Maine Turnpike Authority (MTA) is focusing proposed toll increases on out-of-staters, with the possibility of legal troubles from class action suits claiming infringement of the US constitution. This in the context of proposing slightly different ways it can gain a needed 23% increase in revenues or $20m/year extra. 740 words  read more »

New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine has told the Newark Star Ledger newspaper he has paid a former Turnpike Authority and state Treasury accountant Rocco Riccio $362,500 in a legal settlement. Riccio the brother-in-law of Corzine's then girlfriend Carla Katz is reported to have gained a job at the Turnpike with the Governor's help. 683 words  read more »

The New York Times reports that the Ravitch Commission will propose tolls on the currently free East River and Harlem River bridges to raise a net $600m/year to help cover the growing losses of the New York area rail and bus system of the NYMTA (New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority). The Ravitch Commission was appointed by the state governor David Paterson to advise on how to fund a burgeoning deficit in city transit.
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The great financial crisis has produced a cluster of cliches and a meltdown of metaphors. New York Times' Jeff Zeleny page one piece led off this morning: "President-elect Barack Obama sought to seize the reins of the economic crisis Monday as he and his new economic team worked closely with President Bush to inject confidence..."
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There are fears that legislative meddling in the the proposed toll increases approved by the board of the Massachusetts Turnpike could trigger default orders and calls against about $500m in borrowings. This week Turnpike CEO Alan LeBovidge issued a statement in which he said that the Turnpike's liabilities under three shaky swap contracts have "skyrocketed" to $447m. And the numbers change every day, most often upward.
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Traffic on US roads in September at 232.8b VM (vehicle-miles) was down 4.4% (10.7b vehicle-miles less than 200709's 243.6b VM), the lowest September number since 2001 and down a full 5% from the 2006 Sept high of 245.1b VM. The 4.4% decline is somewhat smaller than the month-on-a-year-ago drop in August (-5.6%) but larger than that in July (-3.7%).
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A gasoline tanker truck rolled over and caught fire on the New Jersey Turnpike north off ramp of IC16W at NJ3 in East Rutherford in the Meadowlands, Thursday Nov 20, 3pm. The tanker had the standard 8500 gallons (32k liters) of gasoline aboard and the plume of smoke sent up by the fire could easily be seen from all over Manhattan 10km (6 miles) and more away. 394 words  read more »

The Atlantic City Expressway looks likely to become New Jersey's first all-electronic or cashless tollroad, but contrary to local news reports it's not yet a done deal. The Press of Atlantic City newspaper reported bluntly this week: "Paper and coin will be monetary history on the Atlantic City Expressway by the end of 2010. Expressway operators said Tuesday that's when they expect to implement their plan to make the toll road cash-free."
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The Illinois Tollway board voted today to implement the Governor Blagojevich's Congestion Relief Program, Phase Two which includes difficult "Green Lanes." The plan was announced by the Governor's office last month without any known feasibility study, and the Tollway has now taken on the job of making it work.
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Ohio Turnpike Commission's board has approved public hearings on new toll rates to take effect the fourth quarter of 2009 when electronic tolling is due to begin. The proposal also involves a second round of increases Jan 1, 2012. In late 2009 the Commission will keep current toll rates for cars using transponders, but hike the cash toll rates substantially - for cars by 48%.
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Environmentalists have run up the white flag and agreed to end obstructionist efforts against the Inter County Connector (ICC) tollroad in Montgomery County Maryland, 15 miles (25km) north of the White House. 663 words  read more »

A little history is prompted by this nice picture of "a bridge on the Delaware River" we found on the web by a local photographer. It is confirmed by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission as their Washington Crossing Bridge 8 miles (13km) upstream of Trenton. 1315 words  read more »

An elaborate modeling of housing prices and traffic congestion in cities across the US concludes that financing roads with comprehensive congestion priced tolls rather than taxes rather would provide major benefits in reducing housing prices and sub-optimal densities - 'sprawl' - as well as reducing the familiar delays and uncertain travel times. 571 words  read more »

In a bold move to put the Massachusetts Turnpike on a sounder financial footing the board today voted 4 to 1 for big toll increases. They are designed to increase revenues of the metropolitan Boston section (Turnpike Metro) by around 50% or from around $175m/year to $265m, officials said. Some toll rates are doubled.  read more »

Macquarie's diverse tollroad holdings and their quarterly reporting provide a convenient sampling of toll traffic trends to start with. September quarter (Q3) data they've just released show the biggest decline in the commuter-heavy barrier section of the Indiana Toll Road with average daily transactions 81k 2008Q3 (third quarter) vs 105k 2007Q3 or a drop of 23%. 1262 words  read more »

After weeks of leaks, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has publicly put his case for abolition of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority (MTA). Published in the Boston Globe (op-ed page Nov 13) the Governor says previous administrations saddled the Turnpike with unsupportable debt, handed out jobs based on patronage, diverted capital funds for current salaries, and left no viable plan for the future.
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Governor Deval Patrick is proposing to abolish the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority - handing over the Metropolitan section to Massachusetts Port Authority (Mass Port) and to de-toll the rural section of the Turnpike west of the MA128 (I-95) circumferential road toward the western outskirts of the Boston metro area. He'd add tolls at the New York state line at the far western end of the Turnpike where it connects to the New York State Thruway.
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The great global financial fiasco has its fun side. Mrs Fang He, apparently an emigrant Chinese woman filed with the Australian Stock Exchange November 5 that she had become, under the rules of trading, a "substantial holder" of stock in BrisConnections, a recently formed toll concession in Brisbane, Australia's third city. She bought 32.3 million shares ('units' there) or 8.6% of the equity of BrisConnections.
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New tolls in New York City are in play again, this time to raise money to support the MTA's subways and buses. Governor Paterson is due to get the report of a Commission on MTA Financing headed by transit veteran Richard Ravitch December 5, and it considered likely to recommend heavy reliance on new tolls raise extra revenue. (Artwork by Bascove)
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Kris Kolluri, the departing chairman of the New Jersey Turnpike is reported as saying Governor Corzine is hot for a start on the big Turnpike widening project. NJBIZ this afternoon quotes Kolluri as saying: "Governor Corzine told me he wants the Turnpike and Garden State Parkway with shovels in the ground by January. But I said to him, 'Give me time until March and April.' "
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