Transportation industry

The Senate has approved a Federal Aviation Administration authorization bill that would establish a pilot program giving six airports the ability to set their own passenger facilities charges, which currently are capped at $4.50 and are used to back bonds.

The start date of a long-planned commuter line between Ann Arbor and Detroit has been postponed due to lack of funding.

The Illinois Senate last week approved a bill that would establish the Illinois and Midwest High Speed Rail Commission to oversee initial planning for high-speed rail service. The legislation is expected to be approved by the House and signed by Gov. Pat Quinn.

WASHINGTON — Another extension of federal transportation programs beyond the end of this year is highly possible, a congressional aide and transportation industry sources said at a conference here yesterday.

New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority goes to market today with a smaller revenue anticipation note deal than last year, reflecting lower revenue than original expected from a bailout package.

Toll-road bond investors can stop panicking over high gasoline prices.

Democratic Gov. Mark Parkinson joined with two of his Republican predecessors last week to urge Kansas legislators to provide more money for transportation programs.

DALLAS — Amid growing pains in an economic downturn, Austin is considering a second convention hotel while laying the groundwork for a $100 million transportation bond issue.

The Nassau County Bridge Authority plans to market $10.9 million of tax-exempt bonds to retail investors on Wednesday to rehabilitate a draw bridge on Long Island. Institutional pricing is expected to follow on Thursday.

WASHINGTON — There are 10,000 transportation infrastructure projects under way in all 50 states and the District of Columbia with funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Vice President Joe Biden announced yesterday.

SAN FRANCISCO — The Los Angeles Department of Airports plans to sell $898 million of revenue bonds next week to finance the rebuilding of the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport.

The House yesterday unanimously approved a bill that would provide a three-month extension of aviation programs, including airports’ ability to collect fees they use to back bonds. The bill also includes provisions that would change how some surface transportation funds are distributed.

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority in central Florida expects to be in the market today with retail pricing of up to $375 million of revenue bonds.

DALLAS — As a young agency with a senior debt rating at the lowest rung of investment grade, the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority needed an innovative approach to finance its latest project known as the 183A Toll Road Extension.

CHICAGO — The Indiana General Assembly last weekend wrapped up its session with some major highlights, authorizing the privatization of two of the state's largest infrastructure projects and moving to preserve recent property tax caps by making them part of the state constitution.

A tax bill amendment that was introduced last week by Sens. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., and Byron L. Dorgan, D-N.D., would establish a pilot program for six airports to collect potentially unlimited passenger facilities charges.

DALLAS — Houston’s Metropolitan Transit Authority said it plans to issue $2.6 billion of bonds to finance five new light-rail lines, even though voters only authorized a quarter of that amount.

WASHINGTON — A high-level Department of Transportation official told lawmakers yesterday that the Obama administration will support “ambitious local initiatives” for large-scale projects, such as a 12-line transit project in Los Angeles.

Congressional foot-dragging on federal transportation policy reverberated again at the state level this week, as the Missouri Department of Transportation decided not to put projects out for bids, making March the second consecutive month the state canceled bids due to federal funding uncertainty.

DALLAS — After years of battling opposition to a $1.8 billion toll road proposal on the Trinity River near downtown, ­Dallas is facing another financial challenge to the star-crossed project.