Infra Insight Blog

Showing concern for the TIFIA JPO’s slow pace of credit approvals for major US transportation, on July 24, 2013, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works conducted an oversight hearing on the implementation of the TIFIA Program following MAP 21’s expansion of the program almost a year ago.  We are aware of only one project that has received credit approval in that time frame.

Geoff Yarema, a partner in the Infrastructure Practice Group and a member of the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission, provided testimony today at the hearing.

In ...

In addition to taking testimony from public agency project sponsors and industry leaders during the July 24, 2013 oversight hearing on TIFIA conducted by the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, the Committee heard from the Secretary of Transportation, Anthony Foxx, regarding the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) implementation of the TIFIA Program since the July 6, 2012 enactment of MAP-21. 

While touting the overall success of the TIFIA program and detailing USDOT’s efforts to move projects through the TIFIA pipeline, Secretary Foxx also announced ...

In other TIFIA news . . .  

Yesterday, the TIFIA Program Office released updated TIFIA program guidance and loan document templates that purport to reflect the July 6, 2012 enactment of MAP-21.  Among other revisions, the TIFIA Program Guide has been updated to reflect MAP-21’s endorsement of a rolling application process and the imposition of specific statutory deadlines on processing applications.

While the updated TIFIA guidance documents offer welcome support to current and prospective TIFIA applicants, there appears to be at least some additional work to be done to update the ...

Commuters using the heavily congested SR-91 corridor between Riverside and Orange County in Southern California can enjoy an early July 4th celebration—on July 3, 2013, the Riverside County Transportation Commission closed on a billion dollars of financing for the SR-91 project which will provide needed relief of congestion in the corridor when the project is completed in May of 2017.  RCTC achieved financial close on the project less than 60 days after awarding the design-build contract for the project to a joint venture of Atkinson/Walsh.  The SR-91 corridor improvement ...

As we have previously reported,  the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) recently adopted policies requiring Buy America compliance for utility relocations for federally funded transportation projects in cases where the utility performs relocation work.  On June 28, 2013, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), American Public Transportation Association (APTA), streetcar project sponsors, and associations representing electric, gas and broadband utilities sent a joint letter to the ...

After achieving several P3 project milestones and awards in 2012, Virginia’s Office of Transportation Public-Private Partnerships (OTP3) on behalf of the Commonwealth of Virginia released a draft document entitled 2013 Virginia PPTA Project Pipeline for public comment.  The document identified the following 10 projects as potential P3 projects to be procured under Virginia’s Public-Private Transportation Act:

• I-66 Corridor Improvements
• Air Rights Development
• I-64 HOV to HOT Lane Conversion
• I-64 Peninsula Improvements
• Hampton Roads Crossing Improvements
• I-73 ...

On June 27th, Florida Governor Rick Scott signed a bill into law that gives counties, municipalities, school boards and other political subdivisions in the Sunshine State authority to enter into public-private partnership (P3) agreements for facilities that serve a public purpose.  The bill - HB 85 - authorizes P3s for a wide range of facilities, including education facilities, transportation facilities, water / wastewater facilities, roads, highways and bridges, healthcare facilities and sporting or cultural facilities.  The bill does not cover the Florida Department of ...

As we previously reported in April, organizations that annually recognize top projects and industry organizations worldwide have proven that they are no longer focusing solely on mega-projects that are part of major design-build contracts.  This was apparent at the Partnerships Awards hosted by Partnerships Bulletin and PPP Bulletin International on May 23, 2013, where numerous US agencies and projects received recognition.

The Commonwealth of Virginia’s Office of Transportation Public-Private Partnerships received the distinction of Best Central/Regional ...

Yesterday, the federal Surface Transportation Board (STB) authorized the California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) to construct the initial 65-mile segment of its passenger train system between Merced and Fresno, California.  The system will eventually connect the major population centers of the state on over 800 miles of rail lines, operating at speeds up to 220 mph.

"We welcome this decision and will continue to work with the Surface Transportation Board on the implementation of the nation's first high-speed rail program," said Jeff Morales, the Authority's chief ...

On June 5, 2013, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) announced the shortlist for the proposed I-4 Ultimate Project in Orange and Seminole Counties.

The Project includes the reconstruction of 21 miles of I-4 from west of Kirkman Road in Orange County to east of State Road 434 in Seminole County. The I-4 project adds four tolled express lanes to I-4 while maintaining the existing free general use lanes.

The shortlisted teams were selected based on qualification statements submitted on April 19, 2013 in response to the request for qualifications (RFQ) issued by FDOT on March ...