In This Issue

	I-80 Toll Plan Meets its Demise
	Tulsa Toll Measure Advances; Toll Authority Transfer Fails
	First Rapid-Transit Buses arrive in Utah
	Minn. Announces 283 projects for $1.3B Budget
	Mayor wants chance for Light Rail Lanes
	California finds Potential High Speed Rail Partner in China
	Kansas DOT uses YouTube to Illustrate Road Woes

I-80 Toll Plan Meets its Demise

Pennsylvania – A plan to implement tolls on I-80 was rejected by federal officials for the third time this week, since 2007, leaving Pennsylvania with a massive funding shortfall this July 1 unless an alternative to the rejected toll plan. The region’s transportation funding plan for the region relied heavily on Act 44, approved in 2007, to toll I-80 and increase tolls on the Pennsylvania Turnpike to generate about $1 billion annually over the next 12 years. Tuesday’s federal rejection, which cited the application did not meet the criteria of a federal tolling pilot program, of the I-80 tolling plan makes a $450 million annual gap in that plan.

PennDOT spokesman Gene Blaum said the shortage will cut the agency’s annual funding from Act 44 from $512 million to $200 million statewide, although the effects of the shortfall won’t be felt this year. The impacts will become evident in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Funding in the five-county Philadelphia region will drop from $75 million to $25 million annually. “Many projects because of this $50 shortfall will be pushed back,” Blaum said.

Gov. Ed Rendell said he plans to call a special session of the Legislature to discuss transportation needs now that tolling authority had not been granted. “We simply cannot wait to replace these funds,” said Rendell, who had incorporated the proposed I-80 toll revenue into his 2010 budget request. The governor said no specific possibility was on the table, but all alternatives would be considered, including possibly leasing the Pennsylvania Turnpike to a private consortium.

The uphill climb to toll the interstate is steep. This feels like a 'three strikes and you’re out' situation. For me, I was hoping that it would be approved—even if it wasn’t the best application. Anytime you do something for the first time, there are issues that aren’t perfect. If we waited until we had the perfect project do to design-build, we would have never started using this great tool. Sometimes, to get something going, you just have to move forward and accept that later versions will be better. TW

Tulsa Toll Measure Advances; Toll Authority Transfer Fails

Oklahoma – A bill giving the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority permission to study a new toll road in Tulsa has been approved by House lawmakers, and more recently the Senate Transportation Committee, to advance to the full Senate. If approved by the Senate, the governor’s signature will determine the whether the authority will study the proposed $200 million, 10-mile stretch of road linking the Tulsa section of the Turner Turnpike to the L.L. Tisdale Expressway. The so-called Gilcrease Extension would also require a new bridge to be built across the Arkansas River.

Meanwhile, the Senate has voted 29-17 to kill a bill that would have removed the Turnpike Authority’s decision-making power regarding the toll increases. The measure would have required a two-thirds vote by the Legislature to hike tolls. Currently the Turnpike Authority has the sole power to determine toll rates, which were last increased by 16 percent in July 2009. The authority said the reason for the hike was due to lower traffic levels, particularly commercial truck traffic, over the past few years.

The last thing you need in the toll road business is for the legislature to be making the decisions based on any kind of majority (simple or two-thirds). TW

First Rapid-Transit Buses arrive in Utah

Utah - The first bus rapid transit in Utah began service this week in West Valley City, running every 15 minutes between the Millcreek light rail station to Magna. The diesel-powered buses have a dedicated lane in West Valley along 3500 South, cutting travel time to 25 minutes in each direction, according to Utah Transit Authority spokesman Gerry Carpenter.

The BRT line, called MAX, coordinates with Utah’s TRAX light rail system, to move people more quickly around the Salt Lake Valley. The Utah Department of Transportation has simultaneously constructed the $8 million bus-only lane while working on a widening project on 3500 South in West Valley. Carpenter said the planned future extension of the bus-only lane to 5600 South will depend on similar coordination.

Carpenter said Route 35M carries about 4,100 riders daily, and makes 15 stops. UTA anticipates future BRT vehicles to be hybrid diesel electric.

Minn. Announces 283 projects for $1.3B Budget

Minnesota – The Minnesota Department of Transportation announced this week its 2010 construction program of 283 projects around the state with a construction cost of $1.3 billion. The program includes a $150 million interchange reconstruction in the Twin Cities at Highway 169 and I-494 that will begin this fall and is scheduled for completion in spring 2013. Also included is bridge and pavement replacement on a section of I-35 in Duluth.

“Minnesota’s transportation system is a cornerstone to a strong and vibrant state economy,” Governor Tim Pawlenty said. “Our administration has invested more than $5 billion on more than 1,900 projects since 2003 to battle congestion, improve safety, and foster economic growth.”

Of this year’s 283 projects, 217 are for state highways. The remaining 66 projects improve safety at railroad crossings, repair seawalls and docks in three ports, make improvements on runways and terminals at regional airports and remodel or construct new transit facilities.

Mayor wants chance for Light Rail Lanes

Seattle’s mayor of 3 months is committed to adding light rail to the 520 bridge replacement over Lake Washington, in spite of the state’s imminent plans to announce its recommended plan without rail. Mayor Mike McGinn called on elected officials this week to join in redesigning the bridge to reasonably accommodate light rail, even if it will add time and money to the bridge plan.

The mayor’s comments came with the release of his own consultant’s report which found the state’s proposed six-lane replacement, including four general lanes and two transit/carpool lanes, would make it difficult or impossible to add light rail in the future.

“We only have one chance to get this right,” said McGinn. “If we continue on with the state’s current plan, then we will miss the chance. And that would be too bad – because this report shows that it is possible. We can design 520 from the outset to include light rail. The question is whether or not the leadership exists to make that vision a reality.”

Seattle City Councilman Tom Rasmussen, who chairs the council’s Transportation Committee, said, “It’s highly unlikely that the state would build it the way the mayor would like it to be built. He has a lot of people to convince.” Rasmussen added that he does not know how McGinn will convince the state to stop the $4.5 billion project and redesign it to include light rail after planning it for the past 13 years. “He’s shown that light rail can’t be put on the bridge as currently designed. It is too late unless the state agrees to stop and redesign it, but the governor has made it clear if the City Council and mayor want changes, it will have to be within the budget of the project.”

California finds Potential High Speed Rail Partner in China

High speed rail officials in California are looking abroad for a partner to help design and pay for the $43 billion project. Among the countries with the money and expertise China whose officials have not only offered to construct the 465-mile rail line between San Francisco and Los Angeles, but also to help pay for construction costs, said David Crane. Crane is the governor’s special adviser for jobs and economic growth, and a board member of the California High Speed Rail Authority.

Other countries that have approached California’s High Speed Rail Authority with interest in selling the United States high-speed rail equipment include Japan, Germany, South Korea, Spain, France and Italy. The seven countries have each signed agreements to partner with the rail authority as potential investors, although the agency is years away from making a deal with any partner. Authority board members have traveled to Japan, France, Spain and Germany to study high-speed-rail lines.

The California High Speed Rail board said although China is a part it, the field remains wide open. Crane said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger particularly wanted to visit China to discuss high-speed-rail, and the Chinese offer contained no apparent weakness.

Kansas DOT uses YouTube to Illustrate Road Woes

TOPEKA, Kan. – A new video presentation on YouTube from the Kansas Department of Transportation aims to demonstrate to the public the relationship between state budgets and potholes. With the use of video, photographs and charts, the agency’s production show the effect of state spending cuts on road maintenance.

DOT Secretary Deb Miller said the video is designed to illustrate how the $257 million in highway spending cuts this year impact road conditions. “It seemed like an opportunity to show people when we that (when) we don’t have adequate dollars to do preservation, these are the kinds of roads that aren’t getting treatment,” Miller said. “What better way to make the case than to show the picture.”

The four-minute video is the latest media venture for the agency, which has previously developed extensive web pages, and utilizes Twitter and Facebook. Department social media specialist Patrick Quinn, who narrates the YouTube video, said the video was viewed 350 times in the first 24 hours. Quinn said the agency borrowed the video news release idea from Michigan, which issued a video earlier this year showing how a new project near Grand Rapids would take place. The video was publicized by new organizations and widely distributed.

The Kansas Road Preservation video can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJV09-Pbba0