On the whole, public-private partnerships do better than design-bid-build projects at achieving equity goals, according to a study by researchers at the University of Maryland. The study also notes that larger projects tend to do better meeting Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program objectives.
Transport for London has announced plans to make a temporary 30% congestion charge increase permanent in response to the return of traffic to the English capital. The increase was implemented during June 2020, and the new plan will cut charge collection hours to weekdays between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.
The Miami-Dade Expressway Authority's board has approved a change that will allow drivers that have paid over $100 in tolls between July 2019 and June 2021 to join its toll rebate plan. Drivers along the Miami-Dade Expressway in Florida have already received $19 million in rebates during the last four years.
The International Bridge linking Ontario and Michigan will get a new toll system on the American side of the crossing. IBI Group will provide operations and maintenance on the new system for 10 years.
The US Army is in the market for an electric-powered Light Reconnaissance Vehicle that would offer greater stealth over counterparts with internal combustion engines. This is one example of how electric vehicles are beginning to transform a wide range of fields, including agriculture, construction and emergency response.
Transportation planners in Miami-Dade County, Fla., have approved the allocation of $88,000 to study a proposal for transit tunnels by The Boring Co. and similar ideas from other companies. The county will hire a consultant to explore costs and benefits of such projects elsewhere in the world and how these might apply locally.
The flood of federal money for transportation expected from the Biden administration is fueling major investments into electric vehicle and infrastructure stocks, reports Global X's Jay Jacobs. Global X's two transportation-focused exchange-traded funds have attracted around $4 billion this year, and Jacobs expects to see investments continue, noting "there's a lot of investor appetite for this segment of the market."
With state transportation departments expected to incur $28 billion in pandemic-related revenue losses from fiscal 2020 through fiscal 2024, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials has written a letter to the Treasury Department calling for greater flexibility to apply pandemic relief funds. The letter also asks for three more years to apply the funds, noting capital projects typically require longer timelines.
