Transportation industry

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.

CHICAGO - The board of the Wayne County Airport Authority recently approved a $3.6 billion master plan for the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport that postpones plans to build a fifth runway and a passenger monorail line.

More than 20 states are vying for $30 million in federal grants to help finance intercity passenger-rail projects, through the first federal-state partnership of its kind at the U.S. Department of Transportation, officials announced yesterday.

Massachusetts bonding authorities could receive additional oversight on borrowing if Gov. Deval Patrick signs legislation granting the state's Finance Advisory Board increased supervisory powers, an initiative that also includes extending its state appropriation pledge to $800 million of Massachusetts Turnpike Authority debt.

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius said last week she does not support an increase in state gasoline and diesel fuel taxes to finance a new 10-year transportation program.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey yesterday said it would block flights into the three airports serving the New York City metropolitan area that are allocated landing slots through an auction conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

BRADENTON, Fla. - The Mississippi Department of Transportation on Friday received three statements of qualifications from firms interested in entering into the state's first public-private partnership.

A former New York state transportation official who helped obtain $2.9 billion of bonds for highway and other projects and pushed for more private investment in state infrastructure has cleared the final hurdle to become administrator of the Federal Highway Administration.

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., unveiled an "emergency" economic plan Friday that would provide $25 billion to states to cover budgetary shortfalls and another $25 billion to replenish the struggling highway trust fund to avoid cutbacks in infrastructure repair and renovate schools.

DALLAS - Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor has proposed a $451.6 million street maintenance plan, which would be financed in part with $258 million of general obligation bonds, as a compromise to two competing street programs sponsored by city councilors and one that she put forth in May.

SAN FRANCISCO - The Los Angeles Unified School District last week placed a $7 billion general obligation bond measure on the Nov. 4 ballot.

Major federal transportation legislation enacted in 2005 helped states make gains in highway infrastructure even though problems such as traffic congestion and bridge deficiencies persist, the Reason Foundation said in its 17th annual report on state-owned road systems.

A former New York transportation official who helped obtain a $2.9 billion statewide bond package for transit, highway, and bridge projects, sailed through a Senate committee hearing Wednesday, earning bipartisan support for his nomination to head the Federal Highway Administration.