Infrastructure

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is encouraging states and cities to submit letters of interest for an available $1.7 billion under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan program, which LaHood said could ultimately help leverage $50 billion in transportation investment.

A new Government Accountability Office study examining bus rapid transit concludes that cities with limited funding sources and no major congestion issues may find high-cost features worthwhile only if economic development is a major goal of the bus line.

Amtrak's roughly $7 billion master plan for a complete overhaul of Washington D.C.'s Union Station will likely involve a large collaborative effort mixing public and private funding sources, according to a company spokesman and industry experts.

Moody's Investors Service affirmed the A1 rating for the Metropolitan Utilities District of Omaha, removing it from review for possible downgrade, and assigned a negative outlook.

Sussex County board member Eric Fly voiced his concern over the process and the plan itself, "The whole process is backwards. VDOT isn't going to give the public any time to voice their opinion prior to submitting their final application to the Federal Highway Administration. They clearly know that the public is against the idea and are therefore trying to jam it through before any public comment.

The U.S. Department of Transportation today announced $787 million in grants to 48 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico for 255 projects that will upgrade or replace mass transit infrastructure.

The recently approved Chicago Infrastructure Trust won't replace long-term debt financing, but will allow the city to avoid the controversial act of privatizing public infrastructure, Mayor Rahm Emanuel told guests at a Washington D.C. think tank on Friday.

The importance of passenger facility fees, often used to back bonds, has grown in recent years and is likely to continue playing an expanding role in financing airport capital projects, according to a new Fitch Ratings report.

The outlook for bond-financed transportation infrastructure remains stable, but could possibly see a downturn if the slow economic recovery loses momentum or if banks are downgraded. according to a new mid-year report from Fitch Ratings.

An analysis of rating actions shows that public-private partnerships are highly exposed to the effects of downgrades and negatives outlooks applied to participants in the P3, according to a report from Moody's Investors Service released Thursday.

Aerostar Airport Holdings and Gruopo Aeuropuertos Avance submitted their proposals for a public-private partnership to run the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport this week.

Big bond commitments will be a major piece of the funding puzzle when it comes to constructing a national high-speed rail system, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood affirmed Wednesday.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has submitted his nominations for the new Chicago Infrastructure Trust to the City Council.

A U.S. appeals court will take up a lawsuit as early as October that attacks the financial backing of billions of bonds paying for the Washington Metrorail's Silver Line Extension to Dulles Airport.

Bond Dealers of America released a guide Thursday designed to help the group's members comply with recently-approved guidance from the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board regarding what underwriters must disclose to muni bond issuers.

For states planning cash flows over the next two years, passage of the federal Highway Bill creates a positive scenario for grant anticipation revenue vehicles known as Garvees, according to ratings analysts.

President Obama will sign the compromise two-year, $105 billion highway bill at a White House ceremony on July 6.

Federal lawmakers approved a 27-month, $105 billion surface transportation bill Friday, protecting revenue streams crucial for state and local infrastructure financing despite the absence of municipal bond measures that had been sought by market advocates

A long-awaited federal highway bill does not include the bond-friendly provisions championed by muni market groups and public finance advocates.

Officials from the Chicago Transit Authority Monday said a $20 million federal TIGER grant would allow the agency to move forward with upgrades to a busy transit terminal.