Transportation industry

Denver's Regional Transportation District will decide by the end of the month whether to proceed with a $350 million light rail line through the suburb of Aurora after winning positive comments at a public hearing 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.

A Federal appeals court refused a rehearing on its decision to reject federal permits for North Carolina's Monroe Connector toll road.

The Santa Rosa Bay Bridge Authority, Fla. missed its third bond payment on July 1 because toll revenues were insufficient to pay debt service, according to a market notice filed by Bank of New York Mellon.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed several pieces of legislation authorizing $1.6 billion in new state borrowing to finance transportation and transit projects and extending an increase in the Regional Transportation Authority of Illinois' working cash notes limits.

Two Virginia authorities will price a total of more than $200 million of bonds in separate negotiated deals over the next week. The Virginia Resources Authority will price $81 million of bonds in a pool deal on behalf of 13 local issuers on July 12. In addition, the Commonwealth Transportation Board will sell $125.5 million of grant anticipation revenue bonds less than a week later.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder last week signed into law legislation that will set aside a portion of sales tax revenues for the cash-strapped transportation fund.

Moody's Revised its Outlook to Stable from Negative on A1-rated Indianapolis Airport Authority, citing strong financial performance.

The Massachusetts Port Authority, which needs to shuffle gates at Boston's airport to accommodate the United-Continental merger and JetBlue expansion, plans to sell $285 million in new money and refunding.

Up to $140 million of transportation projects may be part of Austin's general obligation bond referendum in November, along with an expected $250 million of capital improvement projects.

A constitutional amendment authorizing up to $1.3 billion of state highway construction bonds will be Issue 1 on the Arkansas Nov. 6 ballot.

California's general obligation bond sales are set to swell to $6 billion this fiscal year due in part to the sale of high-speed rail bonds.

In a vote California officials said was key to the future of its ambitious high-speed passenger train project, the state Senate voted Friday to move forward with the line.

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.

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.

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted 5-4 to go ahead with the county's participation in the second phase of the Washington Metrorail's Silver Line extension, committing the county to an approximately $270 million share of the construction costs of the controversial and largely bond-financed project.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the recent passage of the $105 billion highway bill is a boost for the Tappan Zee Bridge replacement project because it includes an increase in funding for the TIFIA program.

Congress' $101.3 billion highway bill will advance the development of Interstate 69 between the border with Mexico and Texas seaports, state officials said.

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