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

On the heels of its very successful foray into availability payment model public-private partnership (“P3”) concessions, the Indiana Finance Authority (“IFA”) issued its second P3 Request for Qualifications (“RFQ”) on May 23, 2013, this one to develop, design, build, finance, operate and maintain the I-69, Section 5 project.  As with the preceding P3 procurement of the East End Crossing (part of the broader Ohio River Bridges Project), the I-69 Section 5 project will be a public-private partnership between the State of Indiana, through the IFA and the Indiana Department of Transportation (“INDOT”) and the successful proposer. 

The I-69 Section 5 project consists in upgrading approximately 21 miles of existing State Route (“SR”) 37, a four-lane median divided highway between Bloomington, Indiana (home of Indiana University) and Martinsville, Indiana, and development of a six-lane divided highway in designated urban areas.  In addition, the project involves construction of four new interchanges and four new overpasses with varying degrees of improvements to the existing interchanges and overpasses at the Fullerton Pike, Tapp Road/SR 45/2nd Street, Sample Road and Liberty Church Road, all of which are current intersections with SR 37.

Section 5 is one of six sections under development to complete the interstate connection from Evansville, Indiana to Indianapolis, collectively part of a further development of the national I-69 corridor to connect Mexico with Canada.  Four of the remaining five sections are completed or development and construction are underway, and Section 6 is still in the planning stage.

Over 175 people attended a industry workshop on May 22, where Governor Mike Pence reaffirmed Indiana’s, and his administration’s, commitment to exploring innovative approaches to deliver much-needed infrastructure – particularly transportation – improvements in Indiana.

IFA is an independent financing instrumentality of the State, which in working with INDOT, reprises a successful partnership that brought the East End Crossing to the American P3 industry, the first availability payment concession in the United States to have met each of its procurement schedule deadlines in among the fastest P3 procurements in the United States and to have successfully achieved financial close with a “flat” investment grade rating.

Statements of qualifications are due at the IFA’s offices in Indianapolis, Indiana at 3:00 p.m. on July 9, 2013.  Shortlisting is anticipated by the end of July 2013, with award tentatively scheduled for late first quarter, 2014 and financial close early second quarter, 2014.

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This week the Maryland Transit Administration (“MTA”) issued a Request for Information (“RFI”) requesting private sector involvement to collect best practices for delivery and financing of the planned Maryland National Capital Purple Line and Baltimore Red Line.  The proposed Maryland National Capital Purple Line is a 16-mile light rail transit line project that will extend between Bethesda and New Carrollton, Maryland.  The proposed Baltimore Red Line is a 14.1 mile, east-west transit line that will connect Woodlawn, Downtown Baltimore and Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center campus.  The RFI comes days after Governor O’Malley signed the new Maryland Public-Private Partnership (“P3”) legislation into law.  The new P3 legislation provides a more predictable and linear process for private sector involvement in future P3 projects, while also requiring competitive bidding, protection of public assets and the ability for private sector actors to submit unsolicited proposals to address Maryland’s imminent infrastructure needs.  With the new P3 law paving the way, the MTA hopes the RFI will uncover combinations of traditional project delivery approaches that will achieve the highest time and cost savings, while ensuring high-quality service.

The deadline for RFI responses is May 8, 2013.  The RFI and the official press release can be found on the Maryland Transit Administration website.

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) has issued a report that details funding mechanisms and development strategies that communities can use to provide innovative financing options for transit-oriented development (“TOD”). 

The report affirms the need for local and state transportation agencies to continue to think beyond traditional funding, procurement and contracting approaches to satisfy their burgeoning infrastructure needs. 

Detailed in the report is an explanation of innovative financing mechanisms, which should be required reading for those interested in innovative P3 financing and transit development. 

These include:

• Direct fees: user or utility fees and congestion pricing;
• Debt tools: private debt, bond financing and federal and state infrastructure debt mechanisms;
• Credit assistance: state and federal credit assistance tools, such as TIFIA;
• Equity: public-private partnerships and infrastructure investment funds;
• Value capture: developer fees and exactions, special district and tax increment financing and joint development;
• Grants and other philanthropic sources: federal transportation and community and economic development grants and foundation grants and investments; and
• Emerging tools: structured funds, land banks, redfields to greenfields, and a national infrastructure bank. 

Four innovative models should also be considered when developing financing plans for TOD infrastructure, according to the report:

1. Anchor institution partnerships: partnering with nonprofit or private entities (such as universities, hospitals and corporations) that have a strong nexus with their location because of real estate holdings, capital investment, history or mission;

2. Corridor-level parking management: setting parking prices and managing parking demand across a transit corridor or system for parking structures and off-street spaces;

3. Land banking: land assembly and acquisition that makes it easier and more affordable to acquire right-of-way for TOD infrastructure; and

4. District energy systems: reducing energy use, encouraging renewable energy and facilitating compact development.

In addition to the clear benefit of providing local or state agencies with multiple funding sources and the ‘life cycle’ benefits from grouping projects together, the report also speaks to ‘softer’ community benefits.  It notes that the use of integrated transportation and land use planning expands transportation choices and can reduce transportation costs, giving more freedom and mobility to low-income individuals, senior citizens, disabled persons and others who cannot or choose not to drive a car.  Further, TOD development can help improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gasses. 

The full text of the report is available on the EPA website.

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As part of its effort to meet MAP-21’s legislative requirement to develop “standard public-private partnership transaction model contracts for the most popular types of public-private partnerships,” the Federal Highway Administration held a “listening session” with representatives from the transportation industry at the U.S. Department of Transportation in Washington D.C. on January 16.  Representatives from state departments of transportation, general contractors, trade associations, legal advisors and others were in attendance, and solicited to provide FHWA with the P3 community’s view of what the model contracts should be. 

In her introductory remarks, the Hon. Beth Osborne, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Policy, saw the effort as “compiling best practices” of the P3 community, but one for which FHWA did not have “pre-conceived notions.”  FHWA and USDOT representatives spent the better part of four hours hearing out the industry’s hopes for, expectations about and cautionary recommendations regarding FHWA’s final product.  The resounding theme of the audience comments was that “every P3 is different,” FHWA’s effort should tilt toward educating public sponsors as to the project-specific risk-sharing and “value-for-money” considerations that makes a P3 an effective delivery tool, and FHWA should refrain from prescribing risk allocations or other contract terms.

In a companion effort, FHWA is also beta-testing an interactive model, which intends both to help educate public sponsors in alternative procurement strategies (like the public-private partnership (“P3”)) “apples to apples” comparison with conventional procurements).  The “P3-VALUE Toolkit” collects project sponsors’ (and their consultants’) project-specific risks, quantifies their value, and, with other financing assumptions and project-specific parameters considered, produces a snapshot of the value-for-money that a P3 strategy may or may not present for that project.  FHWA held an initial roll-out “webinar” of the draft toolkit on January 10, with a follow-up webinar session on January 24.

FHWA has set up a docket, Federal Register No. FHWA-2012-0126, to collect industry comments by May 31, to keep pace with the rigorous requirement of MAP-21 to produce and promulgate model contracts by December 31, 2013.

Fred Kessler co-authored this entry.

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A key element of a successful P3 program is an effective and comprehensive public outreach strategy.  Demonstrating why Virginia remains a leader in closing P3 transportation deals, the Virginia Office of Transportation Public-Private Partnerships (OTP3) recently prepared a variety of fact sheets, presentations and FAQs focusing on different aspects of P3s in Virginia.  The materials can be found at the OTP3 website.

These materials were prepared in cooperation with the Public Private Transportation Act Working Group.  This group was established in June 2012 to solicit ideas and feedback on how to improve public involvement in P3 development and procurement, and consists of elected officials as well as private and public sector stakeholders.            

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On December 27, 2012, the Indiana Finance Authority (“IFA”) achieved commercial close of the East End Crossing project in southern Indiana, part of the broader Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project.  WVB East End Partners, LLC (“WVB”), is the private counterparty for the East End Crossing project under an availability payment concession, a first for Walsh and VINCI in an equity role in the US P3 market.  The parties reached agreement and executed the public-private agreement before the end of the year as scheduled, capping an extraordinary procurement on an expedited pace, throughout which IFA met each and every interim schedule deadline, making IFA’s East End Crossing procurement among the fastest “P3” procurements in the United States.  Financial close is scheduled for the end of March, 2013. 

WVB East End Partners, LLC is a joint venture consortium of affiliates of Walsh Investors, LLC, VINCI Concessions S.A.S. and Bilfinger Berger PI International Holding GmbH.  WVB has contracted with the joint venture of Walsh Construction Company and VINCI Construction Grand Projets to design and build the project with Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. as the project’s lead designer.  Walsh Construction Company was also selected by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet as the apparent best value bidder for the $900 million Downtown Crossing, Kentucky’s part of the overall Ohio River Bridges Project. 

IFA issued its Request for Qualifications March 9, 2012 shortly after Indianapolis played host to the 2012 Super Bowl, and shortlisted four of six bidder teams on April 20.  All four shortlisted teams submitted conforming proposals on October 26, and WVB was preliminarily selected by IFA on November 16.  With today’s commercial close, IFA successfully conducted a procurement from shortlisting to contract execution in less than nine months.

Barney Allison co-authored this entry.

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The 20th annual conference of The Canadian Council of Public-Private Partnerships (CCPPP) was held in Toronto on November 26-27, 2012.  Drawing industry leaders from within and outside of Canada, the conference this year reflected the maturity of the Canadian market and the interest of P3 players looking beyond its borders for future opportunities, particularly participating in the growing U.S. P3 market. 

One of the keynote speakers was Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, who championed the proposed $3.5 billion Detroit-Windsor bridge and expressed appreciation for Canada’s leadership on the proposed project and in the P3 sector generally.  With the Canadian government indicating that it will take the lead in procuring and financing the project, Governor Snyder stated that he hopes to see the project come to market within the next couple of years.

A well-attended session discussed recently closed US P3 projects:  California’s Presidio Parkway Project (awarded to a Hochtief consortium in 2011); Florida’s I-595 Project (awarded to an ACS consortium in 2009); and Denver’s Eagle Project (awarded to a Fluor consortium in 2010).  The panelists discussed the complexity of bringing these projects to financial close and US-specific issues.

Many attendees felt that, while the Canadian P3 market continues to generate a steady pipeline of P3 projects, the US infrastructure market is well-poised to attract many of the seasoned Canadian P3 players.  SNC-Lavalin, an experienced Canadian P3 developer, was recently shortlisted and submitted a bid on the East End Crossing Project.  Other seasoned Canadian P3 participants, such as Bilfinger Berger and Hochtief, were also members of shortlisted consortia for the project, and the Presidio Parkway Project was awarded to Hochtief.  Canadian P3 players have also expressed interest in potential upcoming P3 projects such as Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Accelerated Regional Transportation Improvements Project and the Travis Country Courthouse project in Texas. 

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On November 29, 2012, financial closing was achieved on a 30 year concession relating to the water and wastewater facilities of the City of Rialto, California.  The agreement, which had been executed in March 2012, is among Rialto Water Services, LLC, the single purpose vehicle set up by Table Rock Capital as the project sponsor, the City of Rialto and the Rialto Utility Authority.  

The approximately $175 million transaction is being bond financed through a private placement and an approximately $26 million equity contribution.  The concession agreement provides for approximately $40 million of near-term capital improvements, long-term operations and maintenance of water and wastewater facilities and potential future capital improvements throughout the 30 year term. 

The capital improvement and operations and maintenance work will be provided by Veolia Water West Operating Services, Inc. pursuant to a contract with Rialto Water Services.  The Veolia contract includes an array of performance measurements and incentives for enhanced and efficient facility performance.  Veolia has been providing operations and maintenance services for the City’s wastewater facilities for the past several years.

The City of Rialto is located in San Bernardino County, approximately 60 miles east of Los Angeles and has approximately 110,000 residents. 

The P3/private financing nature of this transaction is likely to garner regional and national attention, providing a potential blueprint for accessing capital and funding for communities facing budget challenges and critical water and wastewater facility infrastructure demands.

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On November 16, 2012, the Indiana Finance Authority (“IFA”) selected WVB East End Partners (“WVB”) as the “Preferred Proposer” for IFA’s East End Crossing project in southern Indiana.  WVB East End Partners is a joint venture consortium of Walsh Investors, LLC, VINCI Concessions S.A.S. and Bilfinger Berger PI International Holding GmbH, partnering with Walsh Construction Company and VINCI Construction Grand Projets as the builders, with Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. as the designer, and with others.  VINCI Concessions S.A.S. will be performing the operations and maintenance of the East End Crossing for the thirty-five year term.

The East End Crossing is one component of a larger, bi-state project that has been in the planning and development stage for almost ten years.  The Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project (or “ORB”) spans the Ohio River in two places, and Indiana and its neighbor to the south, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, split the project in half.  Thus, the ORB is a tale of two bridges, each state responsible for one, but working cooperatively to achieve completion of both.

“One Project; Two Procurements”

On March 5, 2012, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear met and decided on a “one project, two procurements” strategy.  Indiana was to handle the East End Crossing (a bridge, tunnel and associate roadway project eight miles east of the present Kennedy Bridge between Louisville and Southern Indiana).  Kentucky was to handle the Downtown Crossing (refurbishment of the Kennedy Bridge, addition of a second span, and associated roadway improvements).  Each would share 50/50 in the gross toll revenues generated by the two projects; toll revenues would be collected by a single toll systems operator for each project. 

What followed the March 5 memorandum of understanding was an historic bi-state development agreement that fleshed out how this understanding would turn into the ORB.  The “bi-state” mapped out parallel, separately handled procurements of each state’s part of the ORB and the involvement of each state in the other’s procurement.  The bi-state agreement also established an approach to ownership of the right of way for each project so as to enable each state to allow its contractor to perform work in the other state.

Kentucky elected a conventional design-build contract procurement, with the Commonwealth handling the financing of its project.  Indiana pursued an innovative availability payment public-private partnership, leaving the financing to the winning proposer.  Each state was offered the right to review and approve the technical plans and specifications for the portion of each project to be built and operated in that state.

Eight short months later, Kentucky held a public bid opening, selecting Walsh Construction Company as its apparent best value bidder.  Less than twenty-four hours later, Indiana, through IFA and in very close coordination with the Indiana Department of Transportation (“INDOT”), announced WVB as its preferred proposer and anticipated counterparty in a public-private partnership.  Walsh Construction Company is part of WVB, and through two, separated and distinct procurements, will be involved in the entire ORB.

The “one project, two states” approach aligned both states in a collective effort to address a growing need for additional cross-river transportation in the greater Louisville-Southern Indiana region, which is presently hampered by significant traffic congestion on the existing Kennedy Bridge and within its interchange and connecting roadways.  And now, one major infrastructure project will be the product of two innovative solutions.

About the ORB

The ORB is a construction, reconstruction, and rehabilitation project to address demand for remedying inadequate and inefficient cross-river mobility for existing, planned and expected population growth in downtown Louisville and Southern Indiana counties. 

When completed, the ORB will improve connecting roadways and provide two new toll bridges across the Ohio River.  Kentucky’s Downtown Crossing will deliver the new “Downtown Bridge” –  carrying I-65, upstream on the Ohio River from the existing Kennedy Bridge.  The East End Crossing builds a new bridge connecting I-265/KY 841 (the “Gene Snyder Freeway”) with S.R. 265 (the “Lee Hamilton Highway”) in Indiana.  The ORB also features several multi-modal improvements to increase transportation choices for area residents, including enhanced bus service and pedestrian and bicycle trails and pathways.

Indiana and Kentucky plan to see both bridges open as early as late Fall, 2016.

John Smolen co-authored this entry.
 

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On November 16, 2012, the board of the Indiana Finance Authority (“IFA”), with Governor Daniels in attendance, based on the recommendation of Kendra York, IFA’s Public Finance Director, approved the preliminary selection of WVB East End Partners as the preferred proposer for the East End Crossing project, Indiana’s second foray into public-private partnerships as a solution to infrastructure planning for the State.  The East End Crossing is Indiana’s part of the Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project (the “ORB Project”).  WVB East End Partners is a joint venture consortium of Walsh Investors, LLC, VINCI Concessions S.A.S. and Bilfinger Berger PI International Holding GmbH.  The WVB East End Partners consortium proposes to contract with Walsh Construction Company and VINCI Construction Grand Projets as the builders, with Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. as the lead designer.  VINCI Concessions S.A.S. will be performing the operations and maintenance of the East End Crossing for the thirty-five year operating term.  Ms. York made the announcement at the historic Indiana Repertory Theater in downtown Indianapolis.  Governor Daniels applauded the efforts of the proposer teams, emphasizing the success of several recent Indiana infrastructure projects, benefits of this project to the citizens of the State of Indiana and the Commonwealth of Kentucky. 

In early March 2012, Governor Daniels and Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the roles and responsibilities of each state in the “Ohio River Bridges Project,” of which the East End Crossing is one part.  A week later, IFA issued a request for qualifications to develop, build, finance, operate, and maintain the East End Crossing under an availability payment concession structure.  From release of the “RFQ” to the short-listing of four bidders, to submission of proposals by all four bidders, the procurement proceeded at a record pace of less than eight months.  Governor Daniels specifically cited the rapid pace, resulting in a preferred proposer who offered a bid both under budget and ahead of schedule, as a success for public procurements and public-private partnerships. 

The WVB consortium proposed maximum availability payments for the term of $32.9 million (2012 dollars) per year.  Their proposal offered a construction price of $764 million, with planned substantial completion of the project by Halloween, 2016 – almost nine months prior to the date that the Indiana Department of Transportation had specified.  IFA plans to execute the public-private (“P3”) agreement in mid-to-late December.  Financial closing for the consortium is anticipated in late March, 2013. 

Stay tuned for more about the success of this bi-state cooperative effort.

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On April 23, 2012, the Indiana Finance Authority (“IFA”), in coordination with the Indiana Department of Transportation, shortlisted four teams for its East End Crossing (Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project) (the “East End Crossing”) located in Southern Indiana.

The East End Crossing is part of the broader “Ohio River Bridges Project” in the greater Louisville, Kentucky/Southern Indiana region.  Specifically, the Ohio River Bridges Project will consist in improvements to connecting roadways, but most prominently, provide two new toll bridges across the Ohio River:  the “Downtown Bridge” – a new bridge carrying I-65 and upstream on the Ohio River from the existing Kennedy Bridge – and the “East End Bridge” – also a new bridge connecting I-265/KY 841 with S.R. 265 in Indiana.  The Ohio River Bridges Project also features several multi-modal improvements to increase transportation choices for area residents, including enhanced bus service and pedestrian and bicycle trails and pathways.

The East End Crossing project involves construction of the East End Bridge and approaches on both the Kentucky and Indiana sides of the Ohio River.  The selected proposer will develop, design, build, finance, operate and maintain the East End Crossing through an availability payment concession.
The shortlisted teams, in alphabetical order, are:

• East End Mobility Partners (joint venture of SNC-Lavalin Capital, John Laing Investments Limited and Zachry Resources, Inc.), teaming with Tutor Perini Corporation, Zachry Construction Corporation and SNC-Lavalin Transportation USA, Inc. collaborating as the design-builder, with Frontier Kemper Constructors Inc., ARUP USA, Inc. and Daelim Industrial Co, Ltd., among others.
• Ohio River Mobility Group (joint venture of ACS Infrastructure Development, Inc., Hochtief PPP Solutions North America, Inc. and Skanska Infrastructure Development, Inc.), teaming with Skanska USA Civil Southeast, Inc., Flatiron Constructors, Inc. and Dragados USA, Inc. as the builders, with URS Corporation and T.Y. Lin International as the designers, and with others.
• Ohio River Transportation Partners (joint venture of InfraRed Capital Partners Limited, Balfour Beatty Capital and Kiewit Development Company), teaming with Ohio River Transportation Constructors East as the joint-venture builder (Kiewit Infrastructure Co., Traylor Bros., Inc., Massman Construction Co. and Kokosing Construction Company, Inc.), with Ohio River Transportation Designers as the joint-venture design team (HNTB Corporation and Parsons Brinkerhoff), and with others.
• WVB East End Partners (joint venture of Walsh Investors, LLC, VINCI Concessions S.A.S. and Bilfinger Berger PI International Holding GmbH), teaming with Walsh Construction Company and VINCI Construction Grand Projets as the builders, with Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. as the designer, and with others.

IFA plans to issue a final RFP in late July, 2012 with award and execution of the comprehensive public-private partnership agreement by year’s end.

John Smolen co-authored this entry.

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The Virginia Department of Transportation and Elizabeth River Crossings Opco LLC (“ERC”) reached financial close on a toll concession public-private partnership ("PPP") for the $2.1 billion Midtown Tunnel Project.  It is the first United States transportation PPP to reach financial close in 2012 and will include construction of a new Midtown Tunnel, rehabilitating the existing Midtown and Downtown Tunnels, extending Martin Luther King Boulevard and will provide much needed transportation improvements and congestion relief to motorists in the Hampton Roads region.  Construction will begin in Fall 2012 and completion is expected in 2018.

Under the Public-Private Transportation Act, the Virginia DOT will continue ownership of the Project elements and oversee ERC's activities.  ERC will finance, build, operate and maintain the facilities for a 58-year concession period and also assumes risk of delivering the project on a performance-based, fixed-price, fixed-date contract, protecting users and taxpayers from construction cost overruns and delays. 

The Project will involve tolling of the existing and newly-constructed assets with tolls initially ranging from $1.59 to $1.84 per car for the tunnels and $.50 for the MLK Extension for tunnel users and $1 for non-tunnel users.  This is approximately 40 percent lower than the $2.89 toll rate estimated under the interim agreement signed in January 2010 before Governor Bob McDonnell took office.  Additional financing includes a $422 million TIFIA loan, $663.75 million of private activity bonds and $310 million in public contribution from Virginia DOT.  ERC, a joint venture of Macquarie and Skanska, will contribute up to $272 million in equity.

The Midtown Tunnel Project was a priority of the region’s leaders and is the largest transportation project to get under way in almost 30 years.  More than 500 jobs will support the construction efforts and another 1,000 jobs in other sectors of the local economy.  The Project is anticipated to cut round-trip travel time by 30 minutes a day and improve safety, reliability and connectivity to the region’s transportation network.

Click here to learn more about this Project.

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The Arizona Legislature sent to Gov. Jan Brewer on April 4, 2012 the landmark bill HB 2491, creating state-of-the-art toll collection and enforcement authority for the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT).

The bill follows on the heels of the state’s enactment of its public-private partnership (P3) law two years ago.  While that law authorizes tolling, it lacked the enforcement mechanisms needed for effective open road electronic tolling, essential to modern toll road financing and operations. 

HB 2491 includes a three-notice system, increasing charges for delayed payment, an administrative hearing process, and a panoply of means to enforce collection, including license suspension and denial, vehicle registration denial, and towing and impoundment.

The P3 law included the right of toll road users to obtain refunds of fuel taxes on fuel consumed using tolled facilities.  This unusual and administratively impractical provision, backed by the trucking industry, was repealed by HB 2491.  In exchange, the trucking industry accepted a provision limiting the toll enforcement law to new transportation facilities, which could include new tolled lanes.

Arizona does not yet have tolled transportation facilities.  ADOT is considering a potential P3 for a tolled bypass facility at the Nogales border crossing, and the Maricopa Association of Governments is actively studying a managed lanes system for the Phoenix metropolitan area, which could include conversion of HOV lanes to HOT lanes.

Nossaman assisted ADOT in drafting the legislation.

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On March 30, 2012, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT)  shortlisted four teams for its I-77 HOT Lanes Project located in the Charlotte-Mecklenberg area.

The I-77 HOT Lanes Project is the first road transportation infrastructure project under a pubic-private partnership (P3) delivery model in North Carolina and will set the precedent for the use of P3s to implement HOT lanes projects in the state.  NCDOT anticipates that partnership with the private sector, and the innovative funding strategies that private sector funding brings, will more quickly and more efficiently bring this project to completion and introduce new approaches to managing a traffic corridor in a region of the state that has seen tremendous growth and with it heavy commuter congestion.  NCDOT invites the contemporary dynamic tolling technology within the HOT lanes approach, which it anticipates will improve corridor safety and reduce what has been an elevated number of secondary crashes during peak hour congestion.

The project consists of three sections: Central Section, South Section, and North Section.   The project will involve the conversion of existing high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes to high-occupancy toll ("HOT") lanes, and the addition of HOT lanes along the I-77 corridor.  The chosen team will develop, design, build, finance, operate, and maintain the Project through a toll concession agreement.

The shortlisted teams are:

• The Charlotte Access Mobility Group (ACS Infrastructure Development, Inc. and InfraRed Capital Partners Limited), partnering with Dragados U.S.A., Inc. and United Infrastructures Group, Inc., as the joint-venture builder with Florence & Hutcheson, Inc. as the designer.
• Cintra Infraestructuras, S.A., partnering with Ferrovial Agroman, S.A. and W.C. English, Inc., as the joint-venture builder with the Louis Berger Group, Inc. as the designer.
• Metrolina Development Partners (OHL Concessiones, S.A.), partnering with the Lane Construction Corporation and Obrascón Huarte Lain, S.A., as the joint-venture builder with HDR Engineering, Inc. as the designer.
• Char-Meck Development Partners (Vinci Concessions, S.A.S.), partnering with Archer Western Constructors, L.L.C. and Blythe Construction, Inc., as the joint-venture builder with Parsons Transportation Group as the designer.

The anticipated procurement schedule is for issuance of the final request for proposals in the second quarter of 2012 with award and execution of the comprehensive P3 agreement by year’s end.

Simon Santiago co-authored this entry.

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On January 23, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) soliciting qualifications from private developers interested in entering into a design-build contract and capital maintenance agreement and/or a toll concession agreement for the IH 35E Managed Lanes Project. The RFQ provides prospective developers the opportunity to submit qualifications for one or both of the two public-private partnership (P3) methods. Qualification submittals for the project are due March 23, 2012.   

IH 35E serves the rapidly growing areas of southern and central Denton County, as well as major Dallas suburbs. Since it opened as part of the original national interstate program almost 50 years ago, the northern link of the corridor has been under a constant state of maintenance, upgrade, expansion, evaluation, planning, design, and construction.    

The goal of the proposed $4.4 billion high-priority project is to rebuild the 28-mile section of IH 35E from IH 635 in Dallas County to US 380 in Denton County, and provide managed lanes that feature dynamic pricing to keep traffic moving at 50 mph. Almost $600 million in funding has been identified, with most coming from $535 million in regional toll revenue funds dedicated to Denton County.

TxDOT received authority from the 82nd Texas Legislature under Senate Bill 1420 to develop the IH 35E Managed Lanes Project and 10 other specific projects using P3s. The Texas Transportation Commission authorized TxDOT to issue an RFQ for the Project on Sept. 29, 2011. 

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On November 16, challenges to the legality of the Presidio Parkway public-private partnership (P3) contract ended with a one sentence order from the California Supreme Court: “The petition for review is denied.”  Professional Engineers in California Government (PECG), the union representing Caltrans engineers, had asked the Supreme Court to review the Aug. 8, 2011, decision of the California Court of Appeal in San Francisco (First District), which unanimously held that Phase 2 of the Presidio Parkway project can move forward as a P3.  As a result, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) will continue with Phase 2.  The project will replace the old and outmoded approach to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.  The Supreme Court’s action denying the petition comes a year after PECG filed the lawsuit in the trial court.

When the California Transportation Commission considered whether to approve use of a P3 for the project under Streets and Highways Code section 143, the California Legislative Analyst Office (LAO), and the California Attorney General’s office (AG) as counsel to the Commission, gave written opinions concluding that the project was not authorized.  Caltrans’ general counsel, along with Nossaman acting as P3 legal advisor to Caltrans, took a contrary position.  Section 143, adopted in 2009, broadens the types of P3 projects authorized in California.  The Commission approved the project for a P3, while noting the unresolved legal issue.

PECG sued Caltrans and the SFCTA to stop Phase 2 of the project, arguing, like the LAO and AG had earlier, that the project was not authorized by section 143.  The courts rejected PECG’s argument that, under section 143, Caltrans’ internal personnel must perform all the preliminary planning and design services, as opposed to being responsible only for seeing them done correctly.  The courts also rejected the argument that P3 efforts under California law must be confined to toll projects, holding that the legislation authorized much broader use of innovative financing, in this case an availability payment.  Finally, the courts also held that the project was properly characterized as supplemental to existing facilities, as required by section 143.

The Presidio Parkway Project is the first project to reach award under California’s new P3 statute.  The decision of the courts—and now the finality—is important beyond the Presidio Parkway Project.  This should ease the way to use P3s under section 143 for other projects, and also provide helpful precedent for design build projects authorized under parallel legislation passed at the same time.

At the beginning of 2011, Caltrans, in cooperation with SFCTA, signed a contract for the project to Golden Link Concessionaire, LLC, a consortium led by Hochtief  PPP Solutions North America and Meridiam Infrastructure North America. 

Nossaman represented SFCTA in the litigation and advised Caltrans during the P3 procurement.  Caltrans was represented in the litigation by its own department counsel.

For more about the Presidio Parkway Project and section 143, see Appeals Court Rules Presidio Parkway Can Move Forward as P3, Presidio Parkway Project Awarded, Preferred Proposer Selected for Presidio Parkway Project, Final RFP for the Presidio Parkway Project Released, Presidio Parkway Reaches Two Important Milestones, and Presidio Parkway Project RFQ Issued.

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