Infrastructure

The Chicago City Council will take up ordinances as soon as Wednesday authorizing up to $1.65 billion of O'Hare International Airport debt that will raise new money for the airport's $8 billion expansion.

Changes to the tax code capping the tax exemption of municipal bonds would increase borrowing costs for public power providers of all sizes, according to a new report from the American Public Power Association.

Three Standard and Poor's analysts speaking in the wake of federal sequestration cuts said that public power utilities, water and sewer entities, and the transportation sector should all remain fairly stable for the next year despite a number of pressures.

The finance committee of New York's MTA approved up to $1.7 billion of transportation revenue bonds and Triborough Bridge bonds for capital projects.

S&P and Fitch Ratings this week held conference calls to detail the criteria driving their BBB ratings on Tuesday's sale of $641M of private activity bonds that will finance what is one of the only publicly rated public-private partnerships that features an availability-payment structure.

Florida is seeking qualified firms interested in a public-private partnership to build a $2.1B managed-lanes project on Interstate 4 through Orange and Seminole counties.

The Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act has been touted by many as a crucial funding source for major projects, but most states have never used the program and say it has little value for them.

A 13-city tax district in North Texas for a $2.7 billion commuter rail line remains a possibility after State Sen. John Carona filed a bill to authorize its creation.

Two northern Virginian House Democrats have introduced legislation that would authorize the study of an expansion of the Washington Metrorail deeper into the commonwealth.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick's far-reaching transportation funding overhaul proposal would restructure the state tax system in an effort to add new transit service and bring older systems up to date.