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Public-Private Partnerships

FHWA encourages the consideration of public-private partnerships (P3s) in the development of transportation improvements. Early involvement of the private sector can bring creativity, efficiency, and capital to address complex transportation problems facing State and local governments. The Office of IPD provides information and expertise in the use of different P3 approaches, and assistance in using tools including the SEP-15 program, private activity bonds (PABs), and the TIFIA Federal credit program to facilitate P3 projects.

183-A Turnpike - Austin, TX

183-A Turnpike - Austin, Texas

The 183-A Turnpike is an 11.6-mile controlled access north-south tolled highway east of the existing US 183 in metropolitan Austin. This regionally significant project connects to the Central Texas Turnpike System, previously funded in part with TIFIA credit assistance. 183-A was developed by the state's first Regional Mobility Authority - CTRMA - which was legislatively authorized in 2001 to form at the county level if a regional toll authority did not already exist to construct, operate, and maintain toll roads. A 5-mile extension is currently under construction.

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Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel - Porter-Whittier, Alaska

Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel - Porter-Whittier, Alaska

The privately operated, 2.6-mile, dual mode Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel (aka Whittier Tunnel) connects the cities of Porter and Whittier on Prince William Sound, 65 miles southeast of Anchorage, Alaska. The project was funded on a pay-as-you-go basis.

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Chicago Skyway - Chicago, Illinois

Chicago Skyway - Chicago, Illinois

The Chicago Skyway is a 7.8-mile elevated toll road connecting I-94 (Dan Ryan Expressway) in Chicago to I-90 (Indiana Toll Road) at the Indiana border. It was leased to a consortium of Cintra and Macquarie in 2005 for an upfront payment of $1.83 billion, which the City used to pay down Skyway and city debt and establish reserve funds.

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Cooper River Bridge Replacement - Charleston, South Carolina

Cooper River Bridge Replacement - Charleston, South Carolina

North America's longest cable stay span replaced the existing truss bridges connecting the City of Charleston and the Town of Mount Pleasant along Highway 17.

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DC Streets - Washington, DC

DC Streets - Washington, DC

Washington, D.C. transferred responsibilities for maintaining its roadway infrastructure to a private highway asset management firm from June 2000 to June 2005. Its private sector partner was responsible for the maintenance of all city streets, tunnels, pavements, bridges, roadside features (curbs, gutters, and retaining walls), pedestrian bridges, roadside vegetations, guardrails, barriers, impact attenuators and signs in the District. In addition, the contract also included city-wide snow and ice control responsibilities. The contract is ongoing for the tunnels O&M component.

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Denver Union Station - Denver, Colorado

Denver Union Station - Denver, Colorado

The Denver Union Station project is a public-private development venture located on approximately 50 acres in lower downtown Denver. Redevelopment of the site as an intermodal transit district surrounded by transit-oriented development will include light and commuter rail stations, a regional bus facility, new transit service, and pedestrian improvements. The project is being sponsored by a public benefit corporation formed by the City of Denver and its elements will be transferred to the Regional Transportation District as they are completed. Financing includes TIFIA and RRIF loans, federal grants and stimulus funding, and state, regional, and local contributions.

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Downtown Tunnel / Midtown Tunnel / MLK Extension - Cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth, Virginia

Downtown Tunnel / Midtown Tunnel / MLK Extension - Cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth, Virginia

The Downtown Tunnel / Midtown Tunnel / MLK Extension consists of five construction components involving three facilities in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia. The $2.1 billion project will be built on a design, build, finance, operate, and maintain (DBFOM) concession basis by Elizabeth River Crossings OpCo, LLC (ERC) comprised of Skanska Infrastructure Development and Macquarie Group. ERC will operate the concession for 58 years. Tolling of the existing Midtown and Downtown Tunnels to help finance the project is expected to commence in late 2012.

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Dulles Greenway - Loudoun County, Virginia

Dulles Greenway - Loudoun County, Virginia

The Dulles Greenway is a 14-mile, limited-access, privately financed highway extending from the State-owned Dulles Toll Road - which carries traffic between Washington's Capital Beltway and Dulles Airport - to Leesburg. The two roads connect at a toll plaza. Drivers pay one toll, which the operators of the two facilities divide.

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E-470 Tollway - Denver, Colorado

E-470 Tollway - Denver, Colorado

The E-470 is a 47-mile orbital toll road running along the eastern perimeter of the Denver metropolitan area. The tollway was financed entirely by private enterprise and the E-470 Public Highway Authority using an innovative mix of revenue sources including: tolls: vehicle registration fees, a highway expansion impact fee, and private sector contributions ranging from office space, to right-of-way, property assessments, and monetary donations.

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Eagle Project - Denver Metro Area, Colorado

Eagle Project - Denver Metro Area, Colorado

The East and Gold Line Enterprise (Eagle) Project is part of RTD's FasTracks, a voter-approved program to expand rail and bus transit throughout the Denver metropolitan region. The Eagle Project is being procured through a concession agreement between RTD and Denver Transit Partners to design, build, finance, operate, and maintain the project's components for 34 years.

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Foley Beach Express - Baldwin County, Alabama

Foley Beach Express - Baldwin County, Alabama

The Foley Beach Express (Beach Express) is a 13.5-mile limited access, privately-operated four-lane route from the City of Foley to Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, and Perdido Key in Alabama. It is in alternative to the heavily traveled Highway 59.

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Hiawatha Light Rail Transit - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota

Hiawatha Light Rail Transit - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota

The 12-mile, 17 station Hiawatha Light Rail system links downtown Minneapolis with Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and the Mall of America. The project utilized two separate design-build contracts for light: one for rail vehicles, and one to place rail and signal and communication equipment along the alignment. Due to high risk levels, tunnels and stations bored below the airport were procured using the traditional design-bid-build model.

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Hudson-Bergen Light Rail - Hudson/Bergen Counties, New Jersey

Hudson-Bergen Light Rail - Hudson/Bergen Counties, New Jersey

NJT Hudson-Bergen LRT vehicle at 34th Street Station in Bayonne, New Jersey. The $1.0 billion, 9.5-mile initial operating segment was procured using innovative 15-year DBOM contract, resulting in an estimated 8 years in savings compared to a traditional multiple design-bid-build approach. The contract was later renegotiated to cover Segments II and III that extended the rail another 7 miles, adding 8 stations.

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I-15 Corridor Reconstruction Project - Salt Lake City, Utah

I-15 Corridor Reconstruction Project - Salt Lake City, Utah

The Interstate 15 reconstruction was the Utah Department of Transportation's (UDOT) first design-build procurement. The project involved the reconstruction of 16.2 miles of interstate mainline and the addition of new general purpose and high-occupancy-vehicle (HOV) lanes through the Salt Lake City metropolitan area.

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I-495 Capital Beltway HOT Lanes - Fairfax County, Virginia

I-495 Capital Beltway HOT Lanes - Fairfax County, Virginia

The I-495 Capital Beltway High Occupancy Toll (HOT) Lanes project is a P3 between VDOT and Capital Beltway Express, LLC, a joint venture of Fluor and Transurban. Improvements include 14 miles of twin HOT lanes in each direction, the replacement of more than 50 bridges and overpasses, and interchange upgrades. Financing includes the first-ever combination of TIFIA credit assistance and private activity bonds (PABs).

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I-595 Corridor Roadway Improvements - Broward County, Florida

I-595 Corridor Roadway Improvements - Broward County, Florida

The I-595 Corridor Roadway Improvements project consists of the reconstruction and widening of 10.5 miles of the I-595 mainline from the I-75/Sawgrass Expressway to I-95. The project is being implemented as a P3 between FDOT and a private concessionaire, I-595 Express, LLC, to design, build, finance, operate, and maintain the roadway for a 35-year term. FDOT will make availability payments backed by Federal and state resources for the concessionaire's successful completion of construction and ongoing operations. The concessionaire's financing, backed by these availability payments, includes senior bank debt, a TIFIA loan, and private equity.

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IH 635 Managed Lanes - Dallas County, Texas

IH 635 Managed Lanes - Dallas County, Texas

The IH-635 (LBJ Freeway) Managed Lanes Project will relieve congestion north of Dallas on a 13-mile stretch of the LBJ Freeway with reconstruction of its main lanes and frontage roads and the addition of six managed lanes along I-635 (subsurface) and I-35E (elevated). The project is being built as a P3 (Comprehensive Development Agreement [CDA]) between TxDOT and LBJ Infrastructure Group, which will operate and maintain the facility for 52 years.

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Indiana Toll Road - Indiana

Indiana Toll Road - Indiana

In operation since 1956, the Indiana Toll Road (ITR) stretches 157 miles across the northernmost part of Indiana from its border with Ohio to the Illinois state line, where it provides the primary connection to the Chicago Skyway and downtown Chicago. The Indiana Toll Road was leased to a consortium of Cintra and Macquarie in 2006 for an upfront payment of $3.8 billion, which is primarily being reinvested in statewide roadway and bridge improvement projects.

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Intercounty Connector - Maryland

Intercounty Connector - Maryland

The Intercounty Connector (ICC) is a toll highway under construction in Maryland. The road will link existing and proposed development areas between the I-270/I-370 and I-95/US 1 corridors within central and eastern Montgomery County and northwestern Prince George's County.

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Iway (I-195 Relocation Project)

Iway (I-195 Relocation Project) - Providence, Rhode Island

The Iway comprised 16 individual projects to relocate a 45-year-old 1.6-mile stretch of I-195 and an adjacent 0.8-mile portion of I-95 through Providence, Rhode Island. This $610 million project was financed through GARVEE and motor fuel tax revenue bonds and has won national acclaim for its project management and bridge design and construction.

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Las Vegas Monorail

Las Vegas Monorail - Las Vegas, Nevada

The Las Vegas Monorail was originally a joint venture between MGM Grand and Bally's Hotel, creating a one-mile system linking the hotels in 1993. Plans for expansion further along the Strip led to the State of Nevada in 1997 passing legislation that enabled a private company to own, operate, and charge a fare as a public monorail system.

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Missouri Safe and Sound Bridge Improvement Program - State of Missouri

Missouri Safe and Sound Bridge Improvement Program - State of Missouri

There are 10,249 bridges on the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) system with at least 1,093 in Condition 3 (serious) or Condition 4 (poor). The Missouri Safe and Sound Bridge Improvement Program is replacing or rehabilitating 802 bridges - currently in serious or poor condition - over a five-year period through 2013.

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New Mexico SR-44

New Mexico SR-44 - Northwest New Mexico

US 550/NM SR 44 runs from I-25 in Bernalillo north and west to the New Mexico/Colorado state line. This project involved the widening from two to four lanes of a 118-mile section running northwest from San Ysidro to just outside of Bloomfield, near the Four Corners. The project passed through three counties, four tribe and pueblo lands, and property belonging to the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, and private owners.

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North Tarrant Express - Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex

North Tarrant Express - Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex

On June 23, 2009, TxDOT awarded two Comprehensive Development Agreements (CDAs - equivalent to public-private partnerships) for the North Tarrant Express project to NTE Mobility Partners. The Concession CDA for Phase 1 includes the design, development, construction, finance, maintenance, and operation of 13 miles along Interstate (IH) 820 and State Highway (SH) 121/SH 183 from IH 35W to SH 121, from north of Fort Worth to just southwest of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. The duration of the concession is 52 years.

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Pocahontas Parkway / Richmond Airport Connector - Greater Richmond, Virginia

Pocahontas Parkway / Richmond Airport Connector - Greater Richmond, Virginia

The Virginia I-895 Pocahontas Parkway high level crossing of the James River in Richmond, VA. This $354 million project was financed by tax-exempt toll revenue bonds issues by a 63-20 corporation. It is the first transportation project implemented under Virginia's Public-Private Transportation Act of 1995 (PPTA). The Parkway was leased to a private toll road operator in 2007. The deal defeased its underlying debt and included the construction of the 1.6-mile Richmond Airport Connector, which opened in January 2011.

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Port of Miami Tunnel - Florida

Port of Miami Tunnel - Florida

The Port of Miami Tunnel will improve access to and from the Port of Miami, serving as a dedicated roadway connector linking the Port (located on an island in Biscayne Bay) with the MacArthur Causeway and I-395 on the mainland. The project is being developed as a P3 with Miami Access Tunnel, LLC (MAT). The state has agreed to pay for approximately 50 percent of the capital costs (design and construction) and all operations and maintenance, while the remaining 50 percent of the capital costs will be provided by the local governments. FDOT will make milestone payments to MAT at various stages of project development, followed by availability payments during a 30-year concession. Senior bank debt, a TIFIA loan, and private equity have been used to finance the project.

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PR-22 and PR-5 Lease - Puerto Rico

PR-22 and PR-5 Lease - Puerto Rico

PR-22 and PR-5, heavily traveled toll roads stretching about 55 miles along the northern coast of Puerto Rico from Bayamon westward through San Juan to Arecibo, are being leased to consortium of Goldman Sachs and Abertis. The total $1.436 billion administrative concession will finance, rehabilitate, operate, and maintain the facilities over 40 years. Of that total, $1,080 million is an upfront payment of which at least 90% will be used to defease all outstanding tax-exempt toll-revenue debt ($902 million), and approximately $350 million will be expended on expected upgrades over the concession period, $56 million of which will be spent in the first three years on "accelerated safety improvements."

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Presidio Parkway - San Francisco, California

Presidio Parkway - San Francisco, California

The Presidio Parkway project is a replacement of Doyle Drive, the southern access to the Golden Gate Bridge. The current structure, built in 1936, does not meet current highway standards and is seismically deficient. Through a competitive procurement process, Caltrans selected a private consortium, the Golden Link Concessionaire, to deliver Phase II as a design, build, finance, operate, and maintain (DBFOM) availability-pay concession. The P3 Project Agreement with GLC allows for milestone payments following substantial completion and quarterly availability payments through the concession period, based on performance.

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Reno Transportation Rail Access Corridor (ReTRAC) - Reno, Nevada

Reno Transportation Rail Access Corridor (ReTRAC) - Reno, Nevada

Traffic congestion and safety concerns brought about the largest public works project ever undertaken in Northern Nevada, the Reno Transportation Rail Access Corridor, or ReTRAC. The project depressed a 2.3 mile stretch of freight rail that ran through downtown, eliminating 10 at-grade street crossings.

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Route 3 North - Boston, Massachusetts

Route 3 North - Boston, Massachusetts

Financed using tax-exempt 63-20 debt, leveraging lease payments pledged by the Massachusetts Highway Department, the Route 3 North project involved widening an existing 21-mile highway north of Boston from two to three lanes in each direction. The project included the creation of a 30 foot median to accommodate fiber optic line and other utilities, and the replacement of 40 bridges.

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SH 130 (Segments 5-6) - Texas

SH 130 (Segments 5-6) - Austin, Texas Metropolitan Area

When fully completed, SH 130 will be a four-lane, 91-mile toll road east and south of Austin designed to relieve congestion on the heavily traveled I-35, the primary north-south route through Central Texas. Segments 5-6 are 40 miles in length and are being constructed under a 50-year comprehensive development agreement between TxDOT and SH 130 Concession Company, LLC to design, build, finance, operate, and maintain the roadway.

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South Bay Expressway (formerly SR 125 South) - San Diego County, California

South Bay Expressway (formerly SR 125 South) - San Diego County, California

The South Bay Expressway toll road is a 9.3-mile privately-funded southern extension of SR 125, extending from SR 905 near the International Border to SR 54 near Sweetwater Reservoir in San Diego, California. South Bay Expressway, L.P., holds a 35-year franchise with the State of California under which it financed and built the highway, then transferred ownership to the State. The concessionaire emerged from bankruptcy in April 2011 as South Bay Expressway, LLC with restructured debt that continues to include a TIFIA loan, the first used in a P3 financing.

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Tren Urbano - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Tren Urbano - San Juan, Puerto Rico

The Tren Urbano is a 10.7-mile (17.2 km) fully automated rapid transit that serves the metropolitan area of San Juan, which includes the municipalities of San Juan, Bayamón, and Guaynabo. The Tren Urbano consists of 16 stations along a single line.

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Triangle Parkway - Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina

Triangle Expressway - Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina

The proposed 18.8-mile Triangle Expressway, comprised of three sections, will provide near-term congestion relief on existing north-south routes serving the Research Triangle Park (RTP) region (including I-40) between Raleigh and Durham. The project is being financed with toll and state revenue bonds and a $386 million TIFIA loan.

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U.S. 36 Managed Lanes / Bus Rapid Transit Project: Segments 1 and 2 - Denver Metro Area, Colorado

U.S. 36 Managed Lanes / Bus Rapid Transit Project: Segments 1 and 2 - Denver Metro Area, Colorado

A 10-mile stretch of U.S. 36, a four-lane divided highway connecting Denver and Boulder, will be reconstructed and augmented with a single HOT lane in each direction as part of an initial phase of planned upgrades over this 18-mile corridor. The $307 million design-build project will also include the reconstruction of three bridges, one interchange, accommodations for bus rapid transit, provision for ITS, and a bikeway. Financing includes a $54 million TIFIA loan facilitated by a TIGER grant, as well as a mixture of federal, state, and local funding, including $120 million from the Regional Transportation District's FasTracks program supported by a regional sales tax.

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