Late last Friday on November 5th, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA, which President Biden intends to sign on Monday,...more
On September 3, 2020, San Luis Obispo Regional Transportation Authority (SLO RTA) closed the first TIFIA loan under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (Department’s) Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation...more
Last week I attended the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. During my Revenue and Finance Committee meeting we heard a presentation from Roger Bohnert, Director of Outreach and Development, for...more
1/24/2020
/ Federal Funding ,
Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) ,
Infrastructure ,
Public Projects ,
Public Transit ,
Rural Areas ,
Rural Development ,
Surface Transportation ,
TIFIA ,
Transportation Corridor ,
Urban Planning & Development
A pair of Senators from both sides of the aisle, Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), introduced the Public Buildings Renewal Act of 2019 last week, which would authorize the use of tax...more
4/3/2019
/ Educational Institutions ,
Infrastructure ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Private Activity Bonds ,
Private Equity ,
Project Finance ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Private Partnerships (P3s) ,
Public Projects ,
Tax Exemptions ,
Urban Planning & Development
Have you ever wished there was a comprehensive, easily accessible project cost database for major US transportation projects? It would be populated following an in depth review of information available from State DOT’s and...more
Last week the House Republican leadership unveiled its much anticipated US tax reform bill. The bill proposes the most sweeping changes to the tax code in 30 years—since the 1986 Tax Act, which by the way imposed many of the...more
11/13/2017
/ Bonds ,
Infrastructure ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Municipal Bonds ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Finance ,
Public Private Partnerships (P3s) ,
State and Local Government ,
Tax Rates ,
Tax Reform ,
Tax-Exempt Bonds ,
Transportation Industry ,
Trump Administration
Last week the Orange County Transportation Authority executed the design/build contract for the I-405 Improvement Project with OC405 Partners, a joint venture consisting of OHL USA and Astaldi Construction Corporation. With a...more
Over a thousand US public finance attorneys converged on the City of Chicago last week for the annual National Association of Bond Lawyers Bond Attorneys Workshop. The conference, the oldest and largest of its kind, featured...more
The need to spend significant dollars on the repair and expansion of the nation’s public infrastructure is a major concern expressed by many. Even the two presidential candidates for the major political parties, who don’t...more
In response to a request from the California Department of Transportation, 5,000 California drivers signed up for the state’s nine month pilot program to replace the state’s gas tax with a charge based on vehicle miles...more
Drivers of the I-405 in Orange County California are one step closer to an improved facility. Today the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) authorized release of a final request for proposals to design and...more
We all know how hard it is to change federal statutes these days—you need an Act of Congress and the President to sign the bill. Last week, a group of the top public finance lawyers in the US offered an approach relating to...more
In a number of recent conversations regarding using Public-Private Partnerships (P3s) to deliver large infrastructure projects under an availability payment structure, I’ve heard a lot of angst by public owners over the cost...more
California has long been a transportation innovator, whether battery powered cars, high speed rail or the home of the first managed lanes facility in the United States—the SR91 Express Lanes. The SR91 Express Lanes opened in...more
California is the most populous state in the Country; if it were a country it would have the world’s 8th largest economy. So it’s probably no surprise to hear that a new study has found California needs to spend $853 billion...more
This Friday, January 23, 2015, California will take the first step in investigating a road user charge pilot program as an alternative to the gas tax when the CTC convenes the Road User Charge Advisory Committee meeting. The...more
At the TRB P3 Subcommittee meeting on January 12, 2015, among the topics discussed is the growth in the U.S. P3 market of the availability payment approach and less use of toll concessions. Availability payment contracts...more
The San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency today successfully refinanced $1.4 billion of its $2.2 billion in outstanding debt issued to fund construction of the 73 Toll Road. “This is great news for drivers and the...more
In an historic move, Standard & Poor’s upgraded the Orange County Transportation Agency SR91 Express Lanes Toll Revenue Bonds to “AA-”, making it one the highest rated managed lanes projects in the world. The bonds were...more
During the “Use of WIFIA” breakout session at the NCPPP P3 Connect conference this week in Denver, Elizabeth Corr, Associate Division Director for the EPA, confirmed that the agency will not need to complete the formal...more
On March 4, 2014, the City of Indianapolis announced that three development teams have been short-listed to compete to design, build, finance, operate and maintain a new Marion County Consolidated Justice Facility....more
Famed French writer Victor Hugo said, "There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea whose time has come." Repurposing the Railroad Rehabilitation Improvement Financing program (RRIF) is an...more
Recognizing the innovative P3 approach to project delivery and financial structure for a major US infrastructure project, the Bond Buyer awarded the Indiana Finance Authority's private activity bonds for the East End Crossing...more
The Indiana Finance Authority (“IFA”) issued its Request for Qualifications (“RFQ”) for an availability payments public private partnership for the financing, building and operating of the Indiana portion of the Illiana...more
Last week I attended an invitation only round table organized by Karen Hedlund, Deputy Administrator for the Federal Railroad Administration. The round table was held in conjunction with the High Speed Rail Conference held...more