In This Issue

	Google Earth to follow Bay Bridge Progress
	I-5 Bridge could be Tolled Early
	States Face Big Costs from Blizzard
	Mass. Explores Toll Collection Options

Google Earth to follow Bay Bridge Progress

OAKLAND – Bay Area residents and bridge enthusiasts across the world are now able to monitor the progress of the Bay Bridge construction project on Google Earth. The new East Span of the Bay Bridge debuted on Google Earth in December 2008, the first time Google featured a construction project in the program, enabling users to envision the finished Self-Anchored Suspension Span (SAS).

"This is an unprecedented opportunity to take information about the SAS to a whole new level," said Bay Bridge Public Information Officer Bart Ney. "Google Earth offers such a rich interactive environment that allows people to experience the bridge in a whole new way."

With the "3D Buildings: layers activated on Google Earth, visitors can see the Bay Bridge from any angle as well as experience the bridge in ways they cannot in the real world, from "driving" across the side-by-side decks of the new East Span to "climbing" the SAS's 525-foot-tall tower.

The public can find instructions to access the 3-D bridge views at BayBridgeInfo.org.

I-5 Bridge could be Tolled Early

Officials in Washington and Oregon are looking at possible tolling scenarios to help cover the cost of a proposed replacement bridge over the Columbia River on I-5, estimated at $3.6 billion. One possibility is to begin tolling the existing bridge in mid-2013, before construction of the Columbia River Crossing is complete. This would give the project a $330 million head start before the proposed opening of the replacement bridge in 2018. Tolling an existing interstate would require both federal and state approval.

"Many commuters disapproved of tolling as a funding source, expressing that existing taxes should pay for an interstate highway or the federal government should contribute more funds," said the authors of a tolling study released last month by the bi-state Columbia River Crossing (CRC) group. "Others understand that tolls will be needed to supplement other funding sources in order to build the project."

The group is looking at ten possible tolling scenarios, including one that would toll the I-5 bridge, as well as add tolls to I-205- which is currently a toll-free alternate route to cross the river. The CRC says that I-205 plan would require federal approval and has met with "a high level of opposition" during public outreach.

The CRC did not specify its preferred toll scenario in presenting the recommendations. The Washington and Oregon state legislatures will decide which alternative to pursue and then apply for federal approval.

One of the challenges we face is the pervasive feeling in the public and among elected officials that the transportation system somehow is paid for and has sufficient money within current revenue streams to pay for everything. That’s the genesis of the statement cited in the study, but. no one person or study can do this. As long as people think they have already paid for the system and its use they will never see why tolls and other revenue generating tools are necessary. Everyone in the industry needs to share this message. TW

States Face Big Costs from Blizzard

East coast state and local governments are trying to find ways to cover the costs of digging out of the blizzard this week that generated massive snow amounts. The Virginia Department of Transportation estimated that 500,000 pounds of snow would be removed in Northern Virginia from the latest storm-- the equivalent of 17,000 miles of road. The agency had $79 million in the budget for snow removal plus a $25 million emergency fund for the fiscal year ending in June, but both funds had been used up before the most recent storm.

“We are, like everybody else, struggling with this,” said Jeffery Caldwell, spokesman for the agency. “At this point we are operating at a deficit.”

Snow removal costs for such severe storms can be supplemented later with federal emergency funds, but state and local governments in the region said it could take several months to figure costs from billing contractors, equipment and supplies.

Philadelphia, in the midst of a $31 billion budget gap, had to first focus on removing 28 inches of snow from its streets. Mayor Michael Nutter said he did not know how much the storm would cost, but clearing the snow was his main concern. “We’ll figure out budget issues later on,” Nutter said.

The public does not understand: a budget plans for plowing only so much snow each year. It’s the best estimate, but a year like this results in shortfalls. Deficits will manifest this spring when maintenance funds for routine work are gone until the first of the fiscal year. In my days of being a maintenance engineer, I remember “labor” only periods when we had just enough money to pay crews but not enough for materials or equipment for any substantive work until the new fiscal year. TW

Mass. Explores Toll Collection Options

State officials are looking at replacing toll collectors on the Massachusetts Turnpike with electronic sensors. Cost and logistical issues have derailed previous efforts to upgrade the tollway’s collection technology. Officials have said a fully electronic, “open-road tolling” system, which would not require drivers to slow down for toll booths, would cost hundreds of millions of dollars to implement the required road reconfigurations, toll booth removal and the cost of the new technology.

“I would characterize it as totally preliminary,” said Colin Durrant, a state transportation department spokesman who said Gov. Deval Patrick met with Raytheon, which makes the technology, on Jan. 28. “No decision’s been made, nothing beyond hearing about their technology and learning about it.” The governor’s personal involvement in the meeting suggests the high interest pertaining to the issue, despite the state’s severe budget woes that include program cuts and layoffs.

In 2008, the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, which managed the toll road at the time, halted the bidding process for $30 million in upgrades. The improvements would have allowed certain aspects of open road tolling, but financial restraints prevented the plan from progressing.

The days of tollbooths are numbered. The sooner we transition to fully automated systems, the better roads will operate and be more cost effective. Recall the unbelievable fight the New Hampshire DOT had a couple of years ago when they went electronic. You’d think that people would be thrilled to get rid of their tokens; this is a human nature issue not a technology matter. TW