Transportation industry

WASHINGTON — U.S. and Virginia lawmakers are ramping up pressure on the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority to reverse an April decision that approved an expensive, underground metro station at the Dulles International Airport as part of the agency’s $6.6 billion Metrorail extension project.

DALLAS — With $15 million in federal grants for a high-speed rail study, Texas officials see the state as well-positioned for developing a Houston-to-Dallas corridor.

DALLAS — A Louisiana bill proposing $3 billion of revenue bonds for state road projects died in a legislative committee Tuesday when its sponsor voluntarily deferred it due to opposition from lawmakers and Gov. Bobby Jindal. The bill would have raised the state’s private-vehicle registration fee to $30 from $10 to support up to $3 billion of bonds for 42 projects in 27 parishes.

Cincinnati’s long-planned proposal to build a streetcar line advanced last week despite opposition from Ohio’s new Republican governor, John Kasich. Mayor Mark Mallory announced last week that the city would begin work on the $95 million, four-mile first segment of the line.

Missouri Department of Transportation director Kevin Keith last week announced a plan to dramatically cut the agency in a bid to redirect funds to road and bridge projects.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is now expected to wait until the Legislature ­approves a fiscal 2012 budget before introducing a draft measure to advance a controversial plan to build a publicly funded bridge over the busy trade route spanning the Detroit River.

Illinois won an additional $454 million in federal high-speed rail funding.

The U.S. Department of Transportation redirected high-speed rail funds originally intended for Florida on Monday, announcing $2 billion of grants to 15 states and Amtrak for 22 projects.

DALLAS — The Texas Department of Transportation would be spared the kind of funding cuts hitting other agencies under a budget bill approved by the state Senate last week.

SAN FRANCISCO — At its inception the South Bay Expressway toll road was promoted as a model public-private partnership. It took ages to build, then quickly plunged into bankruptcy.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Two Virginia issuers that plan to price a combined $806 million of double-A rated tax-exempt bonds early next week should find plenty of investors to snap up the high-grade paper, according to market participants.

The U.S. Department of Transportation on Monday approved a multi-year, full-funding grant agreement to build the $1.2 billion SunRail project in central Florida.

DALLAS — Fitch Ratings has lowered the outlook on Colorado Springs Airport debt from stable to negative while affirming its A-minus rating.

A majority of the nation’s mayors want the new highway bill coming from Congress to emphasize streets and bridges over highways and to provide financing tools such as Build America Bonds, TIFIA loans or a national infrastructure bank.

The federal government last week officially agreed to cover half the nearly $1 billion cost for the 11-mile Central Corridor light-rail line that will connect the downtowns of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

The New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund Authority Wednesday will issue $600 million of state appropriation-backed debt after Moody’s Investors Service downgraded such bonds last week to A1 from Aa3.

Utah Lawmakers will return to Salt Lake City this week to consider overriding Gov. Gary Herbert’s veto of a plan to earmark a large portion of new sales-tax revenue to state road projects.

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority will continue to collect its own tolls rather than outsource manual toll collection services to a private company.

SAN FRANCISCO — The restructuring of $2 billion of San Joaquin Hills toll-road debt appears to have bondholders on board since the alternative is a likely default.

BRADENTON, Fla. — After nearly two decades of planning, a major runway extension project at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in South Florida is finally nearing takeoff.