The $710 Million Toll Road

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Texas Toll Authority Forced to Raise Toll Rates to Meet Debt Obligation

Some interesting excerpts (the bold emphasis is ours) from the article "North Texas Tollway Authority Raising Rates on All Three Roads," by Michael A. Lindenberger, Dallas Morning News, 8/15/09:

". . . North Texas Tollway Authority board members voted 8-1 to support the toll increase, which staff had insisted was necessary to satisfy agreements NTTA struck with creditors who have lent the agency about $6 billion.

'This organization lives off of borrowed money,' said board member Gary Base of Collin County, who leads the finance committee and supported the increase. 'This is not money that we have. And we as a board have fiduciary responsibility to these debt holders.'

. . . NTTA guaranteed that rates will continue to rise, approving a measure that would trigger automatic 6 percent rate increases every two years -- without the need for another board vote.

So why the sudden rush to raise rates again, and by so much? NTTA officials at first billed the increase as a necessary response to keep lenders happy. NTTA owes some $6 billion, and its bond covenants require its revenues be at least 1.5 times the agency's soaring debt payments. Without a rate increase, NTTA's revenues would fall below that level soon.

That's because traffic has not lived up to projections on its newest road, Rayburn Tollway (State Highway 121), and because traffic elsewhere is also lagging expectations. In addition, NTTA is having trouble collecting tolls owed on its all-electronic toll roads, and fewer customers are signing up for TollTags than NTTA had hoped."

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Other Cities Are Tearing Down Elevated Highways

Planners push to tear out elevated I-10 over Clairborne Avenue in New Orleans, stating that "the most visible and painful blow to commercial and residential life on North Claiborne Avenue was the construction of the Interstate 10 elevated expressway."
http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/07/photos_for_iten.html

Birmingham Business Journal

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From an Attorney's Perspective

An Elevated Highway 280: Just an Eye Sore or More Accidents?

A firm was awarded a million dollar contract last week to study whether highway 280 should be elevated, i.e., essentially double-decked, over the mountain in its most congested stretches. It seems to me that when million dollar feasibility studies start getting awarded, the project is getting to the stage of being seriously considered. This caused me to seriously consider what might be the consequences.

My own experience with elevated, or double-decked highways, although limited, has not been very favorable. That method of highway construction has been used extensively in Austin, Texas, to create what is in my opinion a horrible result. The traffic congestion on the road and the entrances to the elevated portion are confusing and still congested. Everytime I drive on it I am thankful that it is not in Birmingham, Alabama, although I must admit I have no idea how bad the traffic problems were before it was built.

Lloyd W. Gathings
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BREAKING NEWS - $1 Million Study Approved

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Some Stats on U.S. 280 Traffic

Not many U.S. 280 commuters carpool, survey finds

By Sherri C. Goodman -- The Birmingham News

February 20, 2009, 4:39PM

The Alabama Department of Transportation today released results from a U.S. 280 motorists survey done last March.

The origin and destination study was done in conjunction with ALDOT's plans to build elevated lanes over the corridor from Double Oak Mountain to Interstate 459.

The following is the study summary of drivers on 280 from I-459 to Eagle Point Parkway: ¶

-- 94 percent of all vehicles in corridor are passenger cars

-- 60 percent of all passenger cars use corridor primarily to travel to/from work

-- 92 percent of all commercial vehicles primarily use the corridor for company business

-- 67 percent of all passenger vehicles use the corridor four time per week while only 45 percent of commercial vehicles use the corridor four times per week

-- 79 percent of all vehicles in the corridor contain only one person

-- 95 percent of all vehicles in the corridor contain one to two persons

-- Approximately 90 percent of all the vehicles containing only one person are traveling to/from work

-- 30 percent of all passenger cars using the corridor also use I-459 on the same trip

-- 41 percent of all passenger cars using the corridor reside in the 35242 ZIP code, North Shelby County along 280.

© 2009 al.com. All rights reserved.

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/02/not_many_us_280_commuters_carp.html

Shelby County Reporter

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Paying for the Toll Road

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ALDOT Director Says US 280 Project would require tolls

http://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/story.asp?story=9965&headline=ALDOT%20Director%20Says%20U.S.%20280%20Project%20Would%20Require%20Tolls

State Transportation Director Joe McInnes said that in 2008, he wants to begin building elevated lanes on U.S. 280 east of Interstate 459 in Birmingham.

McInnes said the project is likely to require the use of tolls. But he called the project “critical” to addressing growing congestion on the popular — and heavily commercial — route from Shelby County to Jefferson County.

ALDOT Director Says U.S. 280 Project Would Require Tolls

http://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/ALDOT-Director-Says-US-280-Project-Would-Require-Tolls/9965/

EZ-Pass or EZ-Cash? Why Toll Roads Are a Bad Idea

"Electronic transponder technology, like E-ZPass, is making toll roads more palatable, but that doesn’t mean toll roads are good public policy.

Toll roads are an inefficient, backwards approach to providing public highways. Worse, they foster corruption, political patronage, and discourage needed improvements on the rest of the highway system."

-- James Baxter, President, National Motorists Association

http://blog.motorists.org/ez-pass-or-ez-cash-why-toll-roads-are-a-bad-idea/

Jeffco Officials on Board with Mass Transit After Sept 07 Denver Trip

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2007/09/jeffco_trio_touts_regional_tra.html

Letters, Faxes, and E-mail

"Letters, faxes, and e-mail"
Birmingham News, May 13th, 2007
http://www.al.com/opinion/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1179074724313810.xml&coll=2

"Different consultants, different plan for 280"
by Hannah Wolfson in the Birmingham News
May 3rd, 2007
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2007/05/different_consultants_differen.html

"280 Plan has trees, low speed"
by Hannah Wolfson for the Birmingham News
Friday, May 4th, 2007
http://www.al.com/birminghamnews/stories/index.ssf?/base/news/1178266582323500.xml&coll=2

"Lack of unity imperil plans, experts say"
by Ginny McDonald for the Birmingham News
Saturday, May 5th, 2007

http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1178353011112420.xml&coll=2

"Must not stall on U.S. 280 - Pipeline or parkway?"
by Tom Scarritt for the Birmingham News
Sunday, May 6th, 2007
http://www.al.com/birminghamnews/stories/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1178439697247430.xml&coll=2

Will Slow & Steady Win 280 Pace?

http://bhamweekly.com/blog/2007/05/07/will-slow-and-steady-win-280-pace/

News, Opinion

April 20, 2007
"Progress 280 Gives Thumbs Up to Elevated Lanes
on Eastern Part of U.S. 280"
By Kelli Hewett Taylor, Birmingham News staff writer
The Progress 280 Task Force on Thursday voted unanimously to recommend the state continue research on building elevated lanes on U.S. 280 from Interstate 459 to Double Oak Mountain but delay further action on elevated lanes on the west side of I-459....
http://blog.al.com/hoover/2007/04/progress_280_gives_thumbs_up_t.html

April 19, 2007
"280 Road Trip"
By Phillip Jordan and Kyle Whitmire, Birmingham Weekly
If you've got time (and can beat the traffic), be at the Vestavia Hills Civic Center at 2 p.m. The Progress 280 Task Force is expected to offer its long-awaited recommendation after hearing a final report on community support for elevated lanes above Highway 280. The word is that the very vocal opposition along the Jefferson County stretch of 280 has spared those communities from Alabama's omnipresent answer to sprawl – more roads! However, the task force's consultant, Florida-based Linda Figg, says enough Shelby County residents want the double-decker along their five miles to go ahead and fire up those ALDOT engines. Admiral David Farragut may have been a Yankee (from Tennessee, no less – how did that happen?), but we bet he'd enjoy making this call: "Damn mass transit! Road contractors, full speed ahead!) Anyways, if you've got a dog in the race, be sure to show up and see if the task force indeed decides to do this thing halfway....
http://www.bhamweekly.com/2007/04/19/news-280-road-trip/

Tour de 280 Walk-a-Thon/5K Fun Run

Why?

To help fund the Glatting Jackson study of alternatives to an elevated Highway 280 and to raise awareness of the importance of this issue

When?
Sunday, April 29th, 2:00PM

The Tour de 280 Walk-a-Thon/5K Fun Run, organized by Gravlee Fitness, was held in the historic neighborhood of Homewood and the shopping district of Mountain Brook Village. The race/walk allowed participants to see why this area should not be damaged by the construction of an elevated highway.

Roads Chief: Elevated 280 May Not Be Possible

http://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2007/03/26/daily10.html?f=et53&hbx=e_du

Removing Urban Freeways

United States | Op-Ed | Transportation

19 March 2007 - 9:30am

Author: Charles Siegel http://www.planetizen.com/node/23300

"Instead of reducing congestion, the freeways encouraged people to move to remote suburbs and drive long distances to work and to shopping, increasing traffic dramatically. One study found that, five years after a major freeway project is completed in California, 95% of the new capacity fills up with traffic that would not have existed if the freeway had not been built¹.

The freeways also blighted the older parts of our cities."

See also, "Removing Freeways-Restoring Cities - The Movement Has Begun!"

http://www.preservenet.com/freeways/

Musings on Bham's 280 by a California Native

Can’t go around it, can’t go under it, don’t want to go over it…

February 7th, 2007

Like the camp song says, “can’t go around it”… “can’t go under it”… “can’t go over it”. On the subject of Highway 280’s congestion problems, some want to “go over it”. Personally, I think it’s best to improve our way THROUGH IT....

http://curtispalmer.wordpress.com/2007/02/07/elevatedhighway280/

Reclaiming Urbanism and Revitalizing Cities

America's twentieth century highway building era included elevated freeways which cut huge swaths across our cities, decimating neighborhoods and reducing quality of life for city residents. This massive concrete infrastructure had devastating effects on urban economies. It blighted adjacent property and pushed access to basic amenities further out. With the Federal and State Departments of Transportation confronting shrinking budgets and cities looking for ways to increase their revenues, it is an ideal time to offer less expensive, urban alternatives to the reconstruction of urban expressways.

New York City, Portland, San Francisco, Milwaukee and Seoul, South Korea have confronted this problem by replacing elevated highways with boulevards, saving billions of dollars and increasing real estate values and economic development on adjacent land. The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) and the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) believe that teardowns offer an attractive option for cities struggling with aging highway infrastructure. The strategies are proving themselves in adding value and restoring urban neighborhoods decimated by highway construction.

"The Highwaymen"

Why you could soon be paying Wall Street investors, Australian bankers, and Spanish builders for the privilege of driving on American roads.
http://motherjones.com/politics/2007/01/highwaymen?page=1

It's Fast, but Dangerous, and Traffic Remains Clogged Below

Tampa Tribune reporters said that the trip on the El was 10mins in the rush hour compared to 20mins on the old lower lanes.

They got these quotes from motorists:

"Awesome," Aida Gonzalez of Valrico said after exiting the highway at Meridian Avenue and Twiggs Street. "Oh my God! It took like 10 minutes or so."
Elaine Cook said her first trip on the one-way highway was "fun" but "a little bit scary."

"I didn't want to be the first one on the news to go off the side," Cook said. "But it was nice looking down at all the people bumper-to-bumper into Tampa on the crosstown."

It grew from two lanes to 3 plus 2 shoulders

The project started as just two lanes in a deck about 11m (36ft) wide but grew to the present three 3.65m (12ft) travel land and a breakdown shoulder of 3m (10ft) on both sides for a total deck of 17m (56ft) over most of its length.

Construction of the Tampa El was traumatic

At 7:15am April 13 2004, a Tuesday, with the project about two-thirds done workers on a section of the El atop Pier 98 felt a sway and heard rumbling. As they scrambled down ladders the pier was starting to sink into the ground. Broken concrete rained down on cars traveling in the regular lanes alongside. No one was seriously hurt but the pier ended up 3.6m (11 ft) down.

URS fight goes on

URS and the expressway authority have been through protracted arbitration but this has failed to get a resolution. The tollroad is taking them to court to determine compensation.

At least the pike hasn't had to go cap in hand to the state. Tolls - going up soon - will service the additional bonds floated to cover the extra costs.

Relations with URS are still awful.

Thomas Gibbs, chairman of the Tampa expressway authority (THCEA), said Monday: "This is a URS toll. We are having to raise tolls because of all this (collapse and repair) much sooner than we expected."
Tolls at the mainline plaza will increase from a low of 25c to a still low 50c (5c a mile is now a rural toll. Most urban tolls are in the 10c to 30c/mile range.)

The toll increase had been planned for 2009.

Traffic Congestion Remains Below Tampa's Elevated Highway

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=359012&page=3

Tampa's Highway Collapses

http://www.sptimes.com/2006/07/18/Tampabay/Today__some_will_take.shtml