In This Issue

	Cell Towers Proposed for Turnpike
	Commuter Rail on its way to Central Florida
	Metro Lays Out Plans for BRT Line
	Top Democrat Wants to Suspend Gas Tax
	Big Dig Despair Spikes Rail Ridership
	Washington State-tribal Gas Tax Deal Reaches $800,000
	Texas to use ‘Contraflow' Lanes in Hurricane
	Study says Transit-Friendly Development is Successful
	$2 Billion Transportation Plan Faces Challenges
	Illinois Agency Approves $891 Million Bond Deals

Cell Towers Proposed for Turnpike

W.Virg. - The West Virginia Parkways Authority is considering a proposal to install cell towers along a portion of the West Virginia Turnpike. AllTel has plans to spend over $17 million in West Virginia and is focusing on a portion of the turnpike in Kanawha County.

"AllTel has approached the authority about constructing new cell phone towers along a very curvy and mountainous portion of the turnpike in Kanawha County," said the authority's general manager Greg Barr. "This proposal has real potential to increase lease income and improve cell coverage along the turnpike."

The biggest concern with the proposal is the controlled access areas along the route, especially if AllTel vans and work trucks would be stopped along the turnpike to repair or access the towers.

AllTel may be able to use new technology to hang other companies' equipment on the towers as well, and would give the authority 20 percent of the rental income. The authority would also have use of the towers for its own equipment, free of charge.

This is move will provide improved customer service for the users of the AllTel network and for the state DOT's customers…who are one and the same. Improving the driving experience, either from a safety standpoint or efficiency outlook, is part of our role. There are ways to safely perform this maintenance. TW

Commuter Rail on its way to Central Florida

ORLANDO - Florida Governor Jeb Bush announced an almost $491 million deal last week that will bring commuter rail to central Florida, the result of a 20-year vision to relieve congestion in the region.

Officials said the state would pay $150 million to buy 61.5 miles of CSX railroad tracks through Orlando for a rail line that could be operating by 2009. Florida will spend an additional $318 million to improve CSX rail lines around the state.

Aside from the $500 million to purchase the tracks, an additional $475 million will be spent on construction of the system. Approximately 50 percent of the money for the project will come from the federal government, with 25 percent from local and 25 percent from the state governments.

"We can't build, we can't lane mile our way out of congestion. We must look to transportation alternatives, mobility options like commuter rail to better serve our residents, visitors, and businesses," said Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Denver Stutler. "This agreement in principle will bring us closer to the real possibilities of commuter rail in this region."

Metro Lays Out Plans for BRT Line

Tex. - Metro has recently completed its Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed bus rapid transit line in the Southeast Corridor. The document explores the various alternatives for the project, but does not recommend a route. The train-like buses would be separated from other traffic except at intersections.

Metro says the line could eventually be converted to light rail if ridership was high enough to justify the cost. Next, public meetings will be held to get the public's comments before the final environmental impact statement is prepared to be reviewed by Metro and the Federal Transit Authority. If funding is granted, construction would start mid-2007.

The Southeast Corridor is one of five transit corridors in the $2 billion Metro Solutions Phase 2 Plan, a program to create a rapid transit network by 2012. The corridor runs 6.8 miles from downtown to near Palm Center at MLK and Griggs.

Top Democrat Wants to Suspend Gas Tax

INDIANAPOLIS - The top Democrat in the Indiana House is pushing for the governor to temporarily suspend the state's gasoline sales tax.

House Minority Leader Patrick Bauer says rising gasoline prices have generated $152 million more in gas sales tax than the state would have gotten had prices remained the same in the 19 months since Governor Mitch Daniels took office. Bauer says because gasoline is essential, the state should not be profiting from the rising prices.

House speaker Brian Bosma called Bauer's proposal "fiscally irresponsible" because it would cost the state around $300 million. He said Bauer's suggestion is "political pandering."

The late Governor Frank O'Bannon suspended the six cent gasoline tax temporarily in 2000. Daniel's office did not comment on the proposal.

Big Dig Despair Spikes Rail Ridership

NEWTON, Mass. - Amidst the recent Big Dig crises, ridership on the local commuter rail has spiked over the last few weeks. Many regular commuters have suddenly found themselves standing rather than sitting on the crowded trains as people try to avoid the traffic headaches.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority doesn't have specific numbers yet for the past two weeks, but confirms that ridership on the Framingham/Worcester Commuter Rail line trains has certainly increased over that period.

"This was the line where we first noticed a dramatic, instantaneous increase in ridership" after the I-90 tunnel closures, said MBTA press secretary Lydia Rivera. "This really stood out, because ridership usually stagnates during the summer." She said the Framingham/Worcester line, which connects to South Station, is a popular alternative for I-90 commuters because the line runs parallel to the highway from Auburndale into downtown Boston.

After the Northridge Earthquake in LA there was also a spike in transit ridership while critical freeway facilities were repaired and commuters sought alternative means for getting to work. History will repeat itself here with most of the new ridership going back to their cars. TW

Washington State-tribal Gas Tax Deal Reaches $800,000

OLYMPIA, Wash. - The price of Washington state-tribal gas tax agreements with the Squaxin Island and Swinomish tribes for sharing tribal gas-tax collections has soared to $800,000, which the state will pay to the tribes in lump-sum payments.

The agreements state the tribes must collect the full 34-cent-per-gallon retail tax on their gasoline and diesel fuel sales, for both tribal and non-tribal customers, and give the state 25 percent of the revenue. The revenue will go to road projects.

The state is appealing a previous ruling by U.S. District Judge Thomas Zilly which said Washington had no right to collect the tax from gas stations located on the reservations. Gov. Chris Gregoire has already begun negotiating settlements.

Under the earlier settlement, the tribes' share of the tax would equal about $500,000 a year, and the state would take about $168,000. The tribes will also get $800,000 in lump-sum payments to compensate for taxes collected by the state after the tribes filed the lawsuit, according to the governor's budget office.

The tribes plan to use the payments for roads. For example, the Squaxin Island tribe will use the money to help fund a new bridge on U.S. Highway 101, west of Olympia, on non-tribal land.

Texas to use ‘Contraflow' Lanes in Hurricane

Tex. - In the event of a major hurricane, a large portion of U.S. 290 in Washington County, Texas would be changed to contraflow lanes to aid in mandatory evacuations around Houston and Galveston.

The evacuation plan should help ease gridlock that caused hours of delays as Hurricane Rita hit the Texas coast last year, according to transportation officials. Almost 60 people died along the state's traffic-jammed highways, while thousands more were stranded, running out of gas after inching along the roadways for hours.

Crews installed blue contraflow signs on the major outflow routes last month - on I-45, I-10, U.S. 59, and U.S. 290. In an evacuation, the signs will flash to notify motorists of the lanes that are open to contraflow traffic.

A task force that evaluated Texas' evacuation efforts during last year's hurricane recommended the Texas Department of Transportation "immediately upgrade the one-lane section of U.S. Highway 290 in Brenham." The report said, "Regardless of whether or not contraflow is implemented, this section of roadway will create a severe bottleneck during an evacuation unless it is widened."

Study says Transit-Friendly Development is Successful

WASHINGTON - One in three residents who live or work within a half-mile of a Metro station use the transit system daily, according to a recent study, which hopes to promote efforts to develop around the region's 86 stations.

More than half of the residents who live or work within a quarter-mile of Metro choose public transportation over their cars, said the study, released by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

The numbers have risen since a similar study in 1989, which showed just 18 percent of those who worked near a Metro station used the subway to get to work. Officials report Metro ridership has increased by 43 percent overall since 1990.

Metro Interim General Manager Dan Tangherlini said Metro is finally fulfilling a promise it made supporters 30 years ago, with its recent ridership increases and multiple large new developments planned around stations in Virginia, Maryland, and DC.

"At the time it was considered an extravagance by critics," Tangherlini said. "Now it's becoming a necessity and we are just now beginning to see the full potential of what Metro can do for this region."

Transit oriented development is a challenging proposition. Many have tried and some have succeeded. The Urban Land Institute has published some very interesting case studies that are worth studying if this is an area of interest. There are some great examples of success here in the DC metro area. And the proof is in the pudding as you look at the prices of homes near a Metro stop. The combination of a well developed system, significant traffic congestion, and a city where I find an automobile to be a poor choice for mobility makes for a great environment for transit oriented development. TW

$2 Billion Transportation Plan Faces Challenges

TUCSON, Ariz. - The $2 billion Regional Transportation Plan in Tucson is already facing opposition just three months after getting approval by voters. The Regional Transportation Authority says they won't stray from the 20-year plan approved by voters, but because the RTA is so new, nothing has been tested, including delaying, changing, or eliminating projects.

If any part of the plan changes by 10 percent or more, it will need to be approved once again by voters.

Some local residents are divided about one of the projects in the first five year phase of the plan, the Kolb Road Extension. Critics say the project, which would extend the road about a mile south to connect with another, is not worth taxpayers' money. Those in favor say it would solve the area's traffic congestion.

RTA officials say they're sticking with the voter-approved plan. "The RTA Board made it very clear when it accepted the plan, and then when it took a vow about six months later, that what we said in the plan, what was in the voter pamphlet, is what we're committed to do," said Gary Hayes, executive director of the Regional Transportation Authority.

Illinois Agency Approves $891 Million Bond Deals

CHICAGO - The Illinois Finance Authority gave initial approval for as much as $891 million of tax-exempt, private-activity bonds on Tuesday. A deal was also approved that would be one of the first to use the new federal transportation bond program, SAFETEA-LU.

Ridge Property Services II LLC received preliminary approval for $591 million of freight transfer facilities revenue bonds, which now must seek bond authorization from the U.S. DOT.

SAFETEA-LU, enacted by the federal government last year, authorized $15 billion in nationwide private-activity bond issuance that will be granted on a project-by-project basis by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The shares of the $15 billion fund will be assigned to the states by the US DOT.

The bond proceeds in the Illinois deal would help fund a four-phase, 10-year project to build intermodal warehousing and distribution facilities in Chicago.