Entries Tagged 'Toll Roads' ↓

Problems continue to dog the Illinois tollway’s violation system, leading drivers to flood the agency’s phone lines and leaving no clear idea of how many scofflaws are on the roads.  And lawmakers’ efforts to make the aggressive fine system more consumer friendly are meeting resistance from tollway officials, several months after a Daily Herald investigation revealed systemic problems.

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Capital Beltway drivers are one step closer to a smoother commute June 12 after $589 million in tax-exempt private activity bonds were issued for the first time ever by sponsors of the I-495 Capital Beltway High Occupancy Toll (HOT) Lanes Project in Northern Virginia, announced Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters.

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Leaders in the DC area are advocating a new plan that involves converting existing roads to toll roads in order to keep traffic moving in the area.   Experts project that such tolls would generate $2.75 billion a year

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The Washington State Legislature passed Bill ESHB 3096 which has to do with the State Route 520 floating bridge connecting Seattle across Lake Washington The bill reports that the bridge carries 115,000 vehicles and about 150,000 people per day; it is 1.5 miles long and 44 years old. It’s been widely noted the span could suffer a catastrophic failure in a severe windstorm or earthquake.

Also in the plan is regional highway tolling to handle the 52 percent projected increase in traffic in 2040.

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A makeover known as the Trans-Texas Corridor, a public private partnership unrivaled in the state’s — or probably any state’s — history, that would stretch well into the
century and, if completed in full, end up costing around $200 billion.

The plan envisions a 4,000-mile network of new toll roads, with car and truck lanes, rail lines, and pipeline and utilities zones, to bypass congested cities and speed freight
to and from Mexico.

The route could be financed by tolls in the future.

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When it comes to lobbying, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is one big spender on the federal and state levels.In 2007, the turnpike commission spent $396,000 in Washington, D.C., more than most large cities and states. It was one of only a few U.S. toll road or bridge agencies to shell out any money at all for politically related activities.

At the same time, the turnpike commission spent an additional $316,200 on what it characterized as “government relations” at the state level, often to gain the ear of lawmakers who passed the unprecedented transportation bill this past summer that directed the agency to toll Interstate 80 and raise its own tolls in order to provide record amounts of money for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

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The public benefit corporation would manage the toll roads, issue the bonds and re-pay investors with toll revenue over the next 75 years. For motorists, tolls would rise 50 percent—plus inflation—every four years between 2010 and 2022, followed by inflationary increases every four years until about 2085. A new toll would be placed on a small section of Route 440.

Corzine’s plan, which requires approval from the Legislature, relies on sharp toll hikes to repay a proposed $38 billion bond issued by the new agency. The lump sum of money raised from the bond would fund transit projects and immediately retire half the state’s debt.

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Republican leaders offered their transportation plans Tuesday, releasing details about two new bills that soon will be introduced in the Colorado Legislature. One bill will call for requiring tolls to access the Eisenhower and Johnson tunnels on Interstate 70 west of Denver. The second will reserve auto-related sales tax revenue, nearly $293 million in 2007, to transportation projects only.

These lanes would be open to buses, emergency vehicles, car pools and anyone else willing to pay a market-priced toll. Wherever you needed to go, you would have two new, high-speed choices - always moving at the maximum speed limit - that aren’t available today. First, for everyday purposes, you might choose a high-speed express bus operating on this network. Today, buses are stuck in traffic like the rest of us and don’t reduce commute times, so few people with cars use them. But express buses would produce significant time savings for many auto commuters and would be able to lure some people out of their cars.

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California currently have HOV lanes, but after studies showing these carpool lanes were underutilized, the excess capacity will be utilized by single occupant vehicles: but for a feee.  These lanes would be open to buses, emergency vehicles, car pools and anyone else willing to pay a market-priced toll. Wherever you needed to go, you would have two new, high-speed choices - always moving at the maximum speed limit - that aren’t available today.  First, for everyday purposes, you might choose a high-speed express bus operating on this network. Today, buses are stuck in traffic like the rest of us and don’t reduce commute times, so few people with cars use them. But express buses would produce significant time savings for many auto commuters and would be able to lure some people out of their cars.

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Road repairs and transportation projects would get a boosted infusion of state cash each year, growing to more than $350 million within seven years, under bills approved Wednesday by the House and Senate.

The measures — approved unanimously in each chamber — would redirect the state sales tax on vehicles to road and bridge construction and port improvements, steering the money away from the general fund where it pays for regular state expenses. The redirection would be phased in over seven years, with $42 million redirected to transportation in the fiscal year beginning July 1. By full phasein, in the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2014, an estimated $350 million-plus more each year would be spent on road repairs and transportation projects.

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