Infra Insight Blog : written by Nossaman LLP Infrastructure attorneys, covers infrastructure project delivery, including Public-Private Partnerships, Operations & Management Agreements, policy, and news.

The Indiana Finance Authority (IFA) announced today that IFA and Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) will be providing updated information and answering questions from prospective proposers related to the procurement of the East End Crossing of the Ohio River Bridges Project on March 2, 2012 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, KY. All interested parties should pre-register here for the event by 5:00 p.m. on Feb. 29, 2012.

As previously announced, the Ohio River Bridges Project will include two procurement processes, with IFA and INDOT responsible for procuring the East End Crossing on behalf of the State of Indiana.

It is expected that the East End Crossing will be procured as an availability payment concession. The IFA expects to issue a Request for Qualifications relating to the East End Crossing on or about March 9, 2012.

Contact Will Wingfield via e-mail or at (317) 233-4675 for more information.

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On Feb. 15, 2012, the North Carolina Department of Transportation advertised a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the I-77 HOT Lanes Project located in the Charlotte-Mecklunberg area.  The RFQ seeks interested teams to submit their Statement of Qualifications to develop, design, build, finance, operate, and maintain HOT lanes along the I-77 corridor through a public-private partnership.  The project will involve the conversion of existing HOV lanes to HOT lanes, and the extension of HOT lanes along the I-77 corridor.

An industry forum is scheduled for Feb. 23, 2012 in Charlotte, N.C., and responses to the RFQ will be due March 15, 2012.  Information on the project and how to request a copy of the RFQ can be obtained here.

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The California High-Speed Rail Authority has shortlisted five design-build teams in response to its first design-build project for the first segment of the California High-Speed Train System in California's Central Valley. 
 
The shortlisted teams are: 

• California Backbone Builders, composed of Ferrovial Agroman and Acciona
• California High-Speed Rail Partners, composed of Fluor Corp., Skanska and PCL Constructors
• California High-Speed Ventures, composed of Kiewit Corp., Granite Construction and Comsa EMTE
• Dragados SA, Flatiron Construction Corp. and Shimmick Construction
• Tutor Perini Corp., Zachry Construction and Parsons Corp. 

Known as Construction Package 1 of the Initial Construction Section, this first project is located within the Counties of Madera and Fresno and the City of Fresno, and is expected to have a cost between $1.5 and $2 billion.  The shortlisted teams will be eligible to submit design-build proposals to design and build the initial project.  The Request for Proposals is anticipated to be released next month. 
 
The planned California High-Speed Train System length is approximately 800 miles from Sacramento to San Diego, with nine segments running through the Bay Area, Central Valley, Inland Empire, and Southern California.  The train will travel at speeds up to 220 miles per hour with approximately 15 stops.

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The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has authorized the City and County of Honolulu to begin construction of a 20-mile, $5 billion rail transit project.  The FTA Letter of No Prejudice allows the City to begin up to $184.7 million in construction and other activities on the project, including the first sections of raised guideways from East Kopolei to Pearl Highlands.  The 20-mile rail project will extend from Kapolei to Ala Moana Center in downtown Honolulu and includes a station at the Honolulu International Airport. 

Hawaii state courts have rejected state law challenges to the project.  A lawsuit under the National Environmental Policy Act, the National Historic Preservation Act and section 4(f) of the Transportation Act is pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii.

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The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced a much-anticipated fourth round of funding for USDOT’s popular TIGER Discretionary Grants program, totalling $500 million for capital investments in surface transportation infrastructure.

Pre-applications must be submitted by Feb. 20, 2012 and final applications must be submitted by March 19, 2012.  Previous rounds of competitive TIGER grants were heavily over-subscribed.  The last round attracted 848 applications with funding requests for $14.29 billion, while USDOT awarded funds in December 2011 for 46 capital projects totaling $511 million.

USDOT did not make many substantive changes in this week's notice to the TIGER application and selection process as compared to previous TIGER funding rounds.  Authorizing legislation for this round allows for an amount not to exceed $175 million of the $500 million total to be used to pay the subsidy and administrative costs for a project receiving credit assistance under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 1998 (TIFIA) program.  Applicants for these TIGER TIFIA payments must submit a TIGER application and a separate TIFIA letter of interest.

USDOT will also specifically make up to $100 million in TIGER funds available to high speed and intercity passenger rail projects, which have fallen out of favor in Congress but remain an Obama Administration priority.

More detailed information can be found in USDOT’s Notice of Funding Availability published in the Jan. 31, 2012 Federal Register.

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