Economy

DALLAS — The battle lines are being drawn in Austin over the capital city’s request for $90 million of general obligation bonds for transportation as opponents ramp up efforts to defeat the proposition on Nov. 2.

Moody’s Investors Service downgraded to Baa1 its underlying rating on Bishop International Airport.

Moody’s Investors Service has pushed Keokuk Area Hospital’s rating on $5.4 million of debt further into junk bond territory due to its weak operating performance.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is considering a two-part financing structure with a private developer that would design, build, finance, and maintain a new Goethals Bridge, according to the request for qualifications for the project.

New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to competitively price $347 million of Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority bonds Wednesday.

SAN FRANCISCO — California’s first public-private project got a $1.1 billion boost from the recently passed state budget, which will fund construction of a new six-lane roadway linking San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge.

DALLAS — Even with ratings at the low end of investment grade, Colorado’s E-470 Public Highway Authority sees an opportunity for favorable interest rates on a $105 million toll revenue bond refunding this week.

Commuter rail service between Boston and Providence will extend south to Warwick, R.I., this year, Rhode Island Gov. Donald Carcieri announced last week.

The New York City Health and Hospitals Corp. said it will use all tax-exempt bonds in its $513.8 million deal pricing this week instead of including a portion of Build America Bonds.

WASHINGTON — A professional group of accountants is asking the Internal Revenue Service to give large nonprofit hospitals a grace period of at least three years to fix any tax compliance problems that could jeopardize their tax-exempt status.

CHICAGO — The Illinois Finance Authority board this week advanced deals to help fund projects for the University of Chicago Medical Center and DePaul University and announced the successful pooling of federal recovery zone facility bond allocations from at least 15 cities and counties for Navistar International Corp.

The Pittsburgh City Council is poised next week to reject a $451.6 million offer for its parking system that would, if completed, raise revenue needed to ward off a state takeover of the city’s pension system, which is only 30% funded.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey plans to sell $850 million of traditional taxable bonds next week to finance construction at the World Trade Center site.

CHICAGO — Moody’s Investors Service downgraded more nonprofit health care providers than it upgraded during the third quarter, a trend it expects to continue through 2011, the agency said in a new report.

WASHINGTON — The top Republican on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is opposing a recent Obama administration plan to invest in transportation, warning it is a year late and unacceptable because it would be paid for by ending tax loopholes for oil companies.

Fitch Ratings affirmed the BB-plus rating on Mount Sinai Medical Center of Greater Miami and revised the outlook to positive last week.

The North Carolina Turnpike Authority will price $275 million of debt Thursday, including $250 million of Build America Bonds, for the Monroe Connector System in a transaction that illustrates how some issuers are jockeying for pricing position ahead of the BAB program’s scheduled expiration.

CHICAGO — The St. Louis Metro will complete a ­refunding Wednesday of its $150 million floating-rate revenue bond issue from 2005, using a ­structure that provides a short-term salve for its fiscal challenges while the transit agency awaits a bump in sales tax dollars from a voter-approved increase.

The New York City Health and Hospitals Corp. plans next week to market its first new-money bonds in seven years. The corporation plans to sell up to $225 million of taxable Build America Bonds and up to $500 million of tax-exempt refunding bonds Tuesday, following a one-day retail order period Monday.

CHICAGO — Novi, Mich.-based Trinity Health Credit Group, one of the country’s largest health care systems, enters the market Wednesday with $276 million of debt.