blue Water Bridge Workers Approve Strike Vote
- WSDOT Good To Go! Data Kills "Lexus Lanes" Myth (Maybe)
- MTA Earns Props for Improving Its Financial Position, Recovering from Recession
- EU Takes Germany to Court Over Allegedly Discriminatory Toll Plan
This is a Subscribers-Only area. If you are a subscriber, please login. If not...
Become a Subscriber Today »
WSDOT Breaks Ground on Express Toll Lanes Project
MYNorthwest.com reports that “the Washington State Department of Transportation is breaking ground on the second phase of the project that will add express toll lanes between Bellevue and Renton. Work is now underway to redesign the I-405/167 interchange in Renton. WSDOT is building a fly-over ramp between the freeways that will connect the HOT lanes on 167 directly to the HOV lanes on I-405. Those I-405 HOV lanes will eventually become express toll lanes.”
Express Lanes Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)Elected Officials Contend FDOT Misled Them on Howard Frankland Bridge Toll Lanes
Tampa Bay Times reports, “Confusion is swirling around the Florida Department of Transportation’s plan to replace the northbound span of the Howard Frankland Bridge.” The newspaper has reported that FDOT plans to convert one lane in each direction to a toll lane, leaving one fewer free lane. “But politicians whom the Tampa Bay Times told about the plan last week said they felt misled by the agency, which had also talked about adding additional lanes for the tolls. DOT officials said the plan was always to convert a lane,” the report adds.
Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT)CTRMA Kicks In Funds for Study of Aerial Gondola System
Austin Monitor reports that “the [Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority] board of directors approved without any dissent a small stipend to study the feasibility of a proposed gondola system in South Austin. ‘We’re not a pavement company; we’re a mobility company,’ said Chair Ray Wilkerson of the agency more typically known for its toll road projects.” The report adds that CTRMA will kick in $5,250 to match contributions by the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the City of Austin to pay for the Texas A&M Transportation Institute study.
Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) TexasLocal Opposition to Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Bond Issue and Toll Hike Stiffens
The Times-Picayune reports, “St. Tammany Parish’s Republican Party has come out against plans to raise tolls and make $103 million in safety improvements on the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. The Republican Executive Committee said it will ask the Parish Council to deny approval of a bond issue needed for the project.”
Lake Pontchartrain Causeway (Metro New Orleans) LouisianaKY Governor Has a Brent Spence Bridge Replacement Plan without Tolls
WCPO News (Cincinnati) reports, “Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin said Wednesday [September 28] that the Brent Spence Bridge replacement project is a high priority for his administration and he’s confident a financing plan can be achieved without tolls.” The governor tells the station, “It absolutely has to happen. I’ve already spoken with (Ohio Governor John) Kasich about this. We’ve made clear that our departments are going to have to put their heads together on this. They’ve already begun to do so.”
KentuckyMassDOT Secretary Says Turnpike's Proposed AET Rates Could Be Modified
MetroWest Daily News reports that State Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack, speaking at a local chamber luncheon, “said [turnpike AET toll] rates are not finalized and officials are looking at modifying the proposed rates, including for MetroWest drivers. She also sought to reassure people that the state takes privacy seriously. The gantries will not be used to catch people speeding.” The report notes that, “MetroWest lawmakers have complained about potential [toll] increases for some local drivers.”
AET (All-Electronic Tolling) Massachusetts TurnpikeMassDOT Having a Hard Time Managing "E-ZPass Frenzy" in Advance of AET
The Berkshire Eagle reports that MassDOT is having a hard time keeping up with the “E-ZPass application frenzy” in advance of next month’s conversion to AET, and some motorists with a new E-ZPass account are receiving violation notices. Stephen Collins, director of tolling for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, tells the newspaper, “We got into a little bit of a backlog in our issuing [transponders] and putting them into the account. We were prepared for an increase, but the increase was higher and faster than we expected.” Affected customers can call the E-ZPass customer service line to have the fines waived, the report adds.
AET (All-Electronic Tolling) Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Massachusetts TurnpikeTrump Cutout in HOT Lanes Doesn't Fool Police (Orange Hair Is a Dead Giveaway)
King 5 News reports, “A driver trying to cheat in the Highway 167 HOT lane was apparently trying to make Carpool Great Again. The Washington State Patrol tweeted a photo of a cardboard Donald Trump head attached to the headrest on the passenger seat of [a] car in Auburn.” (Great photos included.)
Bridgegate: The Inevitable "Who Knew What When in Christie's Inner Circle" Timeline Is Out
NJ.com posts a timeline based on David Wildstein’s testimony of “who knew what when” about the George Washington Bridge lane closures among Governor Christie’s inner circle. (These timelines are never a good thing).
In trial news, NJ.com reports, “Before Gov. Chris Christie’s top appointee to the Port Authority [Bill Baroni] told lawmakers the George Washington Bridge lane closures were part of a traffic study, he was prepped by the governor’s one-time pick for [ ] state Supreme Court justice and Christie’s future chief of staff.”
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ)TCA 241 Toll Road Proposal Is "Rising from the Ashes"
San Clemente Times reports, “The plan to extend the 241 Toll Road was burned by local governments and eventually charred by the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board in 2015. Now, a new plan is rising from the ashes. Recently, Councilwoman Kathy Ward, the San Clemente liaison to the Transportation Corridor Agencies, presented the City Council with the new proposals to extend the 241. . . .” A community forum on the proposed project is scheduled for October 5.
California Transportation Corridor Agencies (CA)Arizona Studies Maricopa County Toll Road Plan Despite Likely "Negative Reaction"
KJZZ News reports, “The Arizona Department of Transportation is looking into the option of a tolled freeway as an Interstate 10 alternate. ADOT and the Maricopa Association of Governments have been studying how to develop State Route 30 since 2004.” ADOT spokesman Doug Nintzel tells the station, “The idea of a tolled freeway, yes it is going to gather some negative reaction, but it’s also a reality check in that we don’t have the traditional funding to build this freeway any time soon so we think it’s worth exploring.” The study will reportedly take up to six months.
ArizonaBlue Water Bridge Workers Approve Strike Vote
Sarnia Observer reports, “Workers at the Blue Water Bridge voted [on September 28] to go on strike if the Federal Bridge Corporation doesn’t return to the bargaining table. [Link added.] The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) said the previous collective agreement ended Nov. 7, 2014 for 49 union members who work as cleaners and toll collectors, and in the maintenance and currency exchange departments at the crossing between Point Edward and Port Huron.”
Canada OntarioWSDOT Good To Go! Data Kills "Lexus Lanes" Myth (Maybe)
KIRO News reports, “Drivers on I-405 will have to think of a new slogan for their commutes. It turns out, calling the express toll lanes the ‘Lexus lanes,’ is not quite accurate. It’s more like the Ford freeway, or the Ford fast lanes. Maybe the Chevy shuffle.” WSDOT studied eleven months’ worth of I-405 Express Lanes data and found that, “Drivers with Fords use the toll lanes the most, with Chevy drivers close behind them,” the report adds.
The Herald (Everett) editorial board doesn’t quite agree. In a recent editorial, the newspaper contended, “And, yes, [the express lanes] have earned that Lexus lane nickname. Survey data from the state shows that about 80 percent of express lane drivers, those paying tolls and driving in carpools, report incomes above $75,000, well above the county’s median salary of $67,000.”
Express Lanes Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)MTA Earns Props for Improving Its Financial Position, Recovering from Recession
The New York State Comptroller recently released a report that concludes, “The outlook for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) budget has improved considerably over the past year thanks to the economic recovery as well as low energy costs and interest rates. . . .” The comptrollers’ announcement, which takes note of upcoming toll and fare hikes, adds that, “While the MTA still faces challenges, it has recovered from the recession and, to its credit, it has improved its financial position for the future. Because fares have soared in recent years, a time when many riders could least afford the hikes, the MTA should look for ways to minimize future increases.”
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York CityEU Takes Germany to Court Over Allegedly Discriminatory Toll Plan
The Wall Street Journal reports that the European Union is taking Germany to the European Court of Justice over “a road-toll scheme championed by the Bavarian arm of [Chancellor Angela] Merkel’s party that would allow German taxpayers to claim back the fee as a tax deduction — a point Brussels sees as discriminatory.”