Transportation industry

WASHINGTON - Fitch Ratings says the United States is downshifting just as President Obama is expected to include transportation spending as a major part of the job creation program he will present to Congress Thursday night.

CHICAGO - The Ohio State University board this week will consider a proposal to privatize its parking system for an upfront payment from a private operator.

BRADENTON, Fla. - With a deal uniquely structured to meet investors' demands, a Florida conduit issuer has sold one of the largest tax-exempt bond financings to date for an airport fixed-base operator.

Pennsylvania's beleaguered capital received some positive news when the Harrisburg Parking Authority agreed to help the struggling city make general obligation payments due next week with a loan package.

Moody’s Investors Service last Thursday downgraded the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority’s revenue bonds to A1 from Aa3. The move affects $692.4 million of outstanding debt. The outlook is stable. The HCAA oversees Tampa International Airport on Florida’s west-central coast.

BRADENTON, Fla. - Santa Rosa Bay Bridge Authority bondholders, in limbo since a majority of authority board members resigned and having seen a payment default July 1, may see some relief soon.

San Antonio’s hopes to build a streetcar line that could lead to more rail projects suffered a setback after two leaders of an advisory commission resigned recently.

Gov. Mike Beebe has set Nov. 8 as the election date for a constitutional amendment that would continue Arkansas’ Garvee program.

The New York State Thruway Authority and the State of New York Mortgage Agency are scheduled to hold bond sales on Thursday totaling $500 million, with each following a Wednesday retail order period.

LOS ANGELES - The San Diego Association of Governments is leaning away from issuing bonds to fund the $345 million purchase of a toll road from a private operator.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s board of directors will vote on Sept. 29 whether to issue $250 million in bonds.

Moody’s Investors Service has downgraded the long-term underlying rating on the Sacramento Transportation Authority’s variable-rate revenue bonds from to Aa3 from Aa2.

President Obama Wednesday, eager to prevent another political showdown over expiring legislation, called on Congress to quickly renew the surface transportation law that expires at the end of September.

Georgia Department of Transportation chief engineer Gerald Ross will become the director of the state’s public-private partnership program. A 29-year veteran of GDOT, he replaces Sandra Burgess, who is retiring this week.

The termination of NASA’s space shuttle program, primarily located at the Kennedy Space Center in central Florida, is a credit negative for Brevard County and surrounding areas, Moody’s Investors Service said in Monday’s Weekly Credit Outlook.

DALLAS - With its federal funding restored amid efforts to regain public trust, the Harris County Metropolitan Transit Authority in Houston is preparing a $511 million deal to get its belated light-rail expansion back on track.

Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe is expected this week to set a Nov. 8 election on extending the state’s existing $575 million Garvee road bond program to pay for maintenance on 300 miles of interstate highway.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo nominated former state transportation commissioner Thomas Madison as executive director of the New York State Thruway Authority, subject to Senate confirmation.

CHICAGO — The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority board Thursday approved a $12 billion, 15-year capital program that relies on a steep increase in passenger tolls to repay $4.8 billion in borrowing and raise cash to maintain and expand its existing 286-mile system.

The Port of Oakland was able to achieve $29.2 million in present-value debt service savings by selling $345.7 million of refunding revenue bonds — the highest known level of savings achieved by the port on a refunding, officials said.