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

• The Port of Miami Tunnel Improvement Project was named the 2009 Global Deal of the Year and the 2009 North American PPP Deal of the Year by Project Finance Magazine
• The I-595 Corridor Roadway Improvements Project was named the 2009 North American Transport Deal of the Year

Project Finance Magazine, a leading global infrastructure industry trade publication, announced the honors at its awards ceremony in New York on March 4th and profiles both the Port of Miami Tunnel and I-595 projects in its current issue.  Nossaman is honored to have had the opportunity to work on both of these projects with the Florida Department of Transportation and congratulates the department on its vision and success.  

"We are excited to see this landmark project begin construction.  We assembled an excellent team of FDOT employees and consultants to deliver this project.  Nossaman, under Patrick Harder's leadership, was an integral team member whose creativity and excellent judgment helped deliver the project on time and within budget."
                        - Gerry O'Reilly, FDOT Director of Transportation Development

Background and analysis about the I-595 and the POMT, both precedent-setting availability payment PPP projects, are available on nossaman.com and Infra Insight blog.

Photo Source: Florida Department of Transportation

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On February 11, 2010, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) posted a Notice of Intent to Issue a Request for Qualifications for the West by Northwest Project.  The notice of intent marks the initiation of GDOT's first P3 project under its new P3 program.  The notice of intent, is available on online at http://ssl.doas.state.ga.us/PRSapp/PublicBidNotice?bid_op=1048400NOI-484-050310P3.  GDOT intends to award a concession to design, construct, finance, operate and maintain a 29-mile segment  of managed lanes along I-75  and I-575, as well as enter into a pre-development agreement for an additional 27-mile segment  of managed lanes along I-285 West and I-20 West.
 
The Georgia General Assembly adopted Senate Bill 200 in 2009 which authorizes GDOT to establish and implement a new public-private partnership (P3) program, focusing on solicited proposals.  Under the new legislation, GDOT has been successfully developing a comprehensive framework for selecting and prioritizing potential P3 projects. 

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Yesterday the California Department of Transportation, in cooperation with the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, issued a Request for Qualifications for a public-private partnership for the Presidio Parkway project (also known as the Doyle Drive replacement project) in San Francisco.  The RFQ is available at: http://www.bidsync.com/DPX?ac=view&auc=610389

This is the first procurement initiated under the new public-private partnership law in California, SB4, codified at Section 143 of the Streets and Highways Code.
 
Under Section 143, the project must be approved as a P3 by the California Transportation Commission.  Caltrans and SFCTA plan on seeking CTC approval before an RFP is issued for the project.  In the meantime, statements of qualification are due from interested parties by March 1, 2010.
 
If the CTC gives its approval, Caltrans and SFCTA contemplate procuring an availability payment P3, with a construction period of about three years and an operating period of about 30 years.

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“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”  Dickens could have been describing 2009, as the P3 market continued to look strong, notwithstanding the economic downturn. Last year three significant P3 deals reached financial close in the United States: in March the I-595 in Florida, in October the Port of Miami Tunnel also in Florida, and mid-December the North Tarrant Express in Texas. All were remarkable in their own right, and cumulatively earned Nossaman the top spot in Infrastructure Journal’s league tables in the North American Transport P3 legal advisor category. 

We take a look back at what made the deals remarkable and what 2010 might bring…

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For the 89^th year, January brings new ideas in transportation. The 89^th Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting will be held in Washington D.C., January 10-14. 

Reflecting the theme of “Investing in Our Transportation Future – BOLD Ideas to Meet BIG Challenges,” Nossaman Partner Geoffrey Yarema will give a presentation titled "P3 Successes and Lessons Learned" on January 10. Nossaman Partner Nancy Smith will give a presentation titled "Public-Private Partnership Update" on January 11. Nossaman Partner Edward Kussy will be the presiding officer for the "Ethics for Transportation Professionals" and "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: What Have We Learned?" panel discussions on January 12.

We look forward to discussing and learning with others.

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Ahead of schedule, NTE Mobility Partners has announced that the Texas Department of Transportation’s North Tarrant Express Managed Lanes project has reached financial close. Under the PPP deal, NTE Mobility - a Cintra-led consortium - will build, finance, maintain and operate a 13-mile corridor in the congested Dallas-Fort Worth area. The $2.02 billion project includes funding from $400 million worth of private activity bonds (PABs), $650 million in TIFIA credits, $573 million in investment from TxDOT, and $427 million in equity from NTE Mobility. The project reached commercial close in June 2009.

Last week’s unwrapped bond offering was oversubscribed 2.4 times, highlighting the market confidence in PPP deals. The Dallas Police and Fire Pension System is a 10% equity partner in NTE Mobility, the first pension fund to invest directly in infrastructure development.

Additional segments of the North Tarrant Express will be developed under a pre-development agreement with an affiliated developer, upon successful completion of negotiations. The North Tarrant Express projects, coupled with the IH-635 PPP deal and the Dallas Fort-Worth Connector design-build project highlight the role of the DFW Metroplex as a national laboratory for developing innovative approaches to solving transportation problems.

The North Tarrant Express project is the third PPP deal to reach financial close in 2009, after the I-595 Managed Lanes Project and the Port of Miami Tunnel Project, both in Florida. 

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The closing of the Port of Miami Tunnel Project deal was just short of miraculous, given the tight financial markets and the political ups and downs of the project procurement. Novel risk allocations helped ensure the success of the deal. The current issue of Public Works Finance includes an excerpted discussion of the risks and the way the Florida Department of Transportation chose to address them. The full text of Port of Miami Tunnel: Digging Through Novel Risks is available on Infra Insight.

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The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), announced at a press conference in Miami today that it has reached financial close on the Port of Miami Tunnel Project. 

FDOT, in partnership with Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami, entered into an agreement with MAT Concessionaire, LLC (MAT) which includes Meridiam Infrastructure Finance, S.a.r.l. and Bouygues Travaux Publics as equity members. The $900 million public-private partnership (PPP) deal uses an availability payment structure that provides for payment to MAT over 30 years after completion of construction, which is expected to occur in five years. This is the second transportation infrastructure project in the United States to use an availability payment structure, following the recently closed FDOT I-595 Corridor Improvements Project. 

Financing for the project includes a $341 million low-cost federal loan through the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act, equity contributions from MAT, and $330 million in loans from the following senior lenders:

• BNP Paribas
• Banco Bilbao Bizcaya Argentina
• RBS Citizens
• Banco Santander
• Bayerische Hypo
• Calyon, Dexia
• ING Capital
• Societe Generale
• WestLB

The Port of Miami Tunnel will link the Port of Miami facilities on Dodge Island with MacArthur Causeway and I-395 via twin 42’ diameter tunnels under Biscayne Bay, increasing the Port’s competitiveness and relieving congestion in downtown Miami by diverting passenger and freight traffic to I-395 and improving access to I-95. The project also includes widening of MacArthur Causeway and other roadway improvements.

Bouygues Civil Works Florida, Inc. will design and construct the project with engineering assistance from Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. VMS, Inc. will serve as the lead operations and maintenance contractor. In addition to Nossaman, FDOT’s advisors include Jeffrey Parker & Associates (financial), Parsons Brinkerhoff and T.Y. Lin (technical), and Marsh (insurance).

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California is now ready to assess P3 candidate projects. At its October 14^th meeting, the California Transportation Commission approved policy guidance addressing the Commission’s role in selecting proposed P3 projects. The CTC developed the guidelines to assist Caltrans and regional transportation agencies (RTAs) as they move to develop P3 transportation projects, taking advantage of the new authority granted to them under Senate Bill X2 4, enacted in February of this year.

The enabling legislation requires the CTC to select projects nominated by Caltrans or an RTA seeking to use the P3 model. The CTC policy guidance describes the selection process, including the project report and information required to be submitted to the CTC, the CTC’s criteria for evaluating projects, and the timing and scope of the CTC’s role. 

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With the delay of the federal transportation re-authorization and federal transportation funding in limbo, state transportation agencies across the nation are trying to cope any way they can. In California this week, 19 “self help” local transportation financing agencies - that collectively generate more than $4 billion a year for transportation - drew a large crowd of transportation public agency officials, elected officials, contractors and consultants to the 20^th Annual Focus on the Future Conference in Los Angeles to explore their options. Conference speakers discussed current developments in transportation funding, environmental compliance and project delivery. The news on project delivery and innovation was positive, the environmental compliance news mixed, and the funding news pretty discouraging.

Interspersed with the grim chronicling of the current state and federal funding landscapes, the conference highlighted some bright spots, including federal ARRA funds, Measure R funding in Los Angeles, and innovative project delivery, PPPs and congestion pricing.

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Included in New Jersey’s Economic Stimulus Act of 2009  are provisions to allow the use of PPPs to design, build, finance, operate and maintain higher education facilities.  Is this the start of a trend for developing social infrastructure in the US?

Social infrastructure includes housing, educational, recreational and law and order facilities that support the community's need for social interaction.  As reflected by several projects in Canada, this is not a new concept for North America.  Along with the recent use of a PPP for development of the Long Beach Courthouse, New Jersey’s authorization of PPPs for higher education projects may indicate that the US market is warming to the idea as well.

Under the  new law, a State or county college may enter into a PPP that permits the private entity to assume full financial and administrative responsibility for the on-campus construction, reconstruction, repair, alteration, improvement or extension of a building, structure or facility of the institution.  The project must be financed in whole by the private entity, and the State or institution of higher education retains full ownership of the land upon which the project is completed.

Proposals for higher education PPP’s must be submitted to the New Jersey Economic Development Authority within 19 months of the law’s July 2009 enactment for review and approval.  In order to be considered, proposals must include, at a minimum:         

• A public-private partnership agreement between the State or county college and the private developer; 
• A full description of the project;
• The estimated costs and financial documentation for the project (including a long-range maintenance plan);
• A timetable for completion of the project extending no more than five years after consideration and approval; and
• Any other requirements that the Economic Development Authority deems appropriate or necessary.

With budgets stretched to the limit across the country, we’ll be watching to see if other states look to PPPs  to develop much needed social infrastructure.

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Two potential public-private partnership transit projects appear closer to leaving the station, after several delays. Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) recently held a public hearing on the Eagle P3 project and is poised to issue a request for proposals to three prequalified/shortlisted teams on September 30th with proposals anticipated in March 2010. Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is on an accelerated schedule for its stimulus-revamped Oakland Airport Connector project, with proposals due in late September and contract award slated for December.

The Federal Transit Administration selected both projects to participate in the Public-Private Partnership Pilot Program or Penta P, a program authorized by SAFETEA-LU to demonstrate the pros and cons of P3s for certain new FTA-funded fixed guideway capital projects. FTA officially launched the program in January 2007, focusing on projects that utilize procurement methods that integrate risk-sharing and accelerate project delivery.

FTA recognized the inherent obstacles in transit P3s in its 2007 “Report to Congress on the Costs, Benefits, and Efficiencies of Public-Private Partnerships for Fixed Guideway Capital Projects,” emphasizing that private partners for transit projects have been reluctant to provide long-term equity investment or assume ridership or revenue risk. Overcoming the challenges to private sector equity investment and assumption of revenue risk for transit projects will be a gradual process, even with Penta P support. Denver’s Eagle P3 project, to be delivered as an availability payment concession, calls for the concessionaire to finance the project, although the RTD will assume the farebox risk. While BART’s initial plans for the Oakland Airport Connector called for the private sector to provide financing and share in the farebox risk, BART has since switched gears; the contractor will now design, build, operate and maintain the project, but BART will fund the project itself, using a combination of traditional funding sources and an injection of stimulus funds.
 

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The Florida Department of Transportation’s I-595 project and its public and private partners won several awards at this year’s American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) P3 conference. “It’s pretty much a Florida sweep,” declared Pamela Bailey-Campbell, ARTBA Public Private Ventures Division president, as she announced the recipients of the Project, Public Sector Entrepreneur, and Private Sector Entrepreneur of 2009.

Bailey-Campbell announced three awards at the September 25 award luncheon in Washington D.C. The I-595 project in Fort Lauderdale, Florida received the Project of the Year award. ARTBA called the project, which achieved commercial and financial close in March of this year, a seminal project in public-private partnerships because it is the first availability payment concession highway project in the United States. FDOT Secretary Stephanie C. Kopelousos accepted the award on behalf of the department.

The Public Sector Entrepreneur of the Year award went to Gerry O’Reilly, Director of Transportation Development of FDOT District Four. Secretary Kopelousos credited Mr. O’Reilly - who led the FDOT team on the I-595 project - as the primary individual responsible for the project’s success.

The Private Sector Entrepreneur of the Year award went to Juan Santamaria, Chief Operating Officer of ACS Infrastructure Development, Inc. Mr. Santamaria was the lead representative and negotiator of the I-595 concessionaire team. In accepting the award, Mr. Santamaria thanked ARTBA for being a leading voice and organization in the PPP industry.

Nossaman served as legal advisor to FDOT on the I-595. Jeffrey Parker served as financial advisor and RS&H served as technical advisor.

Photo: Courtesy of ARTBA. Pictured are Juan Santamaria, Stephanie Kopelousos, Pamela Bailey-Campbell (outgoing ARTBA PPV Division President), Brian Howells (incoming ARTBA PPV Division President), and Gerry O'Reilly.

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Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) officials executed a comprehensive development agreement (CDA) with the LBJ Infrastructure Group to design, construct, finance, operate and maintain the 13-mile LBJ-635 corridor in Dallas County. Following the North Tarrant Express (June 2009), the LBJ-635 is TxDOT’s second toll concession to reach commercial close this year.

Construction is expected to begin by mid-2011 and open to traffic in late 2016. Motorists will have a choice of either using the managed toll lanes or remaining on the improved and rebuilt free main lanes. The new LBJ  highway will feature the following improvements:

• 8 rebuilt free main lanes (a foot wider than they are now)
• Additional shoulders on the outside of the main lanes
• Continuous frontage roads (two or three lanes wide)
• 6 barrier-separated managed toll lanes located between or below all frontage roads

For a state investment of approximately $445 million, these improvements will provide $4 billion of needed infrastructure to the Dallas area, as well as operations and maintenance over the next 52 years.  

The financing plan for the project through project completion includes a combination fo senior bank debt, private activity bonds, a subordinated TIFIA loan and a sizeable equity contribution.

LBJ Infrastrucure Group is a limited liability corporation consisting of:

• Cintra, Concesiones de Infraestructuras de Transporte, S.A (Equity Owner)
• Ferrovial Agroman, S.A. 
• W.W. Webber LLC 
• Bridgefarmer & Associates, Inc. 
• Meridiam Infrastructure Finance (Equity Owner) 
• Macquarie Capital (USA) Inc. 
• Ferrovial Infraestructuras S.A 
• Grupo Ferrovial 
• Meridiam Infrastructure, S.C.A. SICAR 
• Dallas Police and Fire Pension System (Equity Partner)

The presence of the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System within the group is notable as further evidence of public pension funds’ interest in making direct investments in transportation infrastructure.

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The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has endorsed USDOT’s policy of allocating Highway Trust Fund (HTF) apportionments based on total lane miles in each state – including miles of highway built, operated or maintained through public private partnerships (PPPs). 

Each state’s share of the nation’s highway system (quantified as “lane miles”) has factored in federal aid allocations since 1976, though initially this measure excluded tolled facilities. In 1998, Congress greatly expanded the use of the lane mile funding formula with TEA-21, and eliminated the exclusion of toll roads from the allocation formula.

On guidance from GAO, Congress has used lane miles as a proxy for need, rather than relying on direct measures of need.  Under a “direct need” model, a state that let its roads crumble might be able to demonstrate a greater need, and garner more federal aid, than a state that responsibly invested in maintenance.   

GAO’s report, prepared for Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, describes the high level approach Congress has taken, which bases funding decisions on “states' highway system needs taken as a whole, not on direct state highway system construction or operating costs.” Under this approach, states can pursue critical transportation projects through PPPs without fear of diminishing their share of HTF dollars. 

GAO’s ruling recognizes the political and fiscal realities facing state transportation agencies. Denying inclusion of these PPP projects in the HTF allocation calculus would put states that have demonstrated their need for more funds and taken positive steps toward self-help by reaching out to private partners at a disadvantage. 

The report follows on the heels of two new bills introduced by Senator Bingaman, one of which, if adopted, will place a heavier burden on states seeking to deliver transportation projects through PPPs.  The Transportation Equity for All Americans Act (S. 884) would reduce the funding such states receive through their Highway Trust Fund allocation by changing the grant allocation formulas for several programs to exclude privately operated facilities from the state network. The bills are currently before the Senate Committees on Environment and Public Works and Finance. 

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In addition to the recent passage of comprehensive P3 legislation in Arizona and California, the newly created Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has also been authorized to utilize public private partnerships for transportation projects. Provisions for design-build-operate-maintain (DBOM) and design-build-finance-operate-maintain (DBFOM) procurements are included in Senate Bill 2087, commonly known as the "Transportation Reform Act," under which MassDOT was formed. Under the Act, P3’s may be used for a new or existing highway, road, bridge, tunnel ferry, airport, parking facility, seaport, rail facility or other transportation facilities.

Massachusetts has opted to take markedly different approaches to funding DBOM and DBFOM projects. Payments under DBOM contracts must come in whole or in part from funds appropriated prior to award of the contract or must be secured by tolls or other user charges. In contrast, for DBFOM projects, no public funds may be appropriated to pay for the services provided by the contractor.  These restrictions could prove to be a significant hurdle to financing some projects.

Another notable feature of MassDOT’s new P3 program is the establishment of a P3 Infrastructure Oversight Commission which will comment on and approve all requests for proposals (RFPs) for DBOM or DBFOM services. The seven member commission will be composed of experts with experience in the fields of transportation law, public policy, public finance, management consulting, transportation or organizational change. At least one of the commission members will be a representative from the Massachusetts Organization of State Engineers and Sciences.

The P3 portion of the Transportation Reform Act also includes provisions for:

• Asset sales and leases
• Procurement method and evaluation factors
• Stipends
• Funding
• Confidentiality
• Contents of the concession agreement
• Creation of a public-private partnership oversight commission.

Click here to view the entire Tranportation Reform Act.

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Arizona has passed comprehensive P3 legislation on the heels of the passage of similar legislation in California.  Last month, Governor Jan Brewer signed House Bill 2396 which both updates Arizona’s existing toll road development and operations laws and gives the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) broad authority to develop and operate a range of transportation projects through a variety of delivery methods. 

Under House Bill 2396  ADOT is authorized to use virtually  any innovative delivery method, including P3s.  Facilities eligible in the bill include: new or upgraded highways, rail, bus rapid transit, ferries, and intermodal systems.  ADOT may also grant P3 authority to other governmental agencies for specific projects.  The new law provides for both solicited and unsolicited procurements of P3 projects and authorizes  private parties to collect user fees or tolls.  Check out Toll Road News’ initial analysis of potential P3 projects in Arizona.

Arizona’s P3 law, generally considered very P3-friendly, includes several restrictions.  Toll increases allowed under a P3 agreement must either be based on a formula or subject to contract provisions regulating the private partner’s return on investment.  Additionally, concession or other P3 agreement terms are limited to 50 years, subject to extensions.  Finally, a novel provision in the law allows drivers paying tolls to apply for a refund or credit of motor fuel taxes paid by that driver while operating a vehicle on the tolled facility, stay tuned to see how ADOT works out the details for implementing such a credit or refund. 

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Arlington County is seeking to delay (or possibly derail) a project designed to ease congestion and add new lanes to Northern Virginia’s clogged 95/395 corridor.  Arlington has challenged the Categorical Exclusion (CE) granted by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), which allowed the project to move forward without a full environmental analysis.

Arlington is concerned that the new lanes will “increase congestion throughout the corridor, and lengthen travel times, especially for transit.”  Buses, carpools (HOV-3), motorcycles and emergency vehicles will have free access to HOT lanes.

Drivers with fewer than three occupants will be required to pay to access the lanes.  Fully electronic tolling on the HOT lanes will allow customers to pay tolls with E-ZPass - eliminating the need for toll booths.

Tolls will rise with congestion, following a strategy known as “congestion pricing” that has been embraced with great success in San Diego and Orange County.  As the price goes up more people exit the lanes, maintaining free flow of traffic.

Fluor-Transurban, Virginia’s private sector partner charged with building and managing the new lanes, is no stranger to set-backs. Fluor has been doggedly pursuing HOT Lanes in Virginia since 2002.

Northern Virginia’s congestion woes are a serious concern - only Los Angelinos lose more time in traffic each year, according to the Texas Transportation Institute’s 2009 Urban Mobility Report. This lawsuit will likely focus pressure on the I-495 HOT Lanes project to prove the viability of the congestion pricing model for the Washington Metro Area. 

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California is serious about using its new legislative authority to deliver some of the state’s much-needed transportation projects through public-private partnerships (P3s). On August 12, 2009, the California Transportation Commission issued draft guidelines addressing the Commission’s role in approving the P3 delivery method for specific projects.

The draft guidelines follow the California legislature’s momentous enactment of Senate Bill 4, referred to as SBX2 4.  That bill authorizes Caltrans and regional transportation agencies to enter into P3s for transportation projects.  Prior to commencing the procurement of a proposed P3 project, Caltrans or a regional transportation agency must first nominate the project and receive Commission approval.  The draft policy guidance issued by the Commission discusses the process for obtaining the requisite project approvals from the Commission. 

The guidelines are still in draft form and will be considered by the Commission at a meeting this fall. While the guidelines may be revised prior to becoming final, interested agencies and P3 industry participants will want to keep an eye on the provisions related to the scope of the Commission’s approval, timing and mandated components of the reports required to be submitted to the Commission as well as the impact these policies will have on the timing and structure of a P3 procurement.

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A recent survey conducted by KPMG International confirms what many in the infrastructure industry already knew: current infrastructure investment is insufficient to support economic growth and politics frequently influences infrastructure development in the United States.  In this global survey, KPMG surveyed 455 infrastructure executives, including 118 from the United States.

While much of the recent industry press has focused on the lack of available financing as the primary challenge to delivering infrastructure, a vast majority of the respondents indicated that governmental effectiveness and current economic conditions are bigger hurdles than available financing.  The respondents expressed specific concerns over what they viewed as an overly politicized process, changing public policy, and excessive government bureaucracy.  When asked how governmental agencies could enhance their effectiveness in delivering infrastructure, respondents suggested making infrastructure delivery less influenced by political considerations, increasing transparency in infrastructure spending, and expanding the use of public-private partnerships (PPPs). 

Recent examples of PPP projects played out in the political arena include the SH 121 project in Texas and the proposed long-term leases of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Alligator Alley.  California, which had pioneered PPPs in the early 1990s, only recently overcame objections from various political stakeholders in the intervening years.  We are hopeful that California’s new legislation authorizing design-build and PPPs for Caltrans and regional transportation authorities is a step toward improved transportation infrastructure delivery.  Given the current administration’s focus on infrastructure, Congress and the administration may now act to address the long-term needs for a stable means of funding infrastructure development and maintenance, without the political roadblocks.

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Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) and the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T) are in the early phases of procuring a firm to enter into a Public Private Partnership to design, construct, operate, maintain and finance a cross regional passenger rail service known as the Cotton Belt Rail Line starting on or about 2013.   

The Cotton Belt Rail Line PPP project is intended to provide regional rail connectivity for communities along the project corridor to Fort Worth, Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Airport, the DART transit network, and major activity centers along the corridor.  This project connects passengers with the Trinity Railway Express service in downtown Fort Worth, and the DART Light Rail System via the Orange Line at DFW Airport, the Green Line in downtown Carrollton, and the Red Line in the Richardson/Plano area.  It also connects with the Addison Transit Center which provides extensive bus connectivity in the north central part of the DART Service Area.  A future connection in downtown Carrollton to the planned Denton County Transportation Authority passenger rail service between Denton and Carrollton, TX is also a possibility.  One of the objectives of the Cotton Belt Rail Line project is to provide a system that interacts seamlessly and efficiently with other transportation systems in the region.

On May 21, 2009 DART and The T issued a Request for Information to identify individuals and firms interested in a PPP for the Cotton Belt Commuter Rail Line and expect to issue a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) by September 2009.  The deadline for filing a Statement of Interest was July 24, 2009. Visit DART's website or check back here for more info.

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