Tollway interchange project in Ill. to begin | Dallas-area HOV lanes on US 75 to be tolled 6% of the time | Commentary: NYC congestion pricing should apply to more than Manhattan
Former US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has produced a 45-page task force report on ways to improve transportation in Chicago, and it encourages the city to use a multiapproach strategy. The report uses the example of managed toll lanes in Northern Virginia as an innovative approach to reducing congestion.
Construction is to begin on the $33.4 million Illinois Route 23 Interchange Project, as traffic will shift for a work zone starting Monday. The project will establish a partial cloverleaf interchange at Interstate 90 and Route 23.
The high-occupancy-vehicle lanes on US 75 between the Sam Rayburn Tollway and the Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway in the Dallas area will be converted into open-access lanes that will be tolled for 6% of their functioning hours. The change is a compromise that state and local officials reached with the Federal Highway Administration.
New York City has not invested sufficiently in infrastructure, and congestion pricing proposals should go further to help alleviate the problem, writes City Council member Ben Kallos. Congestion pricing plans are geared largely toward Manhattan, but Kallos suggests levying a charge on vehicles entering New York City from any point.
An event in Finland will bring 250 researchers together to discuss the 6G wireless standard, which remains undefined. Networks using the 5G standard are just now being implemented, and 6G is not expected to become a reality for another decade.
An elevated toll expressway is under construction above Gandy Boulevard in Tampa, Fla., to give drivers a direct link between the South Tampa and Brandon communities once completed. Engineers say they are working to address business owners' concerns that the Selmon Extension project will make their businesses less visible.
The Hawaii Department of Transportation is considering a mileage-based fee to supplant the state's gas tax. The department is looking for a sustainable revenue source.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission faces an $11.8 billion debt in payments it must make to the state, and Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale is calling for lawmakers to resolve the matter. Yearly toll increases are proving insufficient for tackling the debt, DePasquale says.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said the National Park Service cannot adequately maintain the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and that Maryland should have control of the parkway instead. Hogan sent Maryland's congressional delegation a letter this week seeking backing for his proposal; the letter also mentions his plan for adding toll lanes in the state.
Each year, IBTTA's Toll Excellence Awards Program recognizes the very best projects and programs the international tolling industry has to offer. We celebrate IBTTA toll agency/operator and private sector members whose creative, innovative and positive programs set a new standard of excellence. We are now accepting submissions for this year. The deadline for entries is April 15.
