Transportation industry

BRADENTON, Fla. — Georgia has restarted the Northwest Corridor congestion-reliever project in the Atlanta metropolitan region using a traditional approach to its construction and funding, as opposed to a public-private partnership.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder last Thursday met with top Canadian officials to talk about a proposed $4 billion, publicly funded trade bridge spanning the Detroit River between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, according to local reports.

Chicago announced an agreement Monday with Aeroterm LLC to begin construction on a new, $200 million cargo center at O’Hare International Airport.

State transportation officials, engineers, construction firms and transportation advocacy groups are urging lawmakers working on a final highway bill to support the use of new tax-credit bonds to finance transportation projects.

DALLAS — When financial markets were collapsing in 2008, the North Texas Tollway Authority faced the challenge of raising $3.2 billion to pay for its most ambitious project, the State Highway 121 toll road connecting the far northern Dallas suburbs to the NTTA's existing system.

A recent poll found a slim majority of Arkansas voters oppose a plan to raise the sales tax rate to finance a $1.8 billion highway construction program.

New Hampshire will return to the market with Garvee bonds for the second time in two years as work to widen Interstate 93 continues.

The nation's governors are urging House and Senate conferees working on a final highway bill to avoid doing anything that would restrict flexibility for tax-exempt financing or have a chilling effect on public-private partnerships.

WASHINGTON — Rep. G.K. Butterfield has introduced a bill that would curb the power of federal and state officials to toll interstate highways, just as tolls are increasingly seen by transportation officials as a key alternative to offsetting waning federal gas tax revenues for project funding.

WASHINGTON — Executives of two rail organizations that rely on municipal bonds to finance some projects told international advisory firm KPMG that getting stakeholders and policymakers to buy into and embrace a cultural shift will be key to successfully financing large fast-rail networks.

California’s Legislative Counsel says the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s $93 million purchase of a building in San Francisco, using bridge toll money, violates state law.

LOS ANGELES — A bankruptcy judge has approved the Las Vegas Monorail Co.'s reorganization plan, allowing it to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy while nearly wiping out the investment made by bondholders.

The New York State Thruway Authority plans to finance the construction of the new Tappan Zee Bridge mostly through toll-backed bonding, executive director Thomas Madison said.

DALLAS — The Kansas House adopted a $14.4 billion budget for fiscal 2013 late Tuesday that takes money from Department of Transportation revenues to raise public education funding by $50 million.

Louisiana saved more than $100 million in debt service costs with last week’s $803 million refunding of gasoline and fuels tax revenue bonds, said state Treasurer John Kennedy.

A coalition of public finance groups is lobbying hard for House and Senate conferees working on a long-term highway bill to include a provision that would temporarily increase the limit for bank-qualified bonds.

DALLAS — El Paso County, Texas, will dedicate $27 million of proceeds from $110 million of certificates of obligation to complete a bridge project across the Rio Grande into Mexico.

DALLAS — Two major airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines, are trying to sway public opinion in a showdown between two Houston airports that resembles a recent fight in Dallas.

Illinois Transportation Secretary Ann L. Schneider last week unveiled a $9.2 billion multi-year program that combines planning and programming for highways, airports, rail and mass transit from fiscal 2013 to fiscal 2018.

Massachusetts is scheduled to sell $419.3 million of commonwealth transportation fund revenue bonds by competitive bid under its accelerated bridge program.