In This Issue

	Businessmen Work in Favor of Transportation Politics
	Cost of Route 195 Project More than Double
	Projects Compete for Transportation Funds
	Berkeley Professor Paid to Study Carpool Lanes
	NY Residents Support Congestion Pricing
	Roadwork Concerns Emergency Workers
	Business Owners Unhappy with Tax Deal
	State should Halt Free Ride on Growth
	NC Motorists Say They are Willing to Support Tolls
	Iowa May See Gas Tax Increase
	Study says Toll Roads could Reduce Traffic

Businessmen Work in Favor of Transportation Politics

RIVERSIDE, California - A politically active group of influential local businessmen representing Riverside and San Bernardino counties is having a strong impact on future transportation plans at the local, state, and national level.

Some of the most active political contributors belong to the Inland Empire Transportation Coalition, which has gained the attention and the welcoming ear of state and federal transportation officials. Among the members are businessmen from construction, finance, land development, legal, and media sectors. Together, over the last few years, the group’s members, associates, and companies have contributed over $2 million to political candidates and causes.

Both San Bernardino and Riverside counties use the “universal project list” created by the group as a guideline for upcoming construction projects. The coalition promotes the usage of business solutions to solve transportation problems, such as tax credits and tax-exempt bonds to companies which invest in transportation improvements. The group has also suggested a voluntary fee, as opposed to a mandatory one, for railroads, shippers, and trucking companies to fund improvements that could help those businesses and alleviate congestion.

The group represents the needs of local people and regions. Riverside Mayor Ron Loveridge said while government employees and elected officials can only take an argument so far when it comes to securing money. The Inland area would inevitably lose out without the pull of local business leaders, some of whom are frequent political contributors, he said.

Cost of Route 195 Project More than Double

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island – Rhode Island’s biggest highway project, the Route 195 relocation, has more than doubled in cost since 1993 when the project was announced, exceeding the state’s predictions and its ability to fund the project without costly borrowing. The overruns have forced state officials to mortgage future federal highway aid, and could possibly cause future projects to be reduced or postponed.

Rhode Island Transportation Director James R. Capaldi said if the department had not proceeded as it did, the project could have been halted or delayed at even greater expense to the state. By continuing the project now, the state will avoid future inflation of construction costs which would be most beneficial in the long run, said Capaldi.

Plans for the project involve constructing a new Route 95-Route 195 interchange just south of the current one, moving and widening a stretch of Route 195 east of the interchange, and replacing numerous deteriorating bridges.

Construction costs for the project have risen by 90 percent, to $577 million, from the original $299 million the DOT quoted when the project was announced in September 1993. The agency’s most recent project financial reports estimate a total cost of $776 million after adding the cost of borrowing. The department hopes to receive millions of dollars in profits from increases in the value of land under the existing highway, which will be for sale after the project is finished, as well as land bought for the new road but not used.

Projects Compete for Transportation Funds

California – Recently approved California state propositions 1A and 1B have left local transportation improvements competing for the $62.4 million generated. The propositions will provide funding for improving local highway interchanges and other road and transportation projects, said Ron DeCarli, executive director of the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments.

The county will receive approximately $11 million a year from Proposition 1A, starting in 2008, by way of the state gas tax. Cities will receive $1.4 million, the county will get $3.2 million, $6 million will go to highway-related improvements, and $500,000 for public transit. Proposition 1B is a one-time payment of $51.3 million. $19.7 million will be earmarked for highway projects, $14.9 million will go to mass transit, and $16.8 million to local streets. Projects will compete for funding as the money starts to come in over the next year.

Three county interchange improvements will be competing for county funding if they are approved by the state in April 2008, said DeCarli. The county hopes to beat out other large projects in the state and receive Proposition 1B funding to widen Highway 46 East.

The bond money is critical in solving the region’s short-term transportation improvement needs.

While this article is about the San Louis Obispo area, it is a scenario that is playing out throughout the state as the proceeds of California’s ballot measures are divided up. While they provide major funding for badly needed projects, they should be seen as a down payment and not the final payment on the outstanding revenues needed for transportation. TW

Berkeley Professor Paid to Study Carpool Lanes

BERKELEY, California – CalTrans has hired a Berkeley professor to study its carpool lanes to see if they have any impact on accident rates. The study stems from recent evidence that indicated the possibility of higher accidents near entrances and exits to HOV lanes in southern California.

U.C. Berkeley Professor David Ragland will conduct the $300,000 study specifically comparing the safety of the HOV lanes in northern California versus southern California. Ragland said the study is fairly limited, and is only a beginning to the study of the impacts of carpool lanes on accident rates.

“Northern California HOV’s are continuous access, whereas southern California’s are limited access,” he said, referring to the buffers that prohibit cars from crossing into the carpool lanes in southern California. Other differences between the two freeways include total volume, total number of lanes, and shoulder width.

The study is being funded by Proposition 1B and should be completed by mid-2007.

NY Residents Support Congestion Pricing

New York – A recent study has found that many New Yorkers support tolls to reduce the congestion, noise and pollution caused by too many cars in the city. The Tri-State Transportation Campaign spoke with 800 residents, hoping to renew City Hall’s interest in the potential benefits of “congestion pricing.”

Almost 45% of the respondents said they believe it would be advantageous to charge drivers entering Manhattan below 60th St. because it would encourage them to use trains and buses. The report suggests that the percentage of supporters could be increased if public officials joined the campaign to educate residents about the positive effects of the fees. The same percentage of those surveyed – 45% - said they were opposed to tolls to travel below 60th St. because of tolls already in place nearby, such as in the Lincoln and Holland tunnels.

A department of transportation spokeswoman said it would review the survey. The DOT is currently working on a plan for bus rapid transit in an effort to alleviate the city’s congestion.

The study also found: Only 18% were familiar with the concept of congestion pricing, which charges drivers more during peak hours; 59% gave Mayor Bloomberg a negative rating for his efforts to address the traffic; 77% agree congestion pricing would reduce noise and air pollution in the city; 65% of workers take mass transit, and 24% drive their own cars.

Okay, so there’s a lot of educating to do on subjects like congestion pricing. We can’t take anything for granted. TW

Roadwork Concerns Emergency Workers

ST. LOUIS – Emergency workers in St. Louis are worried that construction closures of Interstate 64 during the biggest project in state history will delay trips to emergency rooms. The interstate, also known as U.S. 40, is a common route for at least nine medical centers in the area.

The Missouri Department of Transportation $535 million project will rebuild more than 10 miles of the highway, multiple bridges, and 12 interchanges from St. Louis to Frontenac starting this spring and ending in October 2010.

Officials predict not only traffic jams on the highway, but also on side streets used for alternative routes and problems getting across the highway during construction of interchanges and north-south bridges. The western half of the project will be reconstructed in 2008. Once the western half is reopened, renovation of the eastern half will commence.

The Department of Transportation is working with ambulance firms to discuss how the construction plans will affect their ability to transport patients. The department has already reduced its overall project timetable and given hospital officials almost a year to become familiar with the plans. They will also keep some major interchanges open to north-south traffic during their reconstruction.

Business Owners Unhappy with Tax Deal

Virginia - Business owners along Route 28 in Loudoun County, Virginia agreed to tax themselves to pay for the widening of the highway to provide easier access to their locations, in hopes of attracting more customers. But now they say their needs are being ignored, and the construction has made it difficult to see them and even harder reach.

Nearly 20 years ago, the property owners along the route agreed to the extra taxes to fund new lanes and at least 10 interchanges in an innovative effort to transform the road from a bumper-to-bumper jam to a high-capacity, limited access highway.

Officials also hoped the public-private partnership would spur economic growth with better access to the Dulles International Airport, and other large companies in the area. The owner of Tart Lumber Co. even donated land in addition to the tax, because they expected such dramatic changes.

Property owners in the area are upset because of what they believe are unnecessary road closures, which not only threaten their business, but also public safety by limiting access for police and fire authorities. An alliance of powerful public officials including Transportation Secretary Pierce R. Homer, and state lawmakers support the accusations.

Homer says he recognizes that property owners who bought into the special tax district did so with the promise of a deeper commitment to road improvements than Virginia has delivered.

Work is almost complete on six of the ten interchanges, and the final four are beginning the design stages, according to Fairfax Officials. Route 28 is starting to become the high-speed interstate officials once dreamed it would be..

State should Halt Free Ride on Growth

Virginia - County leaders in Chesterfield County, Virginia met last week to discuss transportation issues for the area as two major developments involving 10,000 new homes are slated for the near future.

Municipalities are often left to shoulder the cost of building new roads to support new developments because of a shrinking state highway construction budget; the cost for maintaining the roads eventually falls to the state. The Virginia Department of Transportation maintains most county roads, while cities are typically required to maintain their own streets, but are reimbursed for most of the cost from the state.

However, as the cost to maintain roadways continues to rise and state transportation funds continue to fall short, an important question is raised involving the decision for developments such as in Chesterfield County. If cities were responsible for the cost of maintaining their own roads, would they make better educated land-use decisions prior to approving the development? Would they see a greater importance in alternative transportation and density issues than they do currently?

It is likely they would. As it is now, the decisions made by cities for their developments is costing taxpayers statewide. Localities should be forced to take responsibility for land-use decisions as well as enjoy the benefits of the growth.

NC Motorists Say They are Willing to Support Tolls

North Carolina - A recent study examined the opinions of North Carolina residents regarding tolls as another form of revenue for the state to fund state highways. When the Elon University’s Center for Public Opinion polling asked residents their idea of the state government “collecting tolls on North Carolina highways,” 49.1% said they were opposed to the idea, and nearly a third adamantly opposed the tolls.

However, when the interviewers asked the question but also mentioned taxes as the state government’s other major source of funding for construction and maintenance, over half of respondents supported toll roads, and those strongly opposing dropped to 24 percent.

“While North Carolinians don’t necessarily like the idea of tolls, they seem to support tolls slightly more when these are presented as another source of revenue for road maintenance and construction,” said Hunter Bacot, director of Elon polling.

North Carolina had resisted the idea of turnpikes until N.C. Turnpike Authority was organized in 2002, despite their success in other states such as West Virginia and Pennsylvania. The General Assembly formed the authority to study the idea and develop six such projects in the state.

Interesting to see how people’s views changed when taxes were mentioned. They were careful to differentiate between a toll they might pay and possible taxes that would be used for the same purpose. Taxes seem so permanent. Given the choice, the public will choose tolls over a tax increase any day. TW

Iowa May See Gas Tax Increase

Iowa – Gas taxes could rise for Iowa motorists because of declining road tax revenues at a time when highway construction costs are skyrocketing, officials reported Monday. The Iowa Legislative Services Agency reported that for only the second time in 26 years, Iowa’s road use tax fund is facing a downturn in revenue.

Several factors have contributed to the decline, such as a decrease in drivers license fees, and use tax revenues, with only moderate increases in vehicle registration and title fees, and fuel tax revenue.

David Scott, executive director of the Iowa Good Roads Association, which represents almost 1,000 local businesses and governments, said he is sure the Iowa Legislature will be asked to raise gas taxes or road-related fees in its January session. “There is certainly going to be an effort to push for increasing road use tax fund revenue, whether it comes from a gas tax or a combination of other fees,” Scott said.

If Iowa increased the gasoline tax by 5-cents, an additional $110 million would be produced each year. The state DOT approved a five-year, $2 billion transportation plan with estimated costs exceeding revenues by $90 million. Officials say the plan addresses many urgent transportation needs such as the completion of Highway 235 reconstruction next year in the Des Moines area. Many projects have been postponed because of limited funding.

Study says Toll Roads could Reduce Traffic

SEATTLE – A recent government-sponsored study in which drivers paid fake tolls showed they took alternate routes and used their cars less, according to researchers, suggesting that extensive toll roads would cut traffic congestion.

The eight-month study placed electronic devices on the dashboards of 275 Seattle-area drivers’ dashboards which tracked their travel and charged them virtual tolls ranging from five cents to 50 cents per mile. Accounts were set up for each driver with $600 to $3,000, and participants could keep any money left in the account at the end of the experiment. The average payout at the conclusion of the study was almost $700.

Around 80 percent of the drivers cut back on driving or altered their routes and travel times to avoid the highest tolls, said study director Matthew Kitchen. Participants traveled 2.5 percent fewer miles and took 5 percent fewer auto trips each weekday, with more significant drops during peak traffic times, Kitchen said.

Study participant Kathy Hardwick said she started taking the bus to work to save money on the virtual tolls. “If I had not participated in this test, I would not have done as much, she said. “When you see what it costs to get on the freeway, it really has an impact.”

Kitchen believes a widespread system of actual road tolls could have a larger effect on traffic, because drivers would be using their own money. He will prepare a preliminary report for the Federal Highway Administration, which is funding the $3.1 million cost, by January. Researchers will then spend another year examining the study’s results.