Daily News Briefs, September 5, 2023

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Think Tank Calls For Overdue Launch Of Mandated National VMT Pilot

Transport Topics reports, the Eno Center for Transportation is calling on USDOT to test a national vehicle-miles-traveled (VMT) fee system to replace federal fuel taxes. A VMT pilot study was mandated by the IIJA in 2021 with a 90-day deadline that has long passed. In a detailed paper with recommendations for the overdue study, Eno cites a 2009 National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission conclusion that the continued reliance of the federal Highway Trust Fund (HTF) on gas and diesel taxes is unrealistic, given trends toward improved fuel efficiency and alternative fuels. The July paper notes that HTF’s insolvency has required the infusion of $272 billion in general revenue transfers since September 2008. ENO also cites long-term stasis of federal fuel tax rates, which have remained unchanged since 1993, as a contributor to HTF’s financial precarity. The Transport Topics article cites heavily from a 2021 “practical analysis” by the American Transportation Research Institute (ARTI), which considered various challenges for instituting a national VMT fee system. Of particular concern to ARTI and the trucking industry were the complications of leveraging such fees on commercial haulers, public perceptions, and questions of equity between rural and urban distributions of the revenues collected.

Eno Center for Transportation Road Use Charging (RUC-MBUF-VMT) Transportation and Infrastructure Research & Development US Department of Transportation (USDOT) US Gov't Transportation Funding US Highway Trust Fund US Infrastructure Funding And Financing Initiatives

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Florida Tolling Reinstated After Hurricane Idalia

Tolls were reinstated today on Florida’s west coast, where collections on several major facilities had been suspended since August 29 to aid evacuation and recovery efforts related to Hurricane Idalia, WTSP reports. “Although payments will resume, an emergency order is still in place to allow expanded weight and size requirements for vehicles transporting emergency equipment, supplies, agriculture commodities and citrus.”

ETC Systems Florida Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (FTE) Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Safety (Includes COVID-19 Impacts) I-4 Express (Orlando FL) SunPass Tampa Bay-Hillsborough County FL Metro Area Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA)

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Ohio Turnpike Uses Service Plaza Events To Both Thank And Inform Customers

Sandusky Register reports, the Ohio Turnpike And Infrastructure Commission (OTIC) held another in its series of customer appreciation events on Friday at the Commodore Perry Service Plaza in Clyde, Sandusky County. The happenings, which often coincide with holiday travel periods, are a way for commission staff and allies such as the highway patrol to have casual, fun interactions with customers involving food and promotional giveaways. However, they also create an opportunity for reinforcing vital public messages. At Friday’s event, OTIC “focused on changing dangerous driving behaviors to reduce crashes and prevent fatalities and injuries on our roadways,” said executive director Ferzan Ahmed. “Improving roadway safety is a shared responsibility, and changing driver behavior is a difficult task to accomplish.” With help from volunteer participants, OTIC spotlights other transportation-related issues, such as human trafficking.

Customer Service Experience Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Safety (Includes COVID-19 Impacts) Ohio Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission Public Outreach And Communication

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Construction Of Cavitex-C5 Link Progresses In Metro Manila

Philippine Daily Inquirer reports, Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) announced that the Cavitex C5 Link is expected to be completed in early 2024. The 7.7-kilometer (4.8-mile) project is creating a tolled connector between the Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway (Cavitex) and the C5 ring road in greater Manila. MPTC’s Cavitex Infrastructure (CIC) subsidiary announced last week that “girder launching activity” will start this month on a 1.9-kilometer segment of the connector. Although the project is under CIC’s overall supervision, the firm has contracted construction work to China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC). The article notes that the segment of the C5 Link between Taguig and Merville is already open to traffic.

China Road and Bridge Corporation Manila Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation Philippines

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

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