Infra Insight Blog

Continuing a string of awards recognizing its groundbreaking financial structure, The Bond Buyer named the Port of Miami Tunnel Project the 2010 Deal of the Year in the nontraditional financing category.  The ninth annual black tie event, held in New York City on Dec. 9, recognized some of the country’s most innovative municipal bond issuers for transactions in a range of sectors, including transportation, schools, water and sewer systems, wind, and public pensions.  The publication considered nearly 80 deals that closed between Oct. 1, 2009, and Sept. 30, 2010.

The $1 billion Port ...

This morning, members of the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission and National Transportation Policy Project of the Bipartisan Policy Center released a joint statement urging Congress to take steps toward several transportation policy principles designed to help guide deliberations over how to extend, fund and improve the federal surface transportation program in the face of dire fiscal realities. Some of the key proposals include the call for Congress to incentivize and remove barriers to increased state and local revenues from direct user ...

On Wednesday, the California Transportation Commission (CTC) approved the $950 million Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement Project for one of 10 state project slots available under California’s Design-Build Demonstration Program. 

The CTC’s approval authorizes the Port of Long Beach and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to deliver the project using the best-value design-build method contemplated under the program.  The Port of Long Beach and Caltrans released the request for qualifications (RFQ) for the project’s design-build contract on ...

AASHTO recently sponsored a Congressional Forum on funding and financing surface transportation in the coming decade.  Academic co-sponsors were America 2050 at the Regional Plan Association; Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania; Georgia Institute of Technology; Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota; Keston Institute of Infrastructure and Public; Finance at the University of Southern California.

Over 25 staff members of Senate and House committees participated.  John Horsley, Executive Director of AASHTO, made one of the ...

Earlier this week USDOT Secretary LaHood announced the winners of the highly competitive TIGER II grant application cycle. Forty-two capital construction projects and 33 planning projects in 40 states will share nearly $600 million in grant funds.

According to the announcement, USDOT received nearly 1,000 construction grant applications for more than $19 billion from all 50 states, U.S. territories and the District of Columbia.  Roughly 29 percent of TIGER II money goes for road projects, 26 percent for transit, 20 percent for rail projects, 16 percent for ports, four percent ...

A short six months after shortlisting proposers, the California Department of Transportation and the San Francisco County Transportation Authority selected Golden Link Partners, a consortium led by Hochtief PPP Solutions North America and Meridiam Infrastructure North America, as the Preferred Proposer for Presidio Parkway Project.  Golden Link Partners submitted an annual availability payment of $28,549,189, well within the $35 million limit authorized by the California Transportation Commission in April 2010.  This significant event in the procurement follows closely ...

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) recently published a progress report (PDF) presenting its ambitious vision for the congressionally-mandated National Rail Plan (NRP).  The NRP is being developed as part of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008.  The progress report builds upon the Preliminary National Rail Plan (PDF) submitted to Congress last year.  When completed, the NRP is expected to present a framework for improving our transportation network for future generations.

The progress report emphasizes the importance of efficient and effective ...

Last week the National Governors Association strongly urged key Senators to stand with them against new restrictions on public private partnerships and tolling in the House T&I Committee’s draft surface transportation bill. In their letter to chairs and ranking members of the Senate Environment and Public Works, Finance, and Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, the NGA highlighted the efforts of state and local governments to pursue innovative financing options to complement traditional sources, and asked the Senate to omit the proposals from the Senate’s ...

The Port of Long Beach, one of the largest and busiest Ports in the world and a major inter-modal center for the cargo movement throughout the Western United States and beyond, has reached a major milestone in the approximately $1B plan to replace the Gerald Desmond Bridge on a design-build basis using the authority granted by California’s design-build demonstration program. As the first cable-stayed bridge ever built in California, the project is expected to be a landmark structure for the Port and surrounding communities.

On September 30, the Long Beach City Council approved the ...

The Mineta San José International Airport Terminal Area Improvement Program was selected as the Best Overall Top Project and as the best Transportation Project in Northern California for 2010 by California Construction magazine during its annual statewide competition that recognizes construction and design excellence.  The project represents the first major airport design-build project in California and includes design and construction of a new terminal, access and roadway improvements, parking facilities, tenant relocations, demolition of existing facilities, and ...