Infrastructure

Transportation and business leaders on Wednesday discussed controversial solutions for funding American infrastructure, including Build America Bonds, gasoline tax increases, and wider use of tolling.

Infrastructure finance experts and high-speed rail advocates are largely united in the belief that public-private partnerships are the way to finance ambitious bullet train plans, but the exact details continue to be elusive.

A refunding surge triggered by low interest rates and soaring airport issuance contributed to the surge in transportation bond volume in 2012, experts said.

Former investment banker and New York City official Mark Kim is the new chief financial officer at the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, DC Water announced at its board meeting Feb. 7.

The New York City Council has authorized a study to explore relocating utility wires underground in areas of the five boroughs vulnerable to weather.

The City Council in distressed Scranton, Pa., tabled a contract with Standard Parking to manage city meters, citing concerns over fees and revenue projections.

The outlook for U.S. toll roads is negative for the fifth consecutive year, according to a Moody's Investors Service analysis of expectations for the sector over the next 12-18 months.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell's controversial transportation plan passed the House of Delegates Tuesday, but failed to get out of the Senate despite both chambers agreeing to ban tolling on Interstate 95 in the southern part of the state.

Several individuals have emerged as candidates to replace Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood when he steps down, but that person will need to be very proactive to affect meaningful policy, lobbyists say.

New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority must consider the age of its subway system and a strained budget when considering technical enhancements, officials said.

New York's MTA said it saved $310 million by terminating three leveraged lease agreements that exposed itself to downgraded bond insurer Assured Guaranty.

U.S. airports have $71.3 billion in capital needs through 2017, a major airport interest group said Tuesday, a funding goal that they are not on track to meet.

Public-private partnerships are "toxic" to a lot of people and the mere mention of them can hinder projects, California Treasurer Bill Lockyer said Tuesday. Lockyer said, "Avoid talking about public-private partnerships. They are toxic with a lot of people."

A bill pending in the Maryland Senate would require the state transportation authority to begin exploring the possibility of a bond-financed bridge across the Chesapeake Bay.

New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority achieved about $1 billion in present-value savings from its 2012 refundings, according to officials.

Ray LaHood, a big supporter of high-speed rail and the Dulles Silver Line project, plans to step down as Transportation Secretary after a successor is nominated and confirmed by the Senate.

A plan released by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority details $6 billion of investment the nation's second-busiest subway system needs to make over the next 12 years, and stresses the need for new revenue to support it.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell announced on Tuesday that he will recommend over $2 billion of funding for hundreds of transportation projects statewide, new money projected to come from his controversial overhaul of the commonwealth's gas and sales taxes.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told municipal leaders meeting in Washington Friday that he would help protect the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds.

Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., has reintroduced two bills aimed at giving Virginia control of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and strengthening government oversight of the scandal-wracked issuer.