Infrastructure

The Public-Private Partnership sector will experience broad but slow growth in the coming year, experts predict.

A federal ruling will allow the $5.2 billion Honolulu elevated rail transit project to move forward, securing $1.5 billion in federal funding approved on Dec. 20.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is considering an anticrash system for its streetcars, but would have to pay around $700 million and take nine years to implement it.

The Illinois State Toll Authority board has approved a $1.5 billion budget for the coming year along with $1 billion in toll-backed bonds in the agency's first borrowing to support its 15-year $12 billion capital program.

With expansion of an international toll bridge in Eagle Pass, Texas, expected to begin in April, Moody's Investors Service affirmed its Baa1 rating on the system's senior lien revenue bonds.

Aviation in North Carolina contributes about $26 billion to the state's economy, or 6% of the state's gross domestic product, according to a study.

The transportation sector will spend next year looking for opportunities to achieve limited legislative goals, while hoping to stay out of the way of lawmakers who may have to slash funds in ongoing efforts to deal with the debt crisis.

Kansas City, Mo., plans to launch construction of a streetcar system next year using a bond financing plan designed to protect the city's general budget from project shortfalls.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder last week signed a series of high-profile economic development legislation that creates a Detroit area regional transit authority and a lighting authority for Detroit and other cities.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's announcement that the city will explore leasing Midway International Airport to private operators came with a full court press to portray any eventual deal as a good one for taxpayers.