Infra Insight Blog

Last Tuesday, President Donald Trump tweeted his support for a “very big and bold” $2 trillion infrastructure package to be included in Congress’ next response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  To date, Congress has passed three bills to combat the effects of the coronavirus outbreak, which has ravaged the global economy and caused more than 297 million Americans to be placed under some form of lockdown.  The latest bill, known as the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, was signed into law on March 27, 2020 and directs more than $2 trillion in spending to ...

As the number of those impacted by the coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic continues to grow, affected parties across all industries look for guidance on how to deal with this novel situation.  Governments and private parties are analyzing project contracts as they take precautionary actions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.  In this midst of all of this confusion, two questions arise:  What does the COVID-19 pandemic and the steps being taken in response mean for your project contracts? And, will an excusable delay/force majeure clause provide any protection for the impacts of ...

Like several state and local transportation agencies around the nation, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) is looking to roll out a fleet of autonomous vehicles. However, unlike other entities, the JTA is hoping to meld this new technology with an aging monorail system that needs updating.

Through its Ultimate Urban Circulator Program (U²C), the JTA is looking for a private partner to help it roll out an autonomous vehicle fleet through multiple phases. The JTA will first deploy autonomous vehicles at-grade along Bay Street in downtown Jacksonville, then convert the ...

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has authorized a three-year $27.5 million environmental and engineering study to investigate the replacement of existing High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes on the 405 freeway with toll lanes between the 101 and 10 freeways.

According to Metro, the 405 is one of the nation’s most traveled urban highways, with more than 400,000 people commuting through this corridor each day. The proposed toll lanes are aimed at creating a faster way for some drivers to navigate the Sepulveda Pass from the 101 freeway in the San ...

Ever since both 2016 presidential candidates made infrastructure investment a core component of each of their platforms, we have been waiting for a significant infusion of federal funds to modernize our aging bridges, highways, and transit systems. One of the few remaining bipartisan issues, members of both political parties had high hopes that a large infrastructure bill would be possible. While this has yet to materialize, the Senate, House, and Administration have all taken steps to advance the ball. But with the current transportation law—the Fixing America’s Surface ...

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has announced (as of last month) the Accelerating Innovative Mobility (AIM) initiative to encourage and advance innovation in the transit sector.  AIM will provide a total of $11 million in challenge grants to transit agencies experimenting with innovative ways of doing business, such as exploring new service delivery models, creative financing, novel partnerships and integrated payment.  As part of the AIM initiative, FTA’s Fiscal Year 2020 competitive grant programs, totaling $615 million, will highlight innovation as part of ...

Rhode Island is trying to put the brakes on a federal lawsuit brought by the trucking industry that could steer the state’s truck toll system into a ditch.  The outcome could create speed bumps for transportation agencies considering deployment of innovative congestion management tools.

In 2016 the Rhode Island General Assembly passed the Rhode Island Bridge Replacement, Reconstruction, and Maintenance Fund Act of 2016 (“RhodeWorks Act”) to fill a funding gap between revenue needed to maintain the state’s bridges in sound condition and the state’s revenue sources.  The ...

Last week I attended the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.  During my Revenue and Finance Committee meeting we heard a presentation from Roger Bohnert, Director of Outreach and Development, for the Build America Bureau.  Among several priorities for the TIFIA Program, the low cost federal credit program for transportation projects, Mr. Bohnert described the Rural Projects Initiative, or “RPI,” which is designed to encourage more utilization of the TIFIA Program for projects in communities with a population of less than 150,000 (based on the ...

The University of Iowa has entered into a 50-year utility public-private partnership (P3), engaging a private partner to operate, maintain, optimize, and improve the University’s existing utility system and help the University transition to coal-free energy production by 2024. ENGIE North America and Meridiam will serve as the University’s private partner. According to the University, the deal represents one of the first utility P3s entered into by any university in the country.  

Under this 50-year P3 agreement, the University’s private partner will provide steam ...

Watch out Silicon Valley, Sacramento is gearing up to launch a research center and prototype lab focused on developing electric and autonomous vehicle technologies.  The California Mobility Center is largely funded by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District and supported by a band of public and private partners, including the City of Sacramento, Greater Sacramento Economic Council, Los Rios Community College District, University of California Davis, California State University Sacramento, PEM Motion, and Valley Vision Inc.  EnerTech of Toronto will be managing the ...