International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association CEO Patrick Jones said states will be taking the lead with regard to innovative ways of addressing infrastructure funding. For example, Rhode Island recently adopted interstate tolls for semitrailers, and Oregon is testing a per-mile vehicle fee.
Dave Bauer is poised to become president and CEO of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association on Jan. 1, when he will succeed Pete Ruane, who is retiring at the end of this month. The interim president and CEO will be William Toohey Jr., ARTBA executive vice president and chief operating officer, who plans to retire in April.
The Maine Turnpike Authority is moving forward with plans to construct an upgraded toll plaza that includes open-road tolling alongside cash-payment lanes. It has awarded a $39.5 million contract for the project, which is expected to take three years to complete.
France's transportation minister said draft legislation aimed at giving cities flexibility to implement congestion pricing will be introduced in the country's parliament next month. France allows urban tolls, but municipalities have not adopted tolling, as the current laws are seen as restrictive.
Verra Mobility has introduced Peasy, a smartphone-based toll-payment system the company says is compatible with 95% of cashless toll bridges and lanes across the country. Peasy works with drivers' existing transponder accounts.
The Malaysian government has deferred a plan that would end tolling and is considering such measures as flat rates and discounts instead. A Malaysian official said the government is not in a financial position to abolish tolls.
The Kane County Division of Transportation in Illinois is implementing a toll to fund the construction of a bridge over the Fox River. The county might keep the toll in place for an estimated 35 years, until the project's bonds are paid off and a trust fund for maintenance is built up.
A 21-story tower planned for 2999 Turtle Creek Blvd. in Dallas will house a contemporary hotel with 175 rooms and 82 condominiums. JMJ Development has tapped FAB Studio to design the concrete and glass structure.
An exhibition space crafted by Japanese architect Tadao Ando from a four-story apartment building near Chicago's Lincoln Park has opened. As part of the building's transformation, Ando filled its brick walls with steel and reinforced concrete to add a fourth floor, installed a concrete slab above the original roof and used exposed concrete to build the stairs connecting the galleries.
Plans for a $2.5 billion mixed-use development in Chicago's North Branch Corridor gained approval from the Chicago Plan Commission, and construction of the first phase may start in 2020. The previous industrial site will be large enough for 14 mixed-use buildings that will include affordable housing, plus 13 acres of open space and a walkway along the Chicago River.