Transportation industry

Motorists and mass-transit riders could see higher bridge tolls and mass transit fares by mid-September if the Delaware River Port Authority of Pennsylvania and New Jersey approves the increases at its monthly board meeting on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON - The Maryland Department of Transportation will bring $280 million of consolidated transportation bonds to market on Wednesday. The competitive sale is the second of the department's 2008 series. Proceeds from the revenue-backed bonds will go toward an amalgam of capital projects.

SAN FRANCISCO - The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's $40 billion sales tax measure moved closer to passage in the California Legislature late Wednesday.

They both receive a dedicated portion of Massachusetts' underperforming sales tax revenue, yet the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority anticipates selling roughly $300 million of new-money bonds in October while the Massachusetts School Building Authority will hold off on new borrowing until 2009.

A bill drafted to facilitate the creation of high-occupancy toll lanes on the State Route 91 freeway in Riverside County cleared the Assembly Monday on a 74-to-1 vote. The Senate has already approved the bill, but it will need to reconsider it because of technical amendments added in the Assembly.

The New York State Department of Transportation has preliminarily selected a group led by Merrill Lynch & Co. to serve as financial adviser on the multibillion-dollar Tappan Zee Bridge corridor project, NYSDOT spokeswoman Jennifer Post said yesterday.

The $300 million of Gulf Opportunity Zone bonds allocated for a rail car manufacturing plant in Colbert County, Ala., would be in jeopardy under a bill that has been introduced in the House that would effectively block any tax-exempt financing for the project.

WASHINGTON - Moody's Investors Service changed its outlook to negative for U.S. airports in a report issued today, one of two new rating agency reports on the sector's credit.

DALLAS - Supporters of a $42 billion transportation plan said yesterday they plan to sue Arizona Secretary of State Jan Brewer for invalidating the petition to place the proposal on the November ballot.

SAN FRANCISCO - The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors yesterday placed the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's $40 billion sales tax measure on the November ballot.

WASHINGTON - The anemic federal highway trust fund and the overall U.S. transportation funding system are in dire need of help from Washington lawmakers, Rep. John L. Mica, R-Fla., said yesterday at a meeting of transportation officials in Florida.

The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority can now use the state's appropriation pledge on an upcoming $800 million refunding deal after Gov. Deval Patrick yesterday signed into law a more than $2 billion general bond bill that will help finance capital improvements throughout the state.

CHICAGO - A DuPage County, Ill., Circuit Court judge yesterday cleared the path for Chicago's demolition of about 500 suburban homes to make room for the $7.5 billion runway expansion plan at O'Hare International Airport, although local opponents vowed to carry on their legal challenge.

DALLAS - With airlines under unprecedented financial stress, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport is continuing to cut costs to help its tenants survive, officials said yesterday.

DALLAS - The president of a Tulsa police association has warned the city council about devoting too much of the city's financial resources to a proposed 12-year, $2 billion street maintenance program.

The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority will review proposals for underwriting services on a $800 million refinancing bond deal that officials expect to price later this year.

WASHINGTON - Gasoline prices at $4.00 or more per gallon for a prolonged period could depress toll road traffic and revenue, and compel governments to increase tolls to prevent credit rating downgrades, Moody's Investors Service warned in a report issued today.

Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta was named the world’s busiest airport in 2007 by the Airports Council International.

SAN FRANCISCO - The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's $40 billion sales tax measure has been caught in a traffic jam. It's unclear whether the 30-year, half-cent sales tax will make it to the November ballot.

Pennsylvania Turnpike Authority officials yesterday announced a proposed electronic tolling plan on Interstate 80 that would implement nine stations along the roadway, bringing in roughly $450 million of toll revenue each year.