Economic Recovery
Congress returns to Washington next week to begin its 111th session. Quick passage of an economic recovery bill including tens of billions of dollars in new transportation investments is a top priority of Democratic leaders but they face resistance from Republicans.
Highway Trust Fund
The Highway Trust Fund's Highway Account collected $3 billion less in revenue in Fiscal Year 2008 than the prior fiscal year mostly because of a huge drop in retail sales of new heavy trucks and an accounting change dealing with sales of kerosene, according to analysis by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association released Dec. 19.
People
President-elect Barack Obama held a news conference Dec. 19 to announce his selection of Ray LaHood, a retiring Republican representative from Illinois, to serve as U.S. transportation secretary.
The Federal Transit Administration announced last week the appointment of Matthew Welbes as executive director, the top-ranking career executive at the agency.
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has appointed James Aloisi Jr. as transportation secretary, shrugging off criticism from those who said that elevating a well-connected lawyer and key player in the tumultuous history of the Big Dig undermines the governor's message of reform.
Automobile Manufacturing
After Congress failed to agree on legislation authorizing a federal bailout of General Motors and Chrysler, President George W. Bush acted Dec. 19 to release $13.4 billion in loans to the troubled automakers from the U.S. Treasury Department's Troubled Asset Relief Program.
Bike Routes
State officials and bicycle enthusiasts are stitching together more than 50,000 miles of pedal-friendly pavement to form a vast network of bicycle routes connecting byways, cities, and offroad trails in a system like the one created for cars and trucks more than 50 years ago.
Librarians
The next presentation of the Transportation Librarians Roundtable, a monthly webconference series, will take place at 2 p.m. EST Thursday, Jan. 8.
Toll Roads
The U.S. Department of Transportation agreed last week to loan Maryland $516 million for construction of the Inter-County Connector toll road outside the nation's capital.
Highway advocates in Orange County, CA, suffered a major defeat earlier this month when the U.S. Commerce Department failed to breathe new life into a plan to carve a tollway through the southern portion of the county.
Taxes
Lawmakers in the nation's most populous state voted Dec. 18 to increase the state's gasoline tax as part of an $18 billion package of tax increases and budget cuts. But the legislation received an immediate veto pledge from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Residents of Massachusetts are more willing to embrace higher gas taxes to repair the state's transportation system than any other proposed solution including higher tolls or tolls in new locations, a Boston Globe survey determined.
Public/Private Partnerships
Florida transportation officials last week said they are postponing until May the submission deadline for bids by private corporations to lease, maintain, operate, and receive toll revenues from the state's "Alligator Alley" section of Interstate 75.
Mass Transit
Arizona's first urban rail transit system opened Saturday in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
Congestion Pricing
Motorists across the country are getting used to the idea of paying congestion surcharges to travel during peak periods. Now drivers in Chicago might have to shell out more to park during rush hour as well.
Highway Maintenance
With another season of heavy snow already stretching some road salt supplies in Midwestern states, Ohio officials are calling for increasing cooperation with their regional neighbors to manage the supply and demand.
Airports
Fliers departing from San Francisco International Airport feeling guilty about contributing to global warming will soon have the opportunity to purchase carbon offsets through vending machines at the airport.
Economic Recovery Bill Tops Agenda When New Congress Convenes Next Week
Congress returns to Washington next week to begin its 111th session. Quick passage of an economic recovery bill including tens of billions of dollars in new transportation investments is a top priority of Democratic leaders but they face resistance from Republicans.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, is eager to move a recovery bill quickly after the new Congress convenes Tuesday. She has support from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-NV, and President-elect Barack Obama, who has cited a recovery bill as his highest priority upon taking office Jan. 20.
Congressional Republicans objected Monday to hurried consideration of the recovery proposal, however, questioning the economic value of many of the projects being floated for inclusion and voicing support for a more methodical process that might delay the legislation's passage well into February.
House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-OH, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY, both issued statements Monday calling for a lengthy vetting of the stimulus proposal. They cautioned Democrats not to rush to approve a package that could approach $1 trillion – one of the largest government spending bills of all time – just so Obama can have a bill to sign during his first week in office.
While Democrats could easily push a recovery bill through the House of Representatives, they will need the support at least a few Republican senators to prevent a filibuster in that chamber.
"Americans are left with more questions than answers about this unprecedented government spending, and I believe the taxpayers deserve to know a lot more about where it will be spent before we consider passing it," McConnell said in his statement. He urged devoting a larger portion of the bill to tax relief than government spending.
Boehner questioned whether the plan would lead to "more pork-barrel spending that does nothing but give taxpayers' money to special interests and campaign contributors." He reiterated his support for an alternative recovery bill that would focus on additional tax breaks such as doubling the child tax credit from $1,000 to $2,000 per kid and suspending the capital-gains tax on newly acquired assets for two years.
A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey of Americans released last week indicates most voters favor a stimulus package proposed by Obama and Democratic leaders. Of those polled, 56 percent said they favor the spending package outlined by Democrats while 42 percent were opposed.
Biden Indicates Recovery Bill Will Be Free of Earmarks
Vice President-elect Joe Biden said Dec. 23 that the Obama transition team and Democrats in Congress have discussed a stimulus plan in the range of $650 billion to $850 billion for quick action in January. He warned lawmakers that the new administration would have zero tolerance for earmarks in the package.
"We will not tolerate business as usual in Washington," he said. "There will be no earmarks in this economic recovery plan."
Biden noted that the incoming administration seeks to create 3 million new jobs over the next two years. Much of the recovery spending will be directed to critical investments in the nation's roads and bridges, he said.
The American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials commended Biden on his stance against earmarks, noting the money will be best distributed to states through existing formulas that will ensure state officials can use the funds for projects that are ready to go.
"AASHTO has been consistent in our opposition to earmarks in the recovery bill and we welcome Vice President-elect Biden's remarks that the new administration will not tolerate inclusion of congressional pet projects in a bill meant to put Americans back to work quickly," said Jack Basso, AASHTO's director of management and business development.
Transit Advocates Push to Get Higher Percentage of Funds
The nation's transit agencies, environmental organizations, and "smart growth" groups that seek to reduce automobile use are heavily lobbying Congress to reduce highway funding in the stimulus measure and increase transit's share. A proposal by House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar, D-MN, would do exactly that.
Oberstar has drafted language for the recovery bill that would appropriate $30 billion to states for federal-aid highways and $12 billion to transit agencies. That proposal would allocate 28.6 percent of the highway and transit money to transit, a slight increase from the traditional 20 percent allocation that transit typically receives. Oberstar's draft would also give $5 billion for Amtrak and other intercity passenger rail services.
Transit advocates have been critical of spending tens of billions of dollars for roads, arguing that would promote urban sprawl instead of smart growth along transit corridors. They are asking Obama and Congress to devote a substantially higher percentage of transportation stimulus funds to rail and bus projects.
Road builders counter that highway funding is critical to keep up with maintenance needs and to enhance capacity to reduce congestion, which would provide environmental benefits.
In addition to transit, Obama and Democratic leaders in Congress are under pressure from their party's left flank to cut highway spending in favor of "green" projects such as building grids for wind and solar power. Groups such as Friends of the Earth and Transportation for America have been actively campaigning to reduce highway funding in the recovery bill and to mandate that any funds appropriated are used only for repair and maintenance, not new construction.
Obama pledged this fall in a letter to Transportation for America to "re-evaluate the transportation funding process to ensure that smart-growth considerations are taken into account."
Biden has spoken out in favor of maintaining highway and bridge spending, however: "We've let our infrastructure crumble for a long, long time – from water to roads to bridges. It makes sense to invest in them now."
Oberstar has stressed the urgency of putting the money to work rapidly and saving the greater debate over greener transportation for the next six-year authorization bill Congress will consider later in 2009.
"Our priority is to create jobs and get people working in the shortest possible time," he said. "To do that, we have to rely on projects that are ready to go to bid under existing formulas."
States Identify Their "Ready to Go" Projects That Could Benefit from Stimulus Dollars
AASHTO has compiled a list of some 5,150 projects worth more than $64 billion that state transportation departments have ready to go within six months of funding obligation. Several states have recently released detailed information concerning their projects. AASHTO has placed these items on its economic recovery website at tinyurl.com/StateExamples.
John Horsley, AASHTO's executive director, has dismissed the restrictions that smart-growth groups are seeking on highway funds as unnecessary. Growing states might well need to build more roads, he argues.
"Voters and elected officials know better their special circumstancescommunity by community than these self-appointed folks back here in Washington who are trying to decide things for them," Horsley said.
Declining tax revenue as a result of the economic recession has led at least six states to postpone transportation projects, The New York Times reported last week. California has ceased $4 billion worth of highway, school, and bridge construction projects because of its budget and credit woes. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger warned the state is "on a track toward disaster."
Fixing bridges, expanding highways, and other infrastructure projects are increasingly facing the same budget ax as government entitlement programs, state jobs, and other services. Problems in the credit markets have exacerbated the problem as there has been very little interest among institutional investors in municipal bonds since the financial markets began to collapse this past fall. States are having to rely on individual investors – far less plentiful and less reliable than institutional investors – to buy bonds.
VMT Decline Not Major Factor in Highway Trust Fund Revenue Drop, ARTBA Contends
The Highway Trust Fund's Highway Account collected $3 billion less in revenue in Fiscal Year 2008 than the prior fiscal year mostly because of a huge drop in retail sales of new heavy trucks and an accounting change dealing with sales of kerosene, according to analysis by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association released Dec. 19.
ARTBA used the memo to congressional staff and the media to point out that a drop in vehicle miles traveled is not the prime reason for sinking Highway Trust Fund revenues, as the U.S. Department of Transportation has recently contended. William Buechner, ARTBA's vice president of economics and research, wrote in the memo that the U.S. DOT "seriously distorts the facts" when it argues that the gas tax is no longer a sustainable method for funding transportation projects.
"Revenues from the federal excise tax on gasoline in FY 2008 were, in fact, almost unchanged from FY 2007," Buechner wrote. "While revenues did slip during the second half of the fiscal year with the decline in VMT, the federal gasoline tax actually generated $20.98 billion for the Highway Account in FY 2008, down only $70 million or 0.3 percent from $21.05 billion in FY 2007. This accounted for just 2 percent of the $3 billion decline in HA revenues."
The ARTBA memo points out that total revenues from federal excise taxes on motor fuel were actually $185 million higher in FY 2008 than in FY 2007 because diesel-fuel-tax collections rose $256 million, offsetting the slight decline in gas-tax revenues.
"The real reason for the $3 billion decline is that revenues from taxes on heavy trucks, mainly the 12 percent tax on retail sales of trucks and trailers, were down more than $2.4 billion in FY 2008," Buechner wrote. "This accounted for 80 percent of the revenue decline and is consistent with reports that sales of new heavy trucks plummeted in 2008."
Transfer of just over $700 million of taxes on kerosene to the Airport & Airways Trust Fund and the General Fund in FY 2008 also contributed to the decline in Highway Account revenues, according to ARTBA. Aviation users of kerosene were able for the first time to request a refund of part of the tax. Those refunds were sent to the General Fund and then on to the taxpayer, while the balance of aviation-related kerosene taxes were transferred to the Airport & Airways Trust Fund, which funds airport and aviation improvements.
"While revenues into the Highway Account were indeed $3 billion less in FY 2008 than in FY 2007, it was not due to the decline in VMT as U.S. DOT claims," Buechner concluded. "The U.S. DOT misused that data to suggest the federal motor-fuels tax can no longer sustain federal investments in highway and mass-transit improvements.
"The data in fact suggest that the federal motor-fuels taxes can remain a viable source of revenues for highway investments for the foreseeable future."
Obama Nominates LaHood as U.S. Transportation Secretary
President-elect Barack Obama held a news conference Dec. 19 to announce his selection of Ray LaHood, a retiring Republican representative from Illinois, to serve as U.S. transportation secretary.
Obama noted "few understand infrastructure challenges better than Ray" and sought to assuage critics worried that LaHood has little experience in the transportation industry. During his time in Congress, LaHood fought to renew aging airports, improve mass transit, invest in highways, and create trails for bikers and joggers, Obama said.
LaHood is known as a moderate in the House who has tried to mend partisan divides.
"Ray's appointment reflects that bipartisan spirit – a spirit we need to reclaim in this country to make progress for the American people," Obama said.
LaHood thanked Obama, a Democrat, for reaching across the aisle to include him in his Cabinet.
"We have a task before us to rebuild America," LaHood said. "Roads and bridges play a vital role in our economy. We cannot stand by while our infrastructure crumbles."
LaHood, 63, is retiring from the U.S. House of Representatives, where he has represented the 18th Congressional District of Illinois since 1995. He served on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee from 1995 to 2000 before moving to the House Appropriations Committee.
John Horsley, executive director of the American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials, said LaHood understands the tremendous job-generation power of transportation investment for construction workers, equipment and materials suppliers, and many other businesses. His congressional district is home to Caterpillar, a heavy-equipment manufacturer.
Horsley said LaHood's first task will be gaining congressional approval for a massive economic recovery bill to include tens of billions of dollars in new transportation investment. (see related story)
"AASHTO will work closely with Congress and the Obama administration to gain passage of the economic recovery bill," Horsley said. "States have identified more than 5,000 ready-to-go projects valued at $64 billion that will put Americans to work right here at home. This is the kind of investment that will continue to support our economy and communities for decades to come."
Peters Praises LaHood Nomination, Plans Her Departure from Washington
Current U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters, whom Obama wants to replace when he takes office, issued a statement Dec. 19 commending her potential successor.
"LaHood's broad experience and well-known pragmatism make him an excellent choice to lead and support America's transportation future," Peters said. "There will be challenges, but there are also incredible opportunities to continue work to improve transportation safety, tackle congestion and promote mobility, expand global transportation opportunities, rebuild transportation systems after disasters, and continue fundamental transportation reform."
If the Senate does not act by Jan. 20 to confirm LaHood, Peters does not plan to stick around in the job for the beginning days of the Obama administration. She told the Arizona Daily Star she will vacate the secretary's office regardless of whether a successor has been confirmed. Peters said she's booked a plane reservation home to Arizona for the day of Obama's inauguration and is eager to get home.
Peters told the newspaper she looks forward to spending time with her husband in the couple's Phoenix-area home and might dip into consulting, a public speaking tour, or membership on corporate boards. Peters served as Arizona Department of Transportation director from 1998 to 2001, when she became federal highway administrator. She was promoted to transportation secretary in September 2006.
The outgoing secretary cited improvements in safety as her greatest achievement as the nation's top transportation official.
"Our focus on safety – from our highways, railways, seaways, and airways – has led to one of the safest periods in our nation's transportation history," Peters said.
Bush Approves Loans for GM and Chrysler
After Congress failed to agree on legislation authorizing a federal bailout of General Motors and Chrysler, President George W. Bush acted Dec. 19 to release $13.4 billion in loans to the troubled automakers from the U.S. Treasury Department's Troubled Asset Relief Program.
Bush directed Treasury to send low-interest, short-term loans to the two Detroit companies in return for concessions and restructuring. The toughest questions about the industry's future will rollover to President-elect Barack Obama's administration.
The loan terms will "give automakers three months to put in place plans to restructure into viable companies, which we believe they are capable of doing," Bush said. If they can't put together such plans by March 31, the companies would have to pay back their loans immediately.
As described by the White House, the plan includes releasing an additional $4 billion for the automakers in February if Congress allows the executive branch access to a second pot of $350 billion set up to bail out failing financial firms. GM and Chrysler had pleaded with Congress to give it low-interest loans to survive financially into 2009, but the Senate failed to act on legislation approved by the House to do so. Talks broke down when several Republican senators objected to what they viewed as inadequate concessions from Detroit's unionized workforce.
"This is a difficult situation that involves fundamental questions about the proper role of government," Bush said in announcing the loans. "If we were to allow the free market to take its course now, it would almost certainly lead to disorderly bankruptcy and liquidation for the automakers."
Congress Considers Giving Vouchers to Owners of Fuel-Inefficient Vehicles to Buy New Models
When Congress convenes next week for its new session, an economic recovery bill is top on the agenda. Among the provisions being considered for the legislation is a plan to give owners of older, gas-guzzling cars cash vouchers to buy new, more-fuel-efficient models. Such vouchers would stimulate the economy by encouraging purchase of new vehicles, proponents argue. That would also help the U.S. automobile manufacturers who are in great trouble. Reducing air pollution is another benefit cited.
Environmentalists want the plan inserted as one of the "green" components of any economic recovery bill, CongressDaily reported. They say it would cut dependence on foreign oil, curb global warming, and add jobs to the ailing automobile industry from automakers to troubled dealerships.
The plan calls for giving owners vouchers to turn in cars that are more than 13 years old, are registered and operable, and get poor gas mileage. The vouchers could be cashed in at car dealers as a credit toward the purchase of a fuel-efficient vehicle. The government would sell the old cars as scrap metal.
The Center for American Progress advocates for a $2,500 voucher amount. Most cars more than 13 years old get poor gas mileage and are 10 to 30 times more polluting than cars made today, said Bracken Hendricks, a senior fellow at the center.
House and Senate committees considered the idea during hearings earlier this month. Peter Morici, economics professor at the University of Maryland, was among the witnesses speaking in favor of the vouchers.
But Steven Levitt, an economic professor at the University of Chicago, disputed the proponents' claims. He said that the demand for such vouchers would be "extremely limited" since people who drive old cars are generally not able to afford a new vehicle even if the government subsided its cost.
NATION IN BRIEF
New FTA Executive Director Named
The Federal Transit Administration announced last week the appointment of Matthew Welbes as executive director, the top-ranking career executive at the agency.
Welbes will be responsible for providing executive leadership and continuity for the day-to-day administration and operation of the FTA, according to a Dec. 22 announcement. He will lead the agency's executive management team in planning and establishing FTA's program policies, objectives, and priorities, and advancing the agency's initiatives to "enhance organizational excellence."
Since 2001, Welbes has served in the FTA administrator's office including details as acting director of FTA's Washington metropolitan office and acting associate administrator for research, demonstration, and innovation. Prior to 2001, he worked in FTA's Office of Budget & Policy. Welbes holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Minnesota.
AASHTO Helps States Create National Network of Bicycle Routes
State officials and bicycle enthusiasts are stitching together more than 50,000 miles of pedal-friendly pavement to form a vast network of bicycle routes connecting byways, cities, and offroad trails in a system like the one created for cars and trucks more than 50 years ago.
The American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials, working with the Adventure Cycling Association and other groups, recently approved a plan that lays the foundation for the network. Now it's up to each state to create the routes and put up signs, the Associated Press reported. AASHTO will oversee the program.
Working from a bewildering tangle of existing roads, planners mapped a web of corridors where the national bicycle system should go. They considered traffic volume, terrain, amenities, and ways to link together lightly traveled byways, secondary roads, urban trails, and already-established transcontinental bicycle routes. Each corridor on the approved map is a broad swath 50 miles wide; the precise routes within each corridor are still to be designated, numbered, and given signs.
To avoid confusion, the proposed numbering system is reversed from interstate highways. For example, Interstate 10 is the southernmost east/west transcontinental highway for motor vehicles; Bicycle Route 10 will run east/west close to the Canadian border.
Transportation Librarians Roundtable Holds Webconference Next Week
The next presentation of the Transportation Librarians Roundtable, a monthly webconference series, will take place at 2 p.m. EST Thursday, Jan. 8.
This month's session is entitled "Cataloging 2009: Resources, Issues, Challenges." The scheduled speaker is Paul Burley, technical services librarian at Northwestern University Transportation Library.
Those wishing to participate can do so by accessing fhwa.acrobat.com/translibrarian. Please visit tinyurl.com/TLR-Test to ensure your system is properly configured for participation in the webconference. The teleconference number for accessing the audio portion is 218-486-8700; the passcode is 958303.
STATES IN BRIEF
Maryland Receives Federal Loan to Construct Inter-County Connector Near Washington
The U.S. Department of Transportation agreed last week to loan Maryland $516 million for construction of the Inter-County Connector toll road outside the nation's capital.
"The ICC will make the commute easier for drivers who suffer each day through some of the most congested highways in the nation," said Tom Madison, federal highway administrator.
The loan will help the Maryland Transportation Authority build an 18-mile, six-lane tollway from Interstate 270 to Interstate 95/U.S. 1, connecting Montgomery and Prince George's counties in suburban Washington. Tolls will vary according to traffic levels throughout the day, and drivers will pay tolls electronically to avoid waiting at tollbooths.
Tolls from the ICC and other Maryland highways will be used to repay the federal loan, made through a program known as "TIFIA." The total cost for the Inter-County Connector is estimated at $2.5 billion.
Federal Agency Declines to Intervene in Dispute Over California Toll Road
Highway advocates in Orange County, CA, suffered a major defeat earlier this month when the U.S. Commerce Department failed to breathe new life into a plan to carve a tollway through the southern portion of the county.
The Commerce Department's National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration upheld a February decision by the California Coastal Commission to reject the proposed Foothill South toll road, the Los Angeles Times reported. The 16-mile route would have cut a six-lane freeway through a state park and skirted the sands of the famed Trestles surf break. That prospect galvanized environmental, conservation, and surfing groups who were joined by several prominent state officials in opposing the highway. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger supported the tollway, however.
Transportation officials in Orange County will be forced to start over on plans to unlock the congested Interstate 5 corridor through a stretch they predict will eventually become one of the worst freeway bottlenecks in southern California. In the NOAA decision, federal officials determined they could not override the state's decision because reasonable alternatives exist and there was no national security imperative for building the road in the proposed alignment.
The $1.3 billion Foothill South extension would have connected Rancho Santa Margarita to I-5 at Basilone Road just over the San Diego County line. It would have been the final link in Orange County's 67-mile toll road system. County officials must now find a new route that will comply with the California Coastal Zone Management Act.
Governor Pledges to Veto California Legislature's Attempt to Raise Gas Tax
Lawmakers in the nation's most populous state voted Dec. 18 to increase the state's gasoline tax as part of an $18 billion package of tax increases and budget cuts. But the legislation received an immediate veto pledge from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
California's legislature approved the gas-tax hike as part of a complex set of bills to raise new revenues and cut state expenditures. The Golden State currently taxes gasoline at 18 cents per gallon plus a 5 percent sales tax. At yesterday's state average of $1.84 per gallon, the sales tax would be 9.2 cents for a total gas tax of 27.2 cents.
The legislation would do away with the hybrid tax on gasoline and replace it with a fixed rate of 39 cents per gallon. The new charge would be called a "fee" instead of "tax" since revenues are dedicated to transportation. That was an effort by Democratic lawmakers to get around the California Constitution's requirement that tax increases be approved by a two-thirds supermajority of both the Assembly and Senate. Fee increases for dedicated funds, however, only need a simple majority. Republican legislators have refused to support the increased revenues regardless of what they are termed.
Schwarzenegger, a Republican, has acknowledged some tax increases will be necessary to balance the budget but he took issue with the lack of economic stimulus in the Democrats' legislation. He wants more protections for homeowners facing foreclosure, loosening of environmental review rules for public-works projects, and easing the way for private companies to participate in infrastructure construction. With the governor on vacation in Idaho this week, budget negotiations are expected to resume next week.
Aloisi Named as Massachusetts Transportation Secretary
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has appointed James Aloisi Jr. as transportation secretary, shrugging off criticism from those who said that elevating a well-connected lawyer and key player in the tumultuous history of the Big Dig undermines the governor's message of reform.
"Jim brings a deep understanding of the challenges we face in reforming our transportation network," Patrick said in a written statement issued Dec. 19. "He will be a skilled and energetic advocate for our reform agenda."
Aloisi, who will take the $150,000 per year post in early January, declined to say whether he would support an increase in the gasoline tax next year, The Boston Globe reported. Aloisi served on a transportation commission that unanimously recommended raising the tax by 11.5 cents per gallon and then tying it to inflation. (see related story below)
He will replace Bernard Cohen, who had a deep knowledge of transportation issues but was viewed by many as generally ineffective at navigating the state's political waters. Cohen submitted his resignation Dec. 15 with an effective date of Friday.
Massachusetts Drivers Favor Gas-Tax Hike Over Toll Increases, Poll Finds
Residents of Massachusetts are more willing to embrace higher gas taxes to repair the state's transportation system than any other proposed solution including higher tolls or tolls in new locations, a Boston Globe survey determined.
Gov. Deval Patrick has recently proposed higher tolls on the Massachusetts Turnpike and Boston Harbor tunnels to fix the state's transportation woes and pay off staggering debt from the Big Dig project. But higher tolls are the least popular option, the poll found.
When those polled were asked to choose between raising tolls or increasing the gasoline tax, the tax hike won by a margin of 48 percent to 42 percent.
The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority gave preliminary approval last month to a plan to double tunnel tolls from $3.50 to $7 and hike Weston and Allston tolls on the turnpike from $1.25 to $2.
Florida Extends Deadline for Private Companies to Bid on Alligator Alley
Florida transportation officials last week said they are postponing until May the submission deadline for bids by private corporations to lease, maintain, operate, and receive toll revenues from the state's "Alligator Alley" section of Interstate 75.
The Florida Department of Transportation said in a written statement that the new deadline to submit bids would be May 8, moved back from Jan. 12. FDOT is seeking proposals for a 50-to-75-year lease of the 78-mile section of I-75 that cuts east/west across southern Florida north of Everglades National Park.
"The global financial uncertainty adversely affected the ability to move forward with the process at this time," according to FDOT, which noted the postponement came at the request of potential bidders who want more time to assemble financing.
Earlier this month, FDOT abandoned plans to pursue a public/private partnership to construct a tunnel linking the interstate highway system with the Port of Miami, which sits on an island and can only be reached via bridges from downtown streets. Its private partner in that venture was unable to raise the capital necessary to proceed with construction.
Light Rail Opens in Phoenix
Arizona's first urban rail transit system opened Saturday in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
After more than a decade of planning and $1.4 billion in construction costs, trains began rolling at 10 a.m. Saturday along the 20-mile line from downtown Phoenix to Mesa. More than 90,000 people rode the train on its inaugural day, according to the Metro transit system that operates the new line. Passengers waited in lines sometimes stretching for hours to ride the new line, which takes 85 minutes from end to end, The Arizona Republic reported.
Groundbreaking took place in February 2005. Construction lasted nearly four years, hurting businesses and forcing lengthy lane closures on major arterial streets. But local officials celebrated its completion Saturday, noting it will give commuters a more environmentally friendly way to travel around the region and produce billions of dollars of new development surrounding the stations.
Chicago Mayor Proposes Parking Surcharge During Peak Periods to Discourage Driving
Motorists across the country are getting used to the idea of paying congestion surcharges to travel during peak periods. Now drivers in Chicago might have to shell out more to park during rush hour as well.
Mayor Richard Daley has proposed raising parking-meter rates and parking-garage taxes from 6:30 to 10 a.m. and 3:30 to 7 p.m. weekdays, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. The "congestion reduction" fee floated by the mayor would help ease traffic jams and generate more funding for transportation, he said. Truckers who make deliveries downtown during peak periods would also pay an extra fee.
Chicago Transit Authority President Ron Huberman said the fees would go into a congestion reduction fund to finance improvements including more trains and buses serving the Loop, turn lanes, and synchronized traffic signals.
Daley has previously proposed leasing the city's parking meters to a private company, which would be free to increase prices to match supply and demand.
Ohio Seeks to Form Midwestern Cooperative to Buy Road Salt
With another season of heavy snow already stretching some road salt supplies in Midwestern states, Ohio officials are calling for increasing cooperation with their regional neighbors to manage the supply and demand.
Wisconsin transportation officials said they would consider joining Ohio in such an alliance, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported. A road salt cooperative would be the first of its kind in the nation among states, although many cities and counties within a state already have such agreements in place.
Last year's near-record snowfall in Wisconsin and other Midwestern states created widespread shortages of road salt and sharp price increases that had some cities, counties, and other government agencies paying as much as $134 per ton – more than three times the normal price.
To combat such problems in the future, the Ohio Department of Transportation has recommended that states throughout the Midwest cooperate in soliciting vendors and managing their salt stockpiles.
San Francisco Airport First in Nation to Sell Carbon Offsets to Travelers
Fliers departing from San Francisco International Airport feeling guilty about contributing to global warming will soon have the opportunity to purchase carbon offsets through vending machines at the airport.
The program is scheduled to start next spring. It would make SFO the first airport in the United States to offer fliers the chance to buy carbon offsets prior to their departure.
San Francisco's Airport Commission has authorized the program and expects to partner with a company called 3Degrees, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The concept is for a traveler to approach a kiosk resembling a self-service airline check-in machine. The traveler would key in his or her destination and the computer would calculate the carbon footprint created and cost of an investment to offset the damage to Earth's climate. The traveler could then swipe a credit card to pay the offset, which will go to projects chosen by the mayor's office in conjunction with the private vendor.
Airport Director John Martin said eligible projects could include renewable energy ventures in developing countries, agriculture and organic waste capture, and sustainable forestry. A portion of each purchase would also go to the San Francisco Carbon Fund, which supports local projects such as energy-efficiency programs and solar-panel installations for low-income housing as well as efforts to convert waste oils into biodiesel fuels.
