In This Issue

	ADOT Plans to Add Lanes to I-17
	3 Routes Possible for Southwest Light Rail
	Cutting-edge Wireless Network Installed in Transit District
	Bridge Delays Costing Time and Money
	Governor to Decide Fate of Council-Approved Tunnel
	Army Corps Issues Permit for New Border Crossing
	IDOT Sends Mobile Alerts to Chicago Travelers
	House Rejects Transportation Plan
	Bond Package May be Too Much for CA Voters
	Consultant to Explore Tolls for I-75
	Va. Gets 3 Bids for $1.5B Route

Editor’s Note: Last week we ran a story about Nebraska’s funding for roads being some $40 million down this year. In my commentary I explained the fuel tax indexing system. John Craig, NDOR’s Director clarified my comments, noting that the fixed portion of their fuel tax is 12.5 cents per gallon. However, the variable portion is set by the Department of Roads, which the Department of Revenue converts to a tax in order to meet appropriations. As of July 1, 2006 the variable rate was 14.6 cents, leading to a total fuel tax levy of 27.1 cents per gallon.

ADOT Plans to Add Lanes to I-17

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation is planning to add two lanes to Interstate 17 next summer. The $182 million project will begin next summer to widen the freeway in both directions between Carefree Highway and Loop 101. Plans include one carpool lane, and four interchanges to alleviate some of the infamous traffic jams through the area.

ADOT held a meeting last Thursday night which 200 neighbors from Anthem city attended to hear the plans for widening I-17 to the south. The entire project is expected to be competed late in 2009.

The project is part of the 20-year Regional Transportation plan for Maricopa County, which voters approved in 2004. The plan is funded by a half-cent sales tax, and schedules and prioritizes building and improvements for freeways, roads, and transit through 2025.

3 Routes Possible for Southwest Light Rail

Minnesota – Three potential routes have been identified for further study for a light rail line from Eden Prairie to downtown Minneapolis, according to a Hennepin County technical advisory board’s recommendations released last Friday.

One option would run past the Eden Prairie Center and employment areas along Nicollet Avenue and into Minneapolis, ending at Nicollet Mall. Another alternative would begin at Highway 5 in Eden Prairie, and pass between Cedar Lake and Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis to end at the location of the future Twins ballpark downtown. The final option would pass the Eden Prairie Center and Hopkins heading toward the ballpark site. The last two alternatives would connect with the Hiawatha Line.

All of the options would use a former railroad line owned by the county now used as a bike and walking trail. The three routes have the ridership, time savings, and cost qualifications for federal funding. Now the routes must be considered for their effects on the neighborhoods and the environment.

The advisory group has also recommended the line be moved from second to the top priority among the region’s planned transit improvements.

Cutting-edge Wireless Network Installed in Transit District

OCEANSIDE – The North County Transit District is testing its new “mesh” wireless computer network along one-quarter of its 42-mile coastal commuter rail line. The $170,000 network in San Diego County was paid for with a grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. It will help the district more easily, and cost-effectively install video cameras to monitor the railway and detect intruders, particularly near the frequent bridges which carry trains over the area’s series of coastal lagoons.

Eleven solar-powered wireless radios are mounted on poles planted just under a mile apart along the edge of the rail tracks. Other wireless base stations are attached to the sides of six train stations. Together, the wireless stations, or nodes, blanket the rail with a wireless signal. Each of the nodes can pass information to its neighbor, which carries video to a central security center. The network transfers data at speeds between 17 and 20 megabytes per second, almost 4 times the speed of typical home high-speed internet connections.

Chief information officer for the district, Kirk Talbott, said the network gives the rail system two significant abilities it never had before. First, they can deploy video cameras at a much lower cost, because they don’t have to dig trenches and run cables. And secondly, the district will be able to be in constant communication with the trains, relaying real-time data on the train’s performance, ranging from speed to oil pressure back to the main office.

David Papworth, the district’s security department director, said if cameras were on every train, emergency workers could use wireless, hand-held computers to see inside the trains before going inside.

Talbott says that extending the network along the remaining railway will now be fairly easy. “The nodes only cost a couple of grand each, so we can creep south a little at a time as the money becomes available,” he said.

Bridge Delays Costing Time and Money

California - The Benicia-Martinez Bridge project in California has experienced a series of unexpected challenges including problems with salmon, rock conditions and concrete causing delays of over three years and costing almost $1 billion over budget. Caltrans engineers and bridge builder Kiewitt Pacific’s workers are maintaining an optimistic outlook, despite enduring one problem after another.

“We feel very comfortable with the cost we have and the schedule is looking very positive,” said Mo Pazooki, Caltrans project manager for the bridge. The new $1.26 billion span stretches across the Carquinez Strait, just southeast of the current bridge, and is scheduled to open in October 2007. Caltrans is offering bridge builder Kiewit Pacific $1 million incentive for each month it finishes before December 2007, up to 3 months.

Some of the issues the crews have faced include: pile driving was creating sound waves which caused protected salmon to explode. Pazooki said bridge officials created an air bubble system that reduced the driving noise, pioneering a new bridge building technique, but it delayed the project 18 months and increased costs to $250 million.

While driving steel piles into the murky strait, crews soon realized the rock wasn’t as sturdy as expected. Another steel sleeve had to be slipped into the pile while the concrete was poured, then taken out. Last, because of the distance between the piers, a lightweight concrete mixture was needed. The concrete, weighing 1/5 of normal concrete rose to extremely hot temperatures while hardening, causing small cracks. A cooling system had to be implemented using ice and liquid nitrogen.

When finished, the new bridge will have five lanes for northbound traffic only. The current bridge will be refurbished and handle four lanes of southbound traffic. The improvements to the old bridge should take 2 years.

Governor to Decide Fate of Council-Approved Tunnel

Washington - Washington Governor Christine Gregoire must make a decision on how to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct, possibly with help from the legislature, after the Seattle City Council agreed upon a six-lane tunnel. The current viaduct on state Route 99, built in 1953, is a noisy intrusion on the waterfront, said Councilwoman Jan Drago. The council rejected attempts to put the issue on the ballot as an advisory vote this fall.

It is now up to the governor to decide if the plans and financing for the replacement viaduct and a new state Route 520 bridge over Lake Washington make the projects possible. Gregoire had hoped to get some input from voters on the sensitive issue, saying she is “disappointed this is not going to go to the voters, but she appreciates the input of the council.” The governor’s spokesperson, Kristin Jacobsen, said Gregoire will decide on an option by the end of the year.

The council’s decision came Friday, just two days after the state announced the cost estimate for the tunnel to be between $3.5 billion and $5.5 billion, most likely $4.6 billion. Financing charges are not factored into the new figures, but higher materials costs are. The elevated viaduct estimate ranges from $2.2 billion to $3.3 billion, most likely $2.8 billion.

Former Governors Gary Locke and Dan Evans signed a pro-tunnel letter Friday that was sent to Gregoire and state legislators. Anti-tunnel activist group, No Tunnel Alliance, said it is going to turn its attention to the Legislature and do whatever it can to influence the governor.

Army Corps Issues Permit for New Border Crossing

CALAIS – The Army Corps of Engineers issued a permit Friday for a planned bridge and border station which would create a new crossing from Calais to St. Stephen, New Brunswick. The permit was the final federal clearance before work could begin at the eighth-busiest border crossing nationwide. Discussions for the station have been in the works for the last 30 years, and state and federal officials have been in the reviewing process for six years.

“This is more than just a new border crossing,” Main Transportation Commissioner David Cole said. “It’s the linchpin in the transportation corridor between Maine and the (Canadian) Maritimes. It’s an economic positive for Calais, Washington County, and the whole region.”

The $120 million crossing is expected to be completed near the Calais Industrial Park in two years, and will be shared by Canada and the U.S. Officials hope the new border crossing will alleviate congestion at the Ferry Point Bridge which links Calais and St. Stephen crossing the Saint Croix River. Over 14,000 cars and 800 trucks travel over the Ferry Point Bridge and the Milltown Bridge, a mile upstream, each day.

IDOT Sends Mobile Alerts to Chicago Travelers

CHICAGO – IDOT has launched a new program to send Chicago-area drivers customized up-to-the-minute traffic reports via email or text message. Officials said commuters began signing up for the alerts on Tuesday, and the system was already sending messages.

IDOT hopes the traffic alerts will help motorists avoid congestion, construction zones, and crashes along 72 segments of the area’s expressways and tollways. Commuters can choose which days and times they want to receive the messages, as well as the routes they want included. Drivers are also able to choose to receive warnings when the average speed on a certain road drops below a certain level.

“No one likes being stuck in traffic, and no one wants to spend time stuck in congestion when they could be home with their family or doing something else they enjoy,” Gov. Rod Blagojevich said in a statement Tuesday. “And thanks to new technology, we can help drivers avoid that kind of frustration.”

IDOT predicts thousands of commuters to sign up for the alerts at http://www.iltraficalert.com. The messages will include travel times and the road’s average vehicle speed.

House Rejects Transportation Plan

RICHMOND, Virginia – The House Finance Committee overwhelmingly rejected legislation on a compromise between the Senate and the House of Delegates on transportation funding with a 17-5 vote. The rejection of Del. David Albo’s bill dashed many hopes that the four-day special session beginning Wednesday would result in the first major overhaul of highway and transit funding in two decades.

“I’m afraid that at the end of this special session on transportation, nobody will compromise,” Albo, R-Fairfax, said after his bill was killed. The measure would have allowed cities in extremely-congested northern Virginia and Hampton Roads to charge or raise various levies such as car rental taxes, vehicle registration, and drivers license fees to fund regional transportation projects.

The bill would have also sent the tax paid when real estate deeds are recorded to statewide transportation maintenance. Albo said the condition was an offer for the Senate, which has insisted on a statewide plan to accompany any self-help proposals.

A $2.4 billion transportation package built on existing and surplus revenues and debt was recently passed by the House Appropriations Committee; however a $1.5 billion bond would have to be approved by voters in the November 2007 election. These are not likely to make it through the Senate, though, which prefers raising taxes to borrowing for highway construction.

This is a story we have been following since the House of Delegates and Senate began debate earlier this year. A special session doesn’t necessarily mean philosophical differences have been ironed out. It is these differences that separate the two parties—not the recognition of need. A compromise will be required. TW

Bond Package May be Too Much for CA Voters

SACRAMENTO – Lawmakers in California are worried that after being criticized for years about not giving any funding to infrastructure, now they might be overdoing it. A $37.3 billion public works bond package has been placed on the November 7 ballot by the Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, including propositions for roads, schools, housing, and flood control. The transportation proposition holds the largest chunk, with $19.9 billion.

The package holds the record for bonds on the ballot, passing up the previous record holder, a $15 billion deficit-reduction approved by voters in March 2004 to avoid a state fiscal crisis. The November ballot is already overcrowded with major spending decisions, including an additional $5.4 billion bond for water projects and four measures to increase taxes by more than $3 billion.

A poll last month by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California proved Californians are wary of new debt, showing 59 percent of the voters regarded the total amount of new bond debt proposed on the ballot – almost $43 billion – as “too much.”

Supporter’s own polls and focus groups have also discovered serious uncertainty about the government’s plans to fix problems, but they believe they have uncovered a potential key to winning voter approval: Show specific projects that would be built with the bond money.

“When they see what this plan actually does, the shift is remarkable,” said Jim Earp, chairman of Let’s Rebuild California Committee, after two sessions with voter panels. “There really is a lot of support.”

We continue to watch this particular initiative very carefully. If it passes, it would provide some badly needed relief for residents of California. If it doesn’t pass, the resulting paralysis will be painful. The opinion poll results will be interesting in the coming weeks. The rule of thumb in these situations is that the initiative loses about 10% in the polling booth on election day as some weaker supporters ultimately vote “No” when standing at the voting machine. TW

Consultant to Explore Tolls for I-75

Florida – A consultant has been hired by the Southwest Florida Expressway Authority to perform a critical traffic and revenue study to determine whether the concept of building toll lanes on Interstate 75 is feasible.

The study will be done by Wilbur Smith Associates of Orlando, and will take place over the next 120 days. The company will examine potential scenarios for the I-75 expansion; the timeframe, and determine what toll lane possibilities could succeed.

The Florida Department of Transportation is planning to begin the $478 million project to widen a 35-mile stretch of the interstate to six lanes just after the first of the year. The authority is hoping to widen it to eight or 10 lanes, with some of those as toll lanes.

Bill Barton, authority Chairman, said there is probably a window of 90 days between when the study is completed and when FDOT begins work. The authority plans to analyze the results and discuss them with the public during that time. He said people should keep in mind a change might be able to free up money for other local roads. He said $390 million of the interstate project cost is state money, money that could be shifted if toll funds were available.

Authority board members emphasize that they are trying to find any viable alternatives. If any exist, they will try to persuade FDOT to change course by merging the authority project with their own – an alternative FDOT has rejected so far because it would delay the widening. “We’re not challenging their plan,” member Bob Taylor said. “We’re looking at opportunities to improve it.”

Va. Gets 3 Bids for $1.5B Route

Virginia – Virginia has received three billion-dollar bids for the right to build and operate the new U.S. Route 460 in the Commonwealth, which has already approved several ambitious public-private partnerships, according to the state Department of Transportation. The cost of privatizing the road, which runs from Suffolk to Petersburg and serves as an important hurricane evacuation route for Hampton Roads, was estimated at $1.05 to $1.55 billion.

Department of Transportation spokesman Jeffrey Caldwell said on Thursday that the three proposals would require between $600 million and $2 billion to come from public funds, which would likely come from sales of state bonds.

Route 460 is often used as an alternate to federal Interstate 64, but Route 460 is now becoming “severely congested” at times, said Caldwell. A new four-lane highway divided by a median would replace the existing road. Estimated tolls for the new road range from 7 cents to 24 cents per mile.

Transportation Secretary Pierce Homer will appoint an independent panel in November to examine the proposals. The panel will seek input from towns, cities and counties along the route and then make a recommendation in the spring about which proposal should be pursued.