Economy

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie last week appointed Sen. Bill Baroni to serve as deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New ­Jersey.

The Massachusetts Port Authority plans to issue $110 million of private-activity bonds before the end of 2010 to take advantage of the federal government’s temporary suspension of the alternate minimum tax for such deals.

CHICAGO — The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission enters the market this week with $185 million of Garvee bonds to complete the financing of its Safe and Sound bridge program and to fund its share of a new span across the Mississippi River.

BRADENTON, Fla. — On the heels of an upgrade for its Garvees, Kentucky tomorrow plans to sell $90 million of the debt for work related to its share of the massive $4.1 billion Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project.

After two years of turmoil, the nonprofit health care sector might see some relief in 2010, Standard & Poor's said in a new outlook report.

New Jersey Acting Treasurer Andrew Eristoff Thursday told a Senate committee that the New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund Authority may refund bonds to help generate needed borrowing capacity in fiscal 2011.

The Washington Senate Tuesday approved a bill that sponsors say will allow the state to move forward with plans for a toll-financed replacement of the Highway 520 floating bridge over Lake Washington.

State and local transportation authorities in more than 40 states will receive a total of $1.5 billion in grant or loan subsidy funds to support 51 projects that range from port revitalization to toll roads and streetcars.

NJ Transit may increase fares on buses and trains as early as May to help absorb a $33 million funding cut from the state and help plug a projected fiscal 2011 deficit of nearly $300 million.

The Michigan Department of Transportation says a report released this week confirms the need for a proposed $2.3 billion, bond-financed bridge spanning the busy trade route between Detroit and Canada.

Atlanta BeltLine Inc.'s board of directors last week selected lead designers for the BeltLine project and established the basis for future design and construction, the agency announced.

WASHINGTON — The Department of Transportation plans to announce the award of stimulus grants to help fund more than 50 projects across the country, senior Obama administration officials said Tuesday.

A bankruptcy judge in Las Vegas is scheduled to hear arguments today over whether or not the Las Vegas Monorail Co. really is an independent nonprofit that is entitled to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Federal officials, citing a failure to adequately study the civil rights impacts of the project, have followed through on a threat to withdraw a $70 million stimulus grant that was to help finance a rail link between Oakland International Airport and the nearest Bay Area Rapid Transit District train station.

Moody's Investors Service assigned a negative outlook last week to the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority's outstanding limited-tax general obligation debt, saying it faces a number of economic and fiscal challenges, including depleted reserves and a steep decline in its main revenue source.

Moody's Investors Service downgraded the Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati to A2 from A1 after two hospitals separated from the five-hospital system and two more have said they intend to leave. The outlook remains negative.

A DuPage County Circuit Court judge last week handed over the title of St. Johannes Cemetery to Chicago, advancing the city's effort to clear a path for one of several new runways planned as part of the $8 billion expansion of O'Hare International Airport.

WASHINGTON — The South Carolina-based issuer of $322.5 million of toll road revenue bonds that are in default appears to be preparing to file for bankruptcy, according to a disclosure ­document.

WASHINGTON — A mileage-based revenue system to fund federally assisted transportation projects could be implemented within about five years, the RAND Corp. said in a report released online last week.

SAN FRANCISCO — Voters in two counties north of San Francisco gave overwhelming support in 2008 to a ballot measure taxing themselves to build a new commuter train line.