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Review of construction contract documents in order to have a working understanding of the work scope and technical requirements. Develop schedules utilizing Primavera P6 software as well as generating cost estimates using InSite Sitework software and spreadsheets. Occasional travel required.

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Davidson, NC 28036

N.C. Senate Passes $2B Bond Package to Fund Infrastructure

Although skeptical of a bond proposal passed by the House last month, Sen. Tom McInnis , R- Richmond ,

N.C. Senate Passes $2B Bond Package to Fund Infrastructure

09/26/2015

Richmond County Daily Journal (Rockingham, NC)

Sept. 26 -- RALEIGH -- Although skeptical of a bond proposal passed by the House last month, Sen. Tom McInnis , R- Richmond , gave a thumbs-up to the version passed by the Senate on Thursday.

Senators approved the $2 billion bond package -- which addresses infrastructure improvements made to the state's public universities and community colleges, parks, National Guard installations and local water and sewer systems -- by a final vote of 41-2.

Republican Sens. Andrew Brock , of Davie County , and Joyce Krawiec , of Forsyth County , gave the two "no" votes. Six other senators were absent and one -- Democrat Floyd McKissick of Durham -- did not vote.

"The original bond proposal called for a far greater amount of debt, which gave me some heartburn," McInnis said in a Thursday statement. "The reason that I am supporting the current version is the fact that it will bring a significant amount of new money to every county in the 25th Senate District ."

The original plan called for borrowing $2.8 billion and included funding for highway projects, including a $17 million retread for U.S. 1 .

But as Rep. Ken Goodman , D- Richmond , noted Wednesday, all of the highway funding was taken out when the bill got to the Senate . However, he added that $200 million was added to the state budget for transportation, as a compromise.

Senators also slashed the amount that would be going to Richmond Community College for new construction and repairs by almost half -- from nearly $12 million to $7,229,431 . RCC is one of 14 of the state's community colleges slated to receive more than $7 million .

Sandhills Community College in Moore County will get $3.8 million and UNC-Pembroke will be allotted $23 million for the construction of a new business school, which McInnis said he was "particularly pleased" about.

He said the new school would be a place "where future entrepreneurs from the district will be able to obtain a first-class education and hopefully return to our district to start new business ventures."

Other regional expenditures include:

-- $2.6 million for Lumber River State Park in Scotland , Hoke , Robeson and Columbus counties;

-- $1.5 million for Morrow Mountain State Park in Stanly County ;

-- $428,250 for Weymouth Woods State Natural Area in Moore County ;

-- $8.5 million for the Department of Public Safety's Samarcand Training Academy in Moore County ; and

-- $25 million to the North Carolina Zoo .

"It's not the bond version I like," Goodman said, adding that politics is about compromise.

The bill has been placed on the House calendar for Monday.

When asked how he thought the chamber would vote, Goodman said, "I think we'll go with what we've got."

After House approval, the bond proposal will be up for a statewide vote in the March 2016 primary election.

" The Connect N.C. Bond Project is a prudent use of our borrowing ability and will provide new opportunities for every citizen in North Carolina ," McInnis said. "I urge every voter to support this bond package."

Reach reporter William R. Toler at 910-817-2675 and follow him on Twitter @William_r_Toler.

___

Visit the Richmond County Daily Journal (Rockingham, N.C.) at www.yourdailyjournal.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

LYNX Light Rail Construction Rides Again in Charlotte

Charlotte's eight-year-old LYNX Blue Line, which attracts more than 15,500 daily riders

LYNX Light Rail Construction Rides Again in Charlotte

09/22/2015

by Jim Parsons

Charlotte's eight-year-old LYNX Blue Line, which attracts more than 15,500 daily riders and has spurred $1.45 billion in development within a half-mile of its 9.6-mile corridor, is frequently touted as a model for cities interested in developing light rail transit systems.

A $1.2-billion, 9.3-mile extension of the Blue Lines is two years away from its fall 2017 start-up date, but it serves as an example of the perseverance necessary to overcome the complex, interrelated challenges of constructing linear infrastructure systems in urban environments.

For instance, to connect the existing Blue Line's Uptown terminus with the University of North Carolina-Charlotte (UNCC) campus to the northeast, the extension's dual tracks, 11 stations and other facilities are being wedged into some of the city's busiest road and freight rail corridors.

Those constraints presented the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) with the challenges of extensive utility relocations, coordinating work with long-haul train schedules and developing strategies to preserve access to dozens of businesses along the route during the four-year construction phase.

Due to the current complexities facing the project team, CATS project director Danny Rogers says experience gained from having built more than 11 miles of light rail citywide went only so far.

"This is a different corridor," Rogers says.

That fact was made clear as construction got underway in early 2014 with the task of identifying and coordinating the relocation of "an astronomical number" of above- and below-ground utilities, says Troy Carter, senior project manager for Lane Construction Corp., Cheshire, Conn. The firm is handling civil construction work at a cost of $119 million for segments B and C, which total 4.9 miles. A joint venture of Balfour Beatty Infrastructure, Atlanta, and Blythe Development, Charlotte, is handling the 4.5-mile-long segment A under a $108-million contract.

Additionally, Balfour Beatty holds a $130.8-million contract to build the track and related systems. That contract includes $114.4 million for the new line and $16.4 million for platform and system extensions on the original line.

Before contractors could widen a 4.15-mile stretch of four-lane Tryon Avenue-long one of Charlotte's main through routes-in order to accommodate the Blue Line Extension's 40-ft-wide right-of-way, dozens of utility poles and numerous underground telecommunication and infrastructure lines buried up to 15 ft deep needed to be moved to create sufficient subterranean space for a new storm drainage network and the widened roadway.

Coordinating that work to keep traffic flowing as smoothly as possible would have been difficult enough, Rogers says. But because the individual utilities bore the cost of the relocations, the response tended to be slower than CATS desired.

"The incentive for them to work quickly wasn't as strong as if they were being paid to do it," Rogers says.

To prevent a protracted construction process that would frustrate both motorists and business owners, the construction teams revamped their schedules as utility relocation work was completed. Teams combined what had originally been planned as linear phases into concurrent operations, such as widening the northbound and southbound sides of the highway concurrently rather than one at a time.

Brian Stover, project director for HNTB, which is managing construction services for CATS's Blue Line Extension, says consolidating those tasks helped make up some time, cutting three to four months off the original construction schedule.

"The business owners still had to deal with a lot of activity in front of their locations, but it was completed sooner," Stover says. He notes that the use of tablets equipped with construction management software was essential in keeping the field supervisors up to date with the frequent plan and schedule revisions.

Public outreach likewise played a critical role. "Part of creating sustainable development going forward is protecting what's already there," Rogers says. "You don't want the cure to be part of the illness. We had a dedicated team working to help keep the businesses visible, and alert them to what would be happening in the coming weeks so that they could prepare."

The relocation roles were somewhat reversed for building the extension's four-mile route through the Norfolk Southern-owned rail corridor, which includes as many as four tracks shared by six railroads. With CATS responsible for relocating the existing tracks to make room for the light rail line, "we're essentially working for the railroad," Rogers explains.

That made coordinating construction activity with both freight and passenger railroad operations especially critical.

"We had to figure out how to do as much as possible safely within tight windows of only a few hours," Stover says. "It hasn't been easy, but we've been able to do it."

More problematic, however, has been the project area's pervasive shallow depth rock. Conditions complicated the construction of foundations for three straddle bents and two hammerhead bents, supporting a 735-ft-long, 713-ton steel bridge that lifts the light rail line over the rail tracks and a cross street. In addition to the time-consuming process of drilling 8-ft-dia shafts 80 to 100 ft deep, frequent encounters with subsurface water created the risk of cave-ins. This required the use of temporary casings that were removed as concrete was poured.

"That's pushed the schedule out, so we had to take as much of the drilled shaft work as possible off critical path," Stover says.

Other structures along the Blue Line Extension have proven somewhat less complicated. The 447-ft, three-span curved steel girder bridge that brings the light rail line into the center of Tryon Avenue includes some of the project's 184,630 sq ft of mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining walls. These were fitted with precast panels and cast-in-place textured form lines, which feature patterns of native plants.

To bring the Blue Line Extension onto the UNCC campus, Lane is constructing a 40-ft-deep, 340-ft-long, cut-and-cover underpass beneath Tryon Avenue's northbound lanes that will include a 23-ft by 36-ft cast-in-place box culvert structure, reinforced with one-sided wall formwork and permanent soil nail walls. From there, the 822-ft-long, 11-span precast Toby Creek Viaduct with pre-stressed supports will convey the Blue Line Extension across a wetland to the terminus station.

Despite the marshy floodplain setting, the ever-present subsurface issue of inconsistently sloped bedrock necessitated the use of end-bearing piles drilled 60 to 80 ft deep.

With the Blue Line Extension's civil phase moving toward its scheduled spring 2016 completion, Balfour Beatty Infrastructure will soon begin installing the light rail track; overhead catenary and traction power systems; and train control, signal and communications systems throughout the route. Balfour Beatty also installed the foundations for the extension's 11 stations, which will include 15- to 18-ft-wide side- and center-loaded configurations with 276-ft-long platforms to be constructed along with other elements by station finishes contractor Edison Foard Inc., Charlotte.

In addition, Balfour Beatty is lengthening platforms at three stations along the original segment to 276 ft in order to accommodate three-car trains throughout the entire route.

"Our ridership volume opened higher than expected and will increase quickly once BLE opens because of more destinations," Rogers explains. CATS expects daily ridership to increase from its projected 2018 total of 18,000 passengers to 24,500 by 2035. A one-way trip along the nearly 19-mile line should take about 47 minutes.

Work has also begun on the Blue Line Extension's other vertical elements, including three multilevel precast parking garages with more than 3,300 spaces. A 20,300-sq-ft operations, service and inspection facility is set to get underway later this year.

Gregory Sigmon, project manager for STV, which designed the Blue Line Extension and is managing construction of the garages and maintenance facility for CATS, says the most challenging aspect involved with the design and construction of light rail transit systems is the many complex, interrelated project components. It's a lesson that other cities and contractors exploring light rail lines should be mindful of, he says.

"In a highway project, a signal system may be the most complicated feature," he says. "For light rail, you have numerous systems, alignments, at-grade crossings, revenue collection factors and many other things that have to be managed and coordinated. It's like putting a big puzzle together."

http://southeast.construction.com/southeast_construction_projects/2015/0922-Crews-build-93mile-rail-extension-through-a-tricky-urban-pathway.asp?page=3

Construction of New Bonner Bridge in N.C. to Begin Soon

With the oft-repaired Bonner Bridge in the background, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory stood under a baking Outer Banks sun Monday to announce construction of the long-awaited repl

Construction of New Bonner Bridge in N.C. to Begin Soon

06/16/2015

Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA)

June 16 -- HATTERAS ISLAND, N.C. -- With the oft-repaired Bonner Bridge in the background, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory stood under a baking Outer Banks sun Monday to announce construction of the long-awaited replacement span over Oregon Inlet.

The news brought cheers from about 50 officials and onlookers. Construction is expected to begin in March or April and take three years to finish.

"This is a magnificent accomplishment," McCrory said. "Keeping this bridge standing has been no easy task."

The announcement comes after environmental groups represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center agreed to settle a 4-year-old lawsuit against the state that held up construction of the 2.7-mile bridge connecting the northern Outer Banks with Hatteras Island . The new bridge would stretch parallel to the existing one.

The crossing at Oregon Inlet is vital to tens of thousands of vacationers headed to coastal points south of Nags Head during summer weeks. But the current bridge has outlived its projected life span by more than 20 years and has become increasingly difficult to maintain. The bridge was closed for about two weeks in December 2013 so crews could make repairs aimed at preventing the erosion of its pilings, and contractors just this month completed a project to repair multiple sections of its roadway. That construction caused weekday lane closures for about five months.

Those involved in the agreement with the North Carolina Department of Transportation said it paves the way for a long-term plan that not only will keep the travel lanes open, but protect a stretch of seashore that's a key haven for endangered shorebirds and other wildlife. As part of the deal, the state agreed to shelve plans for other bridges on N.C. 12 at spots on the island that are vulnerable to ocean washouts. That includes a 2.4-mile bridge on which work already had begun over a new inlet in the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge .

Instead, the state will look at building additional bridges south of the new Bonner Bridge that would loop west into the Pamlico Sound and away from land areas most vulnerable to erosion. State officials said a section just north of Rodanthe is the most likely to see a new bridge that would curve out over the sound.

State officials said they will take temporary steps to keep the road passable through Pea Island while the long-term plans are worked out.

"This has been a very challenging process to all involved," said Derb Carter , director of the Southern Environmental Law Center .

The new parallel Bonner Bridge will follow the same construction blueprints, but the $216 million price tag will rise from the original 2011 contract, said state Transportation Secretary Tony Tata . The state does not have a new estimate, he said.

The Bonner Bridge announcement was good news to Hatteras Island , said Lee Nettles , director of the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau . Tourists spent $204 million on Hatteras Island in 2011, about a quarter of the total for Dare County , a study from the University of North Carolina said. The span carries more than 10,000 vehicles a day on a summer weekend.

"This is bound to have a positive impact," Nettles said.

The uncertainty of the bridge and N.C. 12 has hampered tourism travel there, he said. Storm surges often tear up the pavement on N.C. 12 , closing travel off and on Hatteras Island .

Banks have been reluctant to make loans for business investments and property purchases, said Allen Burrus , a Dare County commissioner and owner of a supermarket in Hatteras Village .

"It will certainly calm some concerns," he said.

Plans to replace the 52-year-old bridge began more than 25 years ago. The project went through multiple studies, including a 2010 environmental impact statement that ran more than 3,000 pages. That study was evaluated by 18 federal agencies, 11 state agencies and 14 local governments or agencies, according to court records. The state agreed to a construction contract in 2011.

The Southern Environmental Law Center filed suit on behalf of environmental groups. The groups had argued for a single bridge that would loop 17 miles from the north side of Oregon Inlet and over the Pamlico Sound to Rodanthe . Negotiations for a settlement began after a court decision last year had both sides claiming a partial victory, but did not resolve the conflict.

Jeff Hampton , 252-338-0159, jeff.hampton@pilotonline.com

http://enr.construction.com/yb/enr/article.aspx?story_id=id:Ao8CQ9avF6RUFhuYtfZ8pcXEiwh6JT64DTXpPjE6S8dWX81bYg1lSjs5aO1Y233q

NCDOT plan fights urban congestion with light-rail and freeway upgrades

A new state emphasis on tackling urban traffic jams is reflected in a 10-year transportation spending plan released Thursday, and that could be good news for commuters who clog Tri

http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/12/04/4374119_i-40-upgrades-durham-chapel-hill.html?rh=1

NCDOT plan fights urban congestion with light-rail and freeway upgrades

BY BRUCE SICELOFF

bsiceloff@newsobserver.comDecember 4, 2014

RALEIGH — A new state emphasis on tackling urban traffic jams is reflected in a 10-year transportation spending plan released Thursday, and that could be good news for commuters who clog Triangle freeways every workday.

It’s the first transportation plan to be shaped by Gov. Pat McCrory’s Strategic Mobility Formula, which gives priority to road and transit projects that cut congestion and promote safety and economic development. The formula was written into law in 2013 with bipartisan legislative approval, replacing a 1989 law that assigned less priority to the growth-related needs of North Carolina’s urban centers.

In the Triangle, the draft 2015-2025 State Transportation Improvement Program includes the state Department of Transportation’s commitment to:

• Help pay for a 17-mile light-rail line from UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill to Duke University and downtown Durham, with construction tentatively pegged to begin in 2020.

• Add lanes to 30 miles of Interstate 40: From Interstate 85 to U.S. 15-501 in Orange County; from Wade Avenue to Lake Wheeler Road in Cary and Raleigh, and from the Raleigh Beltline to N.C. 42 in Johnston County.

• Convert Raleigh’s Capital Boulevard (U.S. 1) to a freeway between the northern 540 Outer Loop and N.C. 98 at Wake Forest. A freeway conversion also is planned for South Miami Boulevard between T.W. Alexander Drive and Lynn Road in Durham. Other clogged intersections in Durham and Wake counties will be upgraded to freeway-style interchanges.

“We’re seeing some very important projects for this region move forward,” said Joe Milazzo II, executive director of the Regional Transportation Alliance, a business advocacy group.

A more competitive N.C.

The state Board of Transportation is to adopt the 10-year plan in June, after a public review period. Speaking Thursday to the board, most of whose 19 members he appointed, McCrory said the new transportation spending plan is part of his effort to make North Carolina more competitive with other states and regions.

“We’re developing a vision not just for here and not for the next election, but for the next generation,” McCrory said. “It will be a vision that we will sell jobs about.”

He thanked legislative leaders attending the meeting for moving quickly last year to replace the “equity formula” that balanced spending between rural and urban areas since 1989 and, critics said, was vulnerable to undue political influence.

McCrory said drivers have been frustrated by piecemeal improvements that widen busy highways for a few short miles here and there, leaving scattered narrow stretches he called chokepoints.

“One of our goals now is to deal with these chokepoints that we have throughout the state, that have deterred the economic potential of small towns and large cities alike,” McCrory said. “And we’ve got to unleash those chokepoints.”

Among the highway corridors to be improved in the new plan are U.S. 70 in Eastern North Carolina and U.S. 74, seen as an underused route from Asheville through Charlotte to Wilmington. McCrory and Transportation Secretary Tony Tata also pointed to projects that would improve highway connections to economic centers in neighboring states, including an interstate upgrade for U.S. 17 to Virginia’s Hampton Roads area.

Tata cited the Virginia connection when he promoted another big project in the 10-year plan: construction of the Mid-Currituck Bridge primarily for northern tourists who visit the northern Outer Banks. That project has struggled in recent years as legislative leaders signaled little support for a partnership with private developers, proposed by the N.C. Turnpike Authority, to build and operate the bridge as a toll project.

Tolls are planned for completion of the 540 Outer Loop in southern and eastern Wake County. The new DOT plan schedules construction on the southern section, but it stops short of promising that the eastern leg will be built before 2025.

Perry Safran, a Raleigh attorney who chairs the turnpike authority, noted that the plan includes projects to finish toll-free loops around Fayetteville, Greensboro and Winston-Salem. He said the state should not hold back on a project DOT calls “Complete 540.”

“That is my disappointment,” Safran said. “A loop is a loop, and it needs to be finished in its entirety as soon as possible.”

The 10-year plan also includes setbacks for other Triangle projects. Near the state fairgrounds in West Raleigh, DOT had planned to start work in 2019 on a $28 million tunnel to bury Blue Ridge Road beneath Hillsborough Street and nearby railroad tracks. The new plan doesn’t mention the tunnel.

Charlotte City Council approves $249.8m for LYNX Blue Line Extension

Charlotte City Council has approved $249.8m for the construction of Charlotte Area Transit System's LYNX Blue Line Extension (BLE)

Charlotte City Council approves $249.8m for LYNX Blue Line Extension

22 April 2014

Charlotte City Council has approved $249.8m for the construction of Charlotte Area Transit System's LYNX Blue Line Extension (BLE) and Blue Line Capacity project.

Lane Construction has been awarded a $119m contract, which includes the provision of civil construction services for the BLE from Old Concord Road to the University of North Carolina Charlotte.

Contracted work includes building bridges, arterial roadways and retaining walls; creation of erosion control; sewer and water main installation and drainage; and traffic signals and traffic control.

Balfour Beatty Infrastructure will install light-rail track, train control and signal systems, communications systems, and overhead catenary and traction-power systems on BLE, under a $130.8m contract.

The remaining $16.4m will be invested in the expansion of platforms and systems on the current LYNX BLE.

Following the expansion, the platforms will have required capacity to accommodate three-car trains at the Interstate 485/South Boulevard, Stonewall and Seventh Street stations, while end track at the I-485 station will be able to store the three-car trains.

In addition, communications, power, train control and signal systems will be upgraded.

The LYNX light-rail line will be extended 9.3 miles from Uptown Charlotte to the UNC Charlotte campus, and include 11 stations and four parking facilities, under BLE.

The line is expected to become operational in spring 2017.

http://www.railway-technology.com/news/newscharlotte-city-council-approves-2498m-for-lynx-blue-line-extension-4218071

NCDOT picks Cintra to lead I-77 widening, with $665M price tag

A partnership led by Cintra Infraestructures, a Spain-based transportation construction firm that specializes in toll lanes, is the apparent winning bidder on the N.C. Department o

NCDOT picks Cintra to lead I-77 widening, with $665M price tag

By DAVID BORAKS

CorneliusNews.net

Posted on 11 April 2014

A partnership led by Cintra Infraestructures, a Spain-based transportation construction firm that specializes in toll lanes, is the apparent winning bidder on the N.C. Department of Transportation’s I-77 widening project north of Charlotte.

Cintra estimates it will cost $665 million to add lanes, including so-called high-occupancy toll lanes, or HOT lanes, to 26 miles of the traffic-clogged road from the Brookshire Freeway/I-277 north to Exit 36 in Mooresville. That’s higher than the $500 million to $550 million that officials previously estimated.

The NCDOT still must review Cintra’s proposal, but officials said Friday they hope to sign a contract in June, and construction could start as early as December. The project could be done in 2018, the DOT said.

A DOT spokeswoman said details of Cintra’s proposal, including potential toll rates, weren’t available Friday. Another spokesman said the company’s bid proposal is not a public record, though a final contract would be. (See the DOT’s bid documents at the link below.)

Cintra is leading a joint venture that includes F.A. Southeast, W.C. English, and the lead design firm of The Louis Berger Group. The partnership was chosen from among several bidders. NCDOT has told local officials in Lake Norman that four companies have been involved, but the department has not said how many submitted final bids.

When signed, the agreement would be one of North Carolina’s first public-private partnerships, which officials refer to as a P3, for a major road project. The deal calls for the Cintra-led group to finance most of the cost of the project itself, recovering its investment through toll revenue over the next 50 years.

By incorporating tolls (referred to as “managed lanes”) and working with a private partner, the project was able to qualify for additional federal funds not available for other road projects. Officials say that helped moved the I-77 north project up on the state’s priority list, where the number of projects that can be built is limited because of scarce state and federal funding.

The NCDOT said it would contribute $88 million for the project, about half the $170 million it originally projected.

“We are excited to take this significant step forward and address a critical need,” NCDOT Chief Engineer Mike Holder said in a press release. “Innovative funding solutions like this one are vital to keep up with growth and infrastructure needed to strengthen the economy despite declining transportation revenue from traditional sources.”

Local officials welcomed the news.

“This is a significant announcement, and it starts the clock on whether this is actually going to come true,” said Bill Thunberg, executive director of the Lake Norman Regional Transportation Commission.

The towns of Mooresville, Davidson, Cornelius and Huntersville formed the commission in 2008 to coordinate planning and lobby for transportation improvements in the region. Thunberg said Friday that widening I-77 has been one of the LNTC’s main goals.

“With the level of congestion that we have along the I-77 corridor, if somebody taps on their brakes in Rock Hill, it ends up being a 20-minute delay at Exit 28,” he said. “It’s a vital transportation corridor for this region.”

The widening project “will help improve the attractiveness of this area to industry as well, to know that we have a plan in place to cope with congestion,” Thunberg added.

Davidson Mayor John Woods said the I-77 widening would have “a long-lasting effect on our region.” He said the use of a public-partnership has been critical.

“Although we haven’t got all the details before us, this announcement certainly proves locally that P3s are a viable method to structure and pay for large projects,” he said. “In addition, this announcement confirms the viability of our I-77 widening project and certainly greatly accelerates the project completion, which is so badly needed in our region.”

Cornelius Mayor Chuck Travis said: “This is great news that we have a P3 concessionaire that’s been successful.” He also applauded the proposal for requiring a smaller state contribution than originally expected, which means those dollars can be spent elsewhere.

“I think we’re at a critical point in our region where we have to do something to I-77,” Travis said. “We’re actually at the point now where we’re seeing the reverse commute stopping traffic. We’re just seeing a complete shutdown of the system.” Failing to act now could have negative affects on economic development in the Lake Norman area, he said.

The project has not been without its critics. A group called Widen I-77 over the past couple of years has lobbied against the DOT’s plan, criticizing its use of toll lanes and the P3 financing model. That group has called on state officials to divert money from other transportation projects to pay for I-77 north of Charlotte.

Critics also have objected to the possibility of a foreign company leading the project. But Thunberg said Friday that major projects of this type are inevitably global in scope these days.

“Foreign companies, when it comes to this type of project, they have the expertise, because they have had 40 or 50 years of experience with this type of project,” Thunberg said. “The U.S. companies don’t have that level of experience.”

He noted that the partnership is a mix of U.S. and foreign companies.

News reports have said recently that project had been significantly delayed, with completion pushed back a year. Thunberg said that’s not accurate. While the project completion date has been pushed from 2017 into 2018, the difference is only a few months, not a full year, he said.

HOW MANAGED LANES WORK

The project calls for two high occupancy toll lanes in each direction from the Brookshire Freeway/I-277 in Charlotte to Exit 28/Catawba Avenue in Cornelius. One HOT lane in each direction would be built from Exit 28 to Exit 36/NC 150 in Mooresville. Officials say two extra lanes aren’t possible on the northern section because of the narrow causeways over Lake Norman in Cornelius and Davidson.

Tolls would be charged using electronic radio transmitters in commuters’ cars. The tolls would not be mandatory – drivers could opt to stay in general purpose lanes and continue to ride for free. And tolls would be waived for cars with multiple occupants.

Tolls would vary through what’s called “dynamic pricing,” rising or falling as congestion increased and demand for a reliable ride to or from Charlotte increased.

I-77 toll lanes project on track to start in fall

The state’s $550 million plan to add Interstate 77 toll lanes from Charlotte to Mooresville is on track to begin this fall.

I-77 toll lanes project on track to start in fall

By Joe Marusak

jmarusak@charlotteobserver.com

Posted: Thursday, Feb. 13, 2014

The state's $550 million plan to add Interstate 77 toll lanes from Charlotte to Mooresville is on track to begin this fall.

On Friday, the N.C. Department of Transportation plans to issue a final addendum to its request for proposals to finance, design, build and operate the lanes, DOT spokesman Jamille Robbins said.

In mid-March, the department expects to receive final price proposals from potential bidders, he said.

The contract will be for 50 years so the contractor can recoup its investment, state officials have said.

While the private contractor will finance most of the project, the state plans to contribute $170 million toward the cost.

The project calls for adding two toll lanes on northbound and southbound I-77 between Brookshire Freeway in Charlotte and Exit 28 in Cornelius. One toll lane would continue in each direction from Exit 28 to Exit 36.

The state intends to open the lanes in 2017, according to the DOT's latest construction timetable.

Traffic in the corridor has increased at least 4 percent in each of the past five years and is expected to rise 2 to 3 percent annually through 2030, according to the state.

The statewide citizens' group Toll Free NC opposes the project, saying the interstate should be widened with far less costly general purpose lanes.

"These are not your parents' tolls of 25 cents into the basket," the group says on its website. "The cost for these tolls from Mooresville to Charlotte could cost $5, $6.50 and up to $16 or more each way.

"Drivers are given the choice to sit in even more congestion in the two lanes you have today or pay the high price to use the tolls. These lanes are nicknamed 'Lexus Lanes.' Do you want to pay $10 a day for your work commute or to get your kids to school and activities - on top of gas and other fees (including N.C.'s highest gas tax in the Southeast)?"

State officials have said they don't know how much the toll rate would be but that it would vary depending on traffic congestion.

In the Charlotte area, Toll Free NC is also fighting proposed toll lanes on I-85 from Concord to Gastonia; I-485 from I-85 at Charlotte Douglas International Airport to Ballantyne in south Charlotte; and I-277 from Independence Boulevard in Charlotte to well into Union County.

Last year, a public interest law firm that helped delay the $725 million Monroe Connector-Bypass raised concerns about the state's environmental review of the planned I-77 toll lanes.

The Southern Environmental Law Center called the review "rushed" and "threadbare." It said the state's environmental assessment was so inadequate that it failed to meet requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act and other federal and state laws needed to eventually get the project permitted.

The center wrote the letter on behalf of the Catawba Riverkeeper and Clean Air Carolina.

In October, however, the Federal Highway Administration approved the state's finding that the project will have no significant impact on the environment.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/02/13/4691329/i-77-toll-lanes-project-on-track.html#.UxYz8CeYa71#storylink=cpy

D.C. Silver Line Delay Could Cost Dulles Transit Partners Millions in Fines

The contractor building the Silver Line Metro extension faces millions of dollars in fines if it fails to complete the project by an April deadline.

D.C. Silver Line Delay Could Cost Dulles Transit Partners Millions in Fines

02/27/2014

The Washington Post

By Lori Aratani

The contractor building the Silver Line Metro extension faces millions of dollars in fines if it fails to complete the project by an April deadline.

Officials from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority met Tuesday with Dulles Transit Partners, the contractor building the first phase of the $5.6 billion rail line - just one day after MWAA informed DTP that more work was needed before the rail line could be considered complete. The two sides discussed the project and the next steps, and were scheduled to meet again Wednesday.

DTP had submitted documents Feb. 7 stating that its work was finished, raising hopes that the project could be turned over to Metro this month and that passenger service could begin in the spring.

But after a 15-day review, MWAA said that the contractor had failed to meet seven of 12 criteria set out in its contract. Issues ranged from missing safety certificates to problems with the automatic train control system - a key safety component that controls train movement and speed, and an issue that has dogged the project for months. There also were problems with elevators and escalators at the rail stations, MWAA officials said.

Pat Nowakowski, executive director of the rail project, said he did not know how long it might take DTP to complete its work. Officials at DTP declined to comment on the matter except in an e-mailed statement.

"We received MWAA's decision late this afternoon and are now reviewing the information," said the statement sent late Monday. "We will work with MWAA to resolve any outstanding matters as our focus is on the successful delivery of this signature project to the people of northern Virginia and the Washington metropolitan area."

DTP needs to finish the work within seven months of the agreed upon completion date of Sept. 9, 2013.

If the work is not finished within that time, starting roughly April 10, DTP would face a $25,000-a-day penalty until the work is done.

If the project is not completed 92 days after that April date, the contractor would have to pay roughly $2.3 million in fines, plus an additional $75,000 a day.

Ultimately, if the project is delayed more than six months from that April date, DTP could be required to pay more than $9 million total. Under the terms of the contract, the payments are capped at $60 million.

Had DTP completed the project earlier than scheduled, it could have reaped financial rewards of up to $10 million.

Once MWAA certifies that DTP has completed its work, it will work with Metro to determine when officials there will take control of the Silver Line. While MWAA is responsible for managing construction of the rail line, Metro will operate it. Once Metro takes control of the rail line, it has 90 days to complete its testing and training.

Metro officials, who are responsible for determining when Silver Line service will begin, have been tight-lipped about a start date and would not comment on how this latest delay might impact their plans. However, given this latest report, it's possible that the start of passenger service could be pushed into the summer.

The first phase of the Silver Line will include five stops, four in Tysons Corner and one at Wiehle Avenue in Reston. The majority of the costs for the new rail line will be paid for by Dulles Toll Road users.

lori.aratani@washpost.com

http://enr.construction.com/yb/enr/article.aspx?story_id=195946465

MUMPO approves the I-77 HOT lanes project

The Mecklenburg-Union Metropolitan Transportation Organization unanimously gave the green light to the toll lanes project on Interstate 77.

MUMPO approves the I-77 HOT lanes project

by Jackson Sveen

CHARLOTTE – The Mecklenburg-Union Metropolitan Transportation Organization unanimously gave the green light to the toll lanes project on Interstate 77.

The group, charged with setting transportation priorities for the Charlotte region, voted to include the high-occupancy toll lanes project to its short- and long-term plans.

Dozens of Lake Norman residents attended the meeting to voice their opposition to the project. Several carried signs with messages like “Stop the Tillis Tolls” and “We Beg for Mercy. No More Tax.”

The group erupted into chants of “First Amendment” and “Democracy” after being told that they would be collectively limited to 10 minutes of public comment, prompting MUMPO to bring in security. Individuals stood up and demanded to be heard, but Huntersville Commissioner and MUMPO Chairwoman Sarah McAuley said that no one would be able to speak to the board at that point.

Kurt Naas, founder of Widen I-77, the community group leading the movement against HOT lanes, told the Herald Weekly, “We were not surprised by last night's vote, but we were shocked by Sarah McAulay's blatant disregard for the people she is supposed to represent.”

The majority of the citizens left the meeting before hearing the presentations regarding the I-77 project.

Bill Coxe, Huntersville's transportation director, gave a presentation on HOT lanes and the proposed public-private partnership before the vote. He told the board the submitted public comments focused almost entirely on the tolling elements of the project.

“There is, as you have seen this evening, virtually universal distaste for the idea of tolling,” Coxe said.

However, Coxe gave the findings of a scientific public survey that asked citizens from Charlotte to the northern section of I-77, “If given a choice of getting the toll lanes now or having some additional enhancement at some undetermined time in the future, which would you prefer?”

The results of the survey showed that 56 percent of those surveyed said they would rather take the HOT lanes component now, instead of waiting for general purpose lanes to be installed, according to Coxe.

Through the use of computer modeling, Coxe gave an estimate of peak hour traffic congestion in the year 2035 along the I-77 corridor. He said the research completed by the Charlotte DOT shows that whether HOT lanes are introduced or just one general purpose lane is added in both directions, the congestion between the sections of I-77 between Cornelius and Mooresville will not change in 20 years.

During the three-hour peak period of traffic, travelers should expect to drive 35 miles per hour along the stretch between Exits 36 and 28. The biggest change in travel time came for the Charlotte stretch of I-77 where speeds would be expected to drop between 20-25 mph if general purpose lanes are installed instead of HOT lanes.

“What this tells us, if you add general purpose capacity, overtime growth in our region, assuming we continue to stay economically healthy, growth eats up that capacity and you’re right back where you started,” Coxe said. “The hot lanes continue to work.”

Coxe said the managers of the HOT lanes will be held to a guaranteed performance standard.

In the 55 mph segment of I-77, cars in the HOT lanes must be moving at a minimum of 45 mph. In the 65 mph segment, the HOT lanes must be moving at a minimum of 52 mph. If the speeds are not maintained, the public company that manages the lanes would be fined.

Coxe ended his presentation with the Technical Coordinating Committee’s caveats to MUMPO’s plans regarding I-77. MUMPO unanimously approved all the caveats.

TCC Recommended Caveats:

• MUMPO should acknowledge that under current NCDOT financial structure, approximately $40 million in project delays would need to occur to accomplish the project.

• MUMPO should acknowledge that this only allows the project to move further into procurement.

• TCC should develop additional I-77 North projects, including general purpose lanes north of Cornelius and evaluate them in the Long Range Transportation Plan update.

• Recommend a strategic study of all travel corridors (including I-77) from Charlotte to Statesviile begin as soon as possible.

• Recommend NCDOT continue its high level of coordination with MUMPO and local staff through procurement, implementation and operation.

• Recommend NCDOT and MUMPO convene a joint task force to coordinate this project with other area managed lanes projects.

• NCDOT should appoint a project manager to coordinate all activities associated with the project.

• No action should be taken by NCDOT or any other party to discourage informal (i.e. non pre-arranged) carpooling.

http://www.huntersvilleherald.com/news/2013/5/30/7157/mumpo-approves-the-i-77-hot-lanes-project

SC Gov. Haley signs $1 billion roads bill

After Gov. Nikki Haley signed into law Monday a bill pledging to spend close to $1 billion over the next 10 years to repair S.C. roads, state Department of Transportation Secretary

SC Gov. Haley signs $1 billion roads bill

Published: June 24, 2013

By ADAM BEAM — abeam@thestate.com

After Gov. Nikki Haley signed into law Monday a bill pledging to spend close to $1 billion over the next 10 years to repair S.C. roads, state Department of Transportation Secretary Robert St. Onge said what a lot of people were thinking.

“You can count on the fact that it’s not enough,” he said.

Transportation officials say the state needs $29 billion in new spending over the next 20 years to meet its road maintenance needs. The bill Haley signed into law, which includes spending half of the state’s income from auto sales taxes on road repairs, would generate close to $1 billion in new spending.

But Haley, the first-term Republican governor getting ready to launch her re-election campaign, said the news is not what South Carolina does not have but what it does have.

“What you saw today is a commitment to infrastructure. That’s something we haven’t seen in years,” Haley said. “Let’s celebrate that. Why can’t we just be happy?”

The new spending on roads was a key part of a budget compromise that lawmakers approved last week. Haley declined to say Monday if she would veto the other part of that compromise: an expansion of the state’s 4-year-old kindergarten program for low-income students, pushed by her chief political rival, state Sen. Vincent Sheheen, D-Kershaw.

Haley has until midnight Tuesday to issue vetoes. “To be continued, as Mark Sanford always said,” she said Monday.

The bill Haley signed into law, accompanied by other provisions in the state’s $22.7 billion budget, would give the Transportation Department access to more than $90 million of new state income every year.

The State Infrastructure Bank would use $50 million of that money to borrow at least $500 million to repair interstates and primary roads. The Transportation Department would use $41.4 million – about half of what the state collects each year in auto sales taxes – to repair secondary roads.

The state’s budget includes an additional $50 million in one-time money to repair bridges – money the Transportation Department can use to accept up to $250 million in federal money.

Many had wondered if Haley would veto the road spending because it borrowed money to pay for road repairs, something Haley had resisted earlier in the legislative session. But in signing the bill Monday, Haley reserved a pen for state Senate Minority Leader Nikki Setzler, D-Lexington, the first lawmaker to file a bill proposing the state borrow $500 million to pay for roads.

Setzler pointed out the state was scheduled to finish paying off a $750 million loan in 2015, freeing up about $70 million a year in the state’s budget to pay for other things. Haley echoed Setzler’s argument Monday and thanked him for his work on the bill, saying, “Had we not had the bond bill coming off in 2015 ... it would be very different.”

“I’m extremely pleased; I think it’s a major step in the right direction,” Setzler said. “Our roads are in such terrible shape, and we are so far behind. This won’t come anywhere close to solving the problem, but it will certainly make a dent in the problem.”

Haley signed the bill over the objections of some in her own party, who wanted Haley to veto the borrowing.

“You include Boeing, this year we have borrowed $720 million and heaped it onto future generations,” said state Sen. Kevin Bryant, R-Anderson. “I just don’t understand where the outrage is. ... Nobody in Columbia seems to be interested in reining in this fiscal insanity.”

The increased spending comes less than a year after transportation officials estimated South Carolina will have $48.3 billion in road repair needs over the next 20 years, but only $19 billion to pay for those repairs – leaving a $29 billion deficit. That prompted business groups, including the S.C. Chamber of Commerce, to lobby the Legislature for more road funding. Those groups praised Haley and the Legislature Monday.

Lewis Gossett, president of the S.C. Manufacturers Alliance, referred to the bill as a “down payment.”

“There is more work to be done,” Gossett said. “But, as I indicated, it is a great step forward, and it is the first step we have seen in many years.”

Mecklenburg GOP opposes toll lane plans

The Mecklenburg County Republican Party is urging elected officials and government agencies to explore options other than toll lanes to widen Interstate 77 from Charlotte to Moores

Mecklenburg GOP opposes toll lane plans

By Joe Marusak
jmarusak@charlotteobserver.com

Posted: Tuesday, Apr. 02, 2013

The Mecklenburg County Republican Party is urging elected officials and government agencies to explore options other than toll lanes to widen Interstate 77 from Charlotte to Mooresville.

Numerous toll lane studies have shown such lanes fail to reduce congestion on existing general-purpose lanes, the party said in a resolution passed unanimously at the recent GOP county convention at West Charlotte High School. Money spent on tolls is disposable income that won’t be spent on the local economy, the resolution added

Elected leaders should instead explore other funding options for widening the interstate with general purpose lanes, the party urged in the resolution.

Sharon Hudson, a member of the North Mecklenburg Republican Women, presented a draft of the resolution at the convention, and the measure passed without discussion.

Hudson belongs to WidenI77.org, a Lake Norman area community group opposing the state’s plans to add toll lanes to I-77 from the Brookshire Freeway in Charlotte to I-77 Exit 36 in Mooresville.

About 75 toll lane opponents attended a meeting of the Lake Norman Regional Transportation Commission on March 14, with some sporting “No Tolls” stickers and a half-dozen holding up “No Tolls” banners.

The state intends to select a private, for-profit company in August to design, build, operate and maintain the toll lanes. Four companies are in the running, some that are already involved in Charlotte-area highway projects.

Construction is scheduled to begin in summer 2014, with some segments opening in 2016. The lanes would be the first privately operated toll lanes in North Carolina, and the contract would be for 50 years, when the lanes would revert to the state to manage.

But Jim Trogdon, chief operating officer of the N.C. Department of Transportation in Raleigh, said on a visit to Huntersville in February, “Anything (can happen) up until we execute the contract.”

Marusak: 704-987-3670; on Twitter: @ jmarusak.

Source of Forged Surety Bonds Remains Mysterious

Federal investigators are reportedly trying to locate the source of fraudulent surety bonds provided to a small Maryland prime contactor for its work on a museum and visitor’s cent

Source of Forged Surety Bonds Remains Mysterious

04/11/2013
By Richard Korman

Federal investigators are reportedly trying to locate the source of fraudulent surety bonds provided to a small Maryland prime contactor for its work on a museum and visitor’s center at the Patuxent Naval Air Base in St. Mary’s County, Md. The county has taken steps to terminate the contractor, an action its attorneys say they are trying to prevent because their client has been the victim of a fraud and has lost $175,000 in premium paid for the bonds.

The performance bond covered the contractor’s work on the $4.7-million building project, which broke ground with an opening ceremony in October but is now stalled.

St. Mary’s County ordered the contractor, Baltimore-based Broughton Construction Co., to stop work December 7.

The stalled project recently came to public attention when the prime contractor was unable to satisfy the county with a replacement surety bond.

A unit of The Chubb Group, Warren, N.J.-based Pacific Indemnity Co., had informed St. Mary’s County that the payment and performance bonds provided by Broughton were forgeries, according to a letter by the county sent to Broughton. A spokesman for the Chubb Group declined to comment.

A St. Mary’s county spokesman refrained from commenting, too, citing pending litigation. In response to ENR's request, the county provided copies of bond documents and its letter to Broughton instructing the firm to supply a new bond.

To remedy the situation, the contractor had offered to provide 20% retainage to the county and new guarantees from an individual surety.

But the county rejected the substitute bonds provided by Broughton and threatened to terminate Broughton for default, according to Charles M. Asmar, a Washington, D.C.-based attorney who represents the contractor. Broughton's contract does not provide for termination for reasons beyond the contractor's control, says Asmar.

“Broughton bent over backwards,” but “the county rejected everything” and wanted a treasury-listed surety, adds Christopher Taggi, a partner of Asmar’s.

According to Asmar, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is among the agencies searching for the source of the forged payment and performance bonds provided to Broughton.

Broughton is a minority-owned firm that had successfully performed many contracts in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area.

On the bond forms for the Naval museum and visitor's center, the surety broker's identity is not entered in the space provided for it. Asmar declined to identify the broker involved.

The forgery may involve either the power-of-attorney sections or some of the related signature blocks. The bond document, an American Institute of Architects form, has a raised seal and the signature of Chubb attorneys or executives.

In the section of the bond document naming those with the power-of-attorney, two of the names listed were officers of Chubb identified in the company’s 2011 annual report. It isn’t clear if the names were added in order to provide an impression of authenticity or if they are part of the form that is authentic.

Nor is it clear if the bond documents and power-of-attorney forms were created by a skilled forger or taken from those provided to authorized brokers of Chubb surety bonds.

Robert Duke, corporate counsel for the Surety and Fidelity Association of America, an industry group, says it is possible to have fraudulent execution of bonds from a legitimate surety. “You have instances where copies are used over and over or dates and project names are changed,” says Duke. “Or you could have an agent of broker who writes without authority.”

Authorized brokers with power-of-attorney are required to keep bond documents secure.

http://enr.construction.com/business_management/ethics_corruption/2013/0409-Source-of-Forged-Surety-Bonds-Remains-Mysterious.asp?page=2

Governor McDonnell Signs Historic Transportation Investment Legislation

– Legislation Creates Framework to Invest Nearly $4 Billion in Roads, Rail and Transit over Next Three Years, Without a Tax Increase –

Governor McDonnell Signs Historic Transportation Investment Legislation
– Legislation Creates Framework to Invest Nearly $4 Billion in Roads, Rail and Transit over Next Three Years, Without a Tax Increase –

Will Provide Funding for More Than 900 Projects; Make Lasting Reforms to VDOT Policies and Programs

CHESTER – At an early afternoon event held on the site of the currently under-construction Meadowville Interchange on I-295 in Chester, Governor Bob McDonnell signed into law today the most significant investment in the Commonwealth's transportation system in a generation. The legislation, HB2527 and SB1446, sponsored by Speaker Bill Howell (R-Stafford) and Senators Chuck Colgan (D-Manassas) and William Wampler (R-Bristol), creates a framework to invest nearly $4 billion into Virginia's road, rail and transit networks, and fund more than 900 projects, over the next three years without raising taxes. The Meadowville Interchange is one of the 900 projects receiving funding from the legislation.

Speaking about the transportation legislation, Governor McDonnell noted, "It has been over 20 years since we have made a major investment in our transportation system. For far too long Virginians sat stuck in traffic while partisan politics put the brakes on progress. This year we put partisanship aside and recognized that for Virginia to retain its status as the friendliest state in the nation for business, we must invest in transportation and help the private sector create much-needed jobs in all parts of the Commonwealth. This common-sense legislation takes advantage of previously authorized and innovative new financing mechanisms at a time when interest rates and construction costs are at near historic lows and Virginians are in dire need of jobs. We are putting billions into our roads without a tax increase."

The governor continued, "All regions of the Commonwealth will benefit from 900 projects that will be funded by this legislation. They include improvements to bridges and rural roads in Southwest Virginia, new capacity and congestion relief in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads, and rail and transit improvements throughout Virginia. A recent report by Chmura Economics shows that construction of the 900 projects will grow the Virginia economy by over $13 billion and support an additional 100,000 jobs. This transportation legislation that we are signing today is a bipartisan achievement that will benefit Virginians in every corner of the Commonwealth."

The following projects are examples of the nearly 900 that will be funded by this program:
•Widening of I-66 from Gainesville to Haymarket and the installation of an active traffic management system on I-66 to dynamically control lanes to reduce congestion
•Major interchange improvements on I-64, I-81 and I-95, in Frederick, Augusta, Stafford, and Louisa Counties
•Widening Route 7 in Loudoun County
•Rebuilding the Route 460 Southgate Avenue intersection in Montgomery County
•Widening Lynnhaven Parkway, Holland Road and Witch Duck Road in Virginia Beach, as well as replacing the Lesner Bridge
•Investments in Washington Metro, Hampton Roads Light rail, and other transit providers, including VRE to extend to Spotsylvania County.
•Several Route 58 Corridor projects
•Advancing PPTA projects such as the widening of Dominion Boulevard in Chesapeake; the constructing of a new tube for the Midtown Tunnel between Norfolk and Portsmouth; advancing the HOV/HOT lanes on I95 in Northern Virginia; and construction of a new Route 460 from Suffolk to Petersburg

Following the ceremony, Senator Chuck Colgan, Democratic President pro tempore of the State Senate, said, "I applaud Governor McDonnell for taking vital steps toward addressing the Commonwealth's transportation crisis. The reforms signed into law today, combined with this infusion of funding and the governor's work on transportation over the last year will have a lasting impact in beginning to address these challenges."

Delegate Glenn Oder commented, "From Hampton Roads to the Cumberland Gap, and from Northern Virginia to Danville, Virginians have faced deteriorating roads, increasing congestion, and challenges with access to goods and services because we have been unable to pass a comprehensive transportation plan that invests in our roads, rails and public transportation systems, and because our government bureaucracy has hindered the efficient use of available resources for transportation. This year, we worked across the aisle to usher in a new era for transportation that better manages our transportation funding and makes VDOT more efficient and responsive to the needs of our citizens."

Jeff Southard, executive vice president of the Virginia Transportation Construction Alliance said, "Virginia's transportation system is finally receiving the significant investment that will not only improve the travel experience for the millions who depend upon Virginia's roads and transit systems each day, but it will support much-needed jobs for construction professionals throughout the Commonwealth. The transportation construction industry is a major economic driver and provider of employment in Virginia that has struggled because we have neglected our responsibility to invest in the Commonwealth's infrastructure for so long. The legislation signed today will help Virginia's economy to once again thrive."

The legislation, which passed with the broad bipartisan support of Democrats and Republicans in both bodies of the General Assembly, uses several financing mechanisms that will enable the Commonwealth to take advantage of historically low interest rates on bonds and construction bids that are coming in well below project estimates.

The legislation:
•Accelerates the issuance of $200 million of Capital Project Revenue Bonds authorized by the General Assembly in 2007 during fiscal year 2012 and $300 million in fiscal year 2013, thereby enabling VDOT to issue $1.8 billion in bonds over the next three years
•Authorizes the issuance of $1.1 billion in federally backed Direct GARVEE Bonds to better leverage the Commonwealth's annual federal allocation and support the construction of major congestion reducing projects throughout Virginia
•Creates a new Virginia Transportation Infrastructure Bank, initially funded with $283 million from the fiscal year 2010 surplus and savings from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) performance audit, to make low-interest loans and grants to localities, transportation authorities and private-sector partners for transportation projects. The administration aims to put $1 billion into the bank through a number of mechanisms over the next three years.

Governor McDonnell also signed several pieces of legislation designed to create new efficiencies and reduce the costs of VDOT's policies and programs.

Included in the reform legislation is a measure to allow use of inmate labor at the Commonwealth's rest areas, which will reduce the cost of maintaining and operating these vital facilities.

Other measures include:
•Increasing the initial contract term for professional services
•Increasing the contract award limit for the VDOT commissioner
•Enabling the VDOT commissioner to dispose of surplus right of way without the prior approval of the Commonwealth Transportation Board
•Allowing VDOT to submit one comprehensive annual report
•Repealing several outdated laws and regulations

Transportation Legislation Signed Today:

HB2527 (Howell)/SB1446 (Wampler/Colgan) – Omnibus Transportation Funding Bill
•Authorizes the acceleration of $1.8 billion in previously approved Capital Project Revenue Bonds
•Authorizes the issuance of $1.1 billion in federally backed Direct GARVEE Bonds
•Creates the new Virginia Transportation Infrastructure Bank
•Increases the project limit from $1 million to $10 million and the programmatic limit from $50 million to $200 million in VDOT's Revenue Sharing Program
•Creates the Intercity Passenger Rail Capital and Operating Fund

HB1825 (Oder)/SB1005 (Watkins) – VDOT Commissioner
•Changes the commissioner's title to "Commissioner of Highways"
•Grants the commissioner more flexibility in structuring his executive staff
•Streamlines the project completion process
•Allows VDOT to submit one annual comprehensive report

HB1957 (Rust)/SB1135 (Wagner) – Powers and Duties of the CTB
• Clarifies that local roads outside of the state secondary system are local responsibilities
•Increases limit on contracts which the commissioner can let without CTB approval
•Provides for updating the Statewide Transportation Plan every 4 years
•Repeals outdated code sections relating to the CTB

HB2233 (Anderson)/SB1004 (Watkins) – Transportation Agency Efficiencies and Cost Recoveries
•Exempts VDOT and DRPT from remote digital land record access fees
•Conforms the Code of Virginia to the Appropriations Act relating regarding maintenance payments to localities
•Clarifies payback provision statutes for when a locality cancels a project

HB2040 (Anderson)/SB1109 (Hanger) – Inmate Labor
•Authorizes the use of inmate labor at the Commonwealth's rest areas to reduce the costs associated with maintaining and operating these vital facilities

SB1126 (Stosch) – Streamlines Procurement Process
•Streamlines the procurement process for environmental, location and design, and inspection work by increasing the initial contract period for term contracts

April 18, 2011

Jeff Caldwell
Press Secretary
(804) 786-2211

http://www.governor.virginia.gov/news/viewRelease.cfm?id=699

McDonnell willing to scrap I-95 tolls if assembly passes roads plan

Tolls are on the table as Gov. Bob McDonnell and House Republican leaders prepare for a showdown with the Senate over raising taxes for transportation for the first time in more th

http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/mcdonnell-willing-to-scrap-i--tolls-if-assembly-passes/article_132ad6a6-7fdb-5a1b-b351-c9deace50f70.html

McDonnell willing to scrap I-95 tolls if assembly passes roads plan

Posted: Thursday, January 31, 2013 12:00 am | Updated: 12:00 am, Fri Feb 1, 2013.

BY MICHAEL MARTZ Richmond Times-Dispatch

Tolls are on the table as Gov. Bob McDonnell and House Republican leaders prepare for a showdown with the Senate over raising taxes for transportation for the first time in more than 25 years.

The McDonnell administration said Wednesday that it is willing to back off of its plan to impose tolls on Interstate 95 if the General Assembly adopts his transportation funding package.

If that happens, the legislation approved by the House Finance Committee on Wednesday commits only to a study of whether the additional funding “will mitigate or eliminate the need to implement tolling on Interstate 95.” In the meantime, no tolling would be allowed on I-95 south of Fredericksburg.

The decision was welcome, if not entirely satisfactory, to Del. Christopher K. Peace, R-Hanover. He has helped lead opposition to tolls proposed on I-95 in Sussex County and potentially north of Richmond.

“It is getting better,” Peace said. “There has to be a hook in the bill so that at the end of the process we can get a more clear and definite statement on stopping the tolls on I-95.”

The governor’s bill, introduced by House Speaker William J. Howell, R-Stafford, and Del. Timothy D. Hugo, R-Fairfax, passed the House Finance Committee on a 14-8 vote with the understanding that it’s likely to change once the legislation goes to conference committee with the Senate.

The Senate Finance Committee will give its answer today, when it hears recommendations of a subcommittee that has met privately in small groups since last week to devise a transportation plan from 15 competing proposals, including McDonnell’s.

Senate leaders have focused primarily on proposals that build on the state’s gasoline tax, either at the pump or wholesale level, while the House bill is based on McDonnell’s unique proposal to eliminate the tax entirely and replace it with an increase in the sales tax.

Secretary of Transportation Sean T. Connaughton said the governor’s proposal is “game changing” because it would make Virginia the first state in the country to abandon the gas tax in the face of increasing vehicle fuel economy that limits the amount of revenue it can raise.

But Del. Vivian E. Watts, D-Fairfax, who was secretary of transportation in 1986 when Virginia last increased taxes for roads and mass transit, called the governor’s proposal “worse than doing nothing.”

Watts said the plan would raise money for maintenance of existing roads statewide but produce little revenue for road construction in the urban areas that need help most. If that happens, she said, the opportunity to raise revenue won’t come again soon.

“Addressing the urban crescent’s needs is not only fair play but essential to our economy,” she said.

Instead, Watts offered a substitute proposal that included most of McDonnell’s ideas, while raising the wholesale tax on gasoline and giving Northern Virginia the ability to raise its local sales tax for regional transportation projects.

She also dropped the governor’s plan to divert more money from the general fund to pay for transportation, an idea that is widely opposed by Democrats in both chambers.

Her proposal would raise an estimated $1.4 billion a year, she said, compared with the $840 million a year the governor’s plan would raise by its fifth year.

All told, Connaughton said the governor’s bill would raise $3.2 billion for transportation over five years, but Watts and other critics noted the plan relies heavily on taxing Internet sales through legislation Congress has yet to approve.

The legislature’s Conservative Caucus also opposes the governor’s proposal because they say it would raise taxes too much, rather than too little.

“Unfortunately, the bill that was approved by the House Finance Committee today would result in higher taxes for working Virginians,” said Del. Benjamin L. Cline, R-Rockbridge, caucus chairman, who voted against the bill.

The House committee did not vote on Watts’ proposal because Chairman Harry R. Purkey, R-Virginia Beach, ruled that the governor’s plan would be the only one considered by the panel.

Purkey also ruled out a substitute proposed by Dels. David B. Albo, R-Fairfax, and Richard L. Anderson, R-Prince William, that would keep the gas tax while indexing it for inflation, raise the sales tax but eliminate its application to food purchases, and increase the sales tax in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads for regional projects.

Anderson, who ultimately voted for the McDonnell bill, said, “We know the real work will be done in conference” with the Senate.

In addition to opening the door to dropping tolls, the McDonnell administration amended its bill to provide for a tax refund to drivers who would continue to pay the state tax on diesel fuel for their cars. The proposal would maintain the diesel tax to collect revenue from interstate truckers.

The amended bill also would remove natural gas-powered vehicles from a proposed $100 annual fee on alternative fuel vehicles, including hybrids, even though owners of conventional vehicles wouldn’t pay the state gas tax.

Connaughton said the fee on the other types of alternative vehicles, such as those powered by electricity, still would be justified, because drivers of those vehicles aren’t paying as much federal gas tax as people with conventional gas-powered vehicles.

Del. Kathy J. Byron, R-Campbell, questioned whether the administration would use the same reasoning to apply the fee to motorcycles.

“They don’t use as much gas either,” Byron said.

mmartz@timesdispatch.com

(804) 649-6964

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