Transportation industry

The Kansas chapter of the National Federation of Independent Businesses said last week it was "shocked and disappointed" at a city's imposition of a transportation utility fee on property owners based on how much traffic the property generates.

CHICAGO — The last time Nebraska issued bonds to finance highway projects was the summer of 1969. But five years of falling road revenues have prompted lawmakers to give borrowing a fresh look.

CHICAGO — The St. Paul Port Authority and lawyers for a group of 876 Fund bondholders will appear at a court hearing Monday on their dispute over the fate of $51 million of outstanding bonds backed by the struggling economic development fund.

The Delaware River Port Authority last week approved additional management reforms as the agency looks to terminate $53 million of a $403 million derivative associated with its debt.

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Santa Rosa Bay Bridge Authority in northwest Florida has been notified that its guaranteed investment-contract provider wants to terminate its contract, according to authority attorney Roy Andrews.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa advocated his “30/10” plan to accelerate transit project construction at a roundtable event Tuesday he co-chaired with U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer.

New York plans to price two delayed personal income-tax bond deals totaling $1.66 billion over the next two months.

WASHINGTON — A northern Virginia county suing federal and state transportation authorities over certain environmental exemptions for planned high-occupancy toll lanes on two interstate highways has asked the court to add another federal official as a defendant.

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed announced Monday that three finalists are being considered to become general manager at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

The Florida Rail Enterprise, a division in the state Department of Transportation, holds public information meetings next week on the first phase of the state’s high-speed rail program, from Tampa-to-Orlando, which is estimated to cost $2.6 billion.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission are in disagreement over payments the turnpike makes to PennDOT under Act 44.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Miami-Dade County is completing the sale of $217 million of transit sales-tax revenue bonds today for institutional investors.

Fitch Ratings last week downgraded the Wayne County Airport Authority to A-minus from A, now with a stable outlook.

The Indianapolis Airport Authority’s board last week approved a $200 million fiscal 2011 operational budget and a $50 million capital budget that includes no new borrowing.

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley last week announced the formation of a committee to study establishing express rail service between downtown and O’Hare International Airport that would complement the existing rail line.

Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell Monday proposed implementing a profits tax on oil companies and raising motor vehicle fees to generate more than $1 billion per year to help finance road, bridge, and mass transit needs throughout the state.

As members of Congress and the White House struggle to find a suitable replacement for, or addition to, the current gas tax that provides funding for transportation infrastructure, at least one lawmaker is floating the idea of a sales tax on motor fuels.

A poll this week of 504 Pennsylvania residents shows that 95% of participants believe that the quality of the state's transportation is extremely, very, or somewhat important to the state's economy. Overall, 69% of those polled said that the state should increase its spending on roads, bridges, and highways, Republican pollster Frank Luntz said during a press conference with Gov. Edward Rendell Thursday on the survey.

A group of Washington and Oregon leaders signed off this month on important parameters for one of the Northwest's biggest planned public works projects — a replacement for the Interstate 5 crossing of the Columbia River.

Amid big changes in leadership and policies, the North Texas Tollway Authority has agreed to build what could be its last major project for several years.