In This Issue

	I-80 Tolls may be Drive-Now, Pay Later
	$1B Winston-Salem, N.C. Bypass OK’d by Feds
	Lawmakers Heading to Greener Pastures
	N.C. Envisions a Toll Bridge over Yadkin River
	Toll Road Proposals Take Double Hits in AZ
	Bay Bridge Work Scales Hurdle
	Tampa Proposal to Improve Downtown Transit System
	Congestion Charge in Stockholm Still Losing Money

I-80 Tolls may be Drive-Now, Pay Later

Pennsylvania - Future tolls on I-80 in Pennsylvania may not involve cash, but instead may use a digital system in which a camera records license plates and sends a bill directly to the owner. Officials and consultants for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission are considering this option as the agency works toward adding tolls to the corridor by 2010.

Turnpike officials say the time when drivers will be able to keep their quarters is quickly approaching. “We feel that all-electronic is the wave of the future, and the distant future, the near future, said turnpike spokesman Carl DeFebo. With the turnpike’s existing EZ Pass system, cameras already record license plates as vehicles drive through the EZ Pass lanes without the required transponders, then bill the vehicle owner.

The digital tolling system, called open-road tolling, could save a minimum of $230 million in construction and land acquisition costs needed to install cash lanes, according to turnpike consultant Barry Schoch of Pittsburgh-based McCormick Taylor Inc. Traffic could also move more quickly through fewer lanes and would require less manpower. Toll officials said the first priority, however, is working through the obstacles with adding tolls to I-80 in order to have a system in place by 2010.

We are often constrained in what we plan by our own inability to see the future. The paradigm of traditional tolling systems is outdated and will go the way of 8 Track tapes (dating myself a bit), vinyl records and black and white television. The vision of the new tollway is one where the financial transaction part of the operation is transparent to the user and the user is thrilled by it. Remember, we are building systems for a generation of drivers who grew up with cell phones, text messaging and YouTube. They won’t be concerned no matter how far out we think our technology applications are. TW

$1B Winston-Salem, N.C. Bypass OK’d by Feds

N. Carolina - The state of North Carolina has received approval to move forward with plans to build the $1 billion Winston-Salem Northern Beltway in Forsyth County, according to a Feb. 15 announcement by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The “record of decision” marks the final clearance of the project’s environmental study and lets the state begin construction planning and right-of-way acquisition.

“For Triad-area drivers routinely stuck in traffic, this day couldn’t come soon enough,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters. She noted that the environmental review for the project was completed in half the typical seven to eight year time period.

“The time-saving lessons learned in this project’s environmental review will bring relief to drivers nationwide who are frustrated with traffic congestion,” said FHWA Administrator Rick Capka.

The western portion of the Northern Beltway will extend from U.S. 158 north to U.S. 52, and the eastern portion will stretch from U.S. 52 north of Winston-Salem to U.S. 311 southeast of Winston-Salem.

Lawmakers Heading to Greener Pastures

CONCORD – State lawmakers are working to make New Hampshire greener by requiring state vehicles that use diesel fuel to use a percentage of biodiesel fuel, in a bill recently passed by the House. The Senate will now consider the measure, which would also require state buildings that heat with oil to also use part biodiesel fuel, unless the cost is prohibitive. If the bill passes, the state department of transportation and the Division of Plan and Property Management will be required to purchase fuel containing 5 percent biodiesel.

Barclay Jackson, the executive director of Green Start, told House lawmakers that there are multiple benefits to using biodiesel. “One main advantage is that by not using petroleum, we are not using foreign oil,” she said. “Second, this fuel could be produced in New Hampshire. A home-produced fuel could be beneficial to our economy. Depending on what feed stock is used to make it, farmers could grow the stock. It is a renewable energy.”

Local fuel companies in New Hampshire are ready to provide the biodiesel, which can be used at 20 percent at the highest concentration without modifications to vehicles and furnaces. Jackson added that even using just five percent biodiesel could reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutant particles, which would decrease air pollution.

N.C. Envisions a Toll Bridge over Yadkin River

N. Carolina - North Carolina is among many states in the nation that quickly evaluated bridge safety after the collapse of the 35W bridge in Minnesota. For Charlotte residents, the most infamously deteriorating bridge is the 53-year-old Interstate 85 span over the Yadkin River. A recent study shows that a toll road may be feasible, and for a cost of $391 million, the new toll bridge could be open within four to five years.

The study on the toll bridge was performed after a request from the N.C. Turnpike Authority last year to find out how such a bridge would affect drivers and surrounding communities. “Based on statistics and information, the financial feasibility of a toll road and seven miles of Interstate 85 looks good,” said Grady Rankin, chief financial officer of the authority. “But there are a lot of other issues.”

If commissioners, legislators and road planners decide to move forward with the toll bridge; receiving approval by this summer, environmental clearances could be completed by June 2009, and construction could possibly start in September 2009. Under that optimistic schedule, the new bridge could be open by 2012 or 2013, according to Rankin. He added that public input would play a big role in determining whether the project proceeds, but elected officials will have the final say.

Toll Road Proposals Take Double Hits in AZ

PHOENIX – Two chances to solve Arizona’s transportation problems through toll roads both took hits Tuesday, after some lawmakers were wary of having private companies take part in the work and the profits. The same legislators agreed, however, to allow these private firms to build rest areas along state highways, complete with gas stations and restaurants.

The Senate Transportation Committee rejected the bills that would have allowed the Arizona Department of Transportation to contract with private companies to plan, construct, finance and operate new roads in the state. The panel did not reject the entire concept of tolling motorists, agreeing to require ADOT to study whether companies would be interested in building new toll lanes on or adjacent to existing roadways, such as High Occupancy Toll lanes.

The debate comes as lawmakers struggle with keeping up with the state’s rapid growth, as estimates report that up to $70 billion will be needed by 2030 to keep the state’s transportation system from turning into gridlock. With all current funding sources – gas taxes, federal dollars and vehicle registration fees – state spending is about $1 billion per year.

Bay Bridge Work Scales Hurdle

California - Bay Bridge contractors and federal maritime regulators have come to an agreement following months of tense negotiations involving the interpretation of a 1920 law that protects the U.S. shipping industry. The Coast Guard granted permission for bridge contractors to use a unique $50 million barge and crane. Doing without would have resulted in delays, cost overruns and political ramifications.

Maritime regulators began questioning whether the Oregon-built barge outfitted with a Chinese Crane complied with the 1920 Jones Act, which requires vessels carrying goods and passengers between domestic ports to be U.S. owned, assembled and crewed. The Coast Guard originally claimed that the vessel was ineligible for U.S. certification because the Chinese crane and sponsons were “integral to the intended service of the barge.” Following months of discussions, the Coast Guard finally ruled last week that if the barge is put to work hauling materials on the West Coast for the contractor before sending it to China, it would qualify as a U.S. flag vessel upon its return. Caltrans and the contractor, a joint venture of American Bridge Company and Fluor Enterprises, researched available cranes and barges in the U.S. before coming to the conclusion that the U.S.-built barge with the Chinese crane would be the fastest and least-costly option.

State and Bay Area transportation officials are hugely relieved that construction can move forward on the final segment of the replacement bridge, a suspension span connecting Yerba Buena Island with the skyway. Without the barge and crane, work would have been delayed and the lives of thousands of motorists would have been risked on the old quake-vulnerable bridge, meanwhile costing tens of millions in tax dollars.

The $6.3 billion Bay Bridge replacement span project has already been plagued with cost increases, frequent delays and political disputes. Caltrans and the contractor see the three-week delay over the crane a blessing compared to the alternative suggested by federal officials last year: retrofit an existing U.S. barge or install the crane in the states.

Tampa Proposal to Improve Downtown Transit System

TAMPA – Proposed new rules for transportation impact fees charged to developers may give city and transportation officials a way to funnel more money into building, improving and operating local transit facilities and equipment. Developers pay the fees to help offset the burden new projects place on roads, and the city hopes to start spending at least some of that money on mass transit downtown and in the West Shore business district. “It lends itself to getting cars off the road,” said Steve Daignault, administrator for public works and utility services.

Mayor Pam Iorio said the city has been considering the concept for years. The current situation only allows up to 10 percent of transportation impact fees collected downtown to be used for HART, and the money must be used for capital expenses. The city’s proposal would allow up to 50 percent of the money collected to go to HART, and would permit the city to spend money on land for mass transit system improvements. The extra money would also allow the transit agency to develop the West Shore circular system while expanding downtown.

The practice of collecting impact fees to fund transportation is growing across the country as gas tax revenues continue to wane. We are growing more sophisticated and knowledgeable about the links between land use and transportation modes/systems and how citizens want to connect them. TW

Congestion Charge in Stockholm Still Losing Money

Sweden - The congestion charge system in Stockholm, Sweden is still losing money, and the newspaper Dagens Nyheter reports that it will take longer than originally anticipated for the system to pay for itself. Experts had expected to see a profit from the project after the first year, but according to the newspaper, that will not happen until 2011.

The news has not deterred the ruling Social Democrats in the Sweden’s second city, Gothenburg, who have taken back their previous opposition to congestion fees. However their compliance comes under two conditions: charges can only be introduced after a local referendum, and all funds collected must go to public transportation and road construction.