2019-2020 NGA CHAIR’S INITIATIVE

INFRASTRUCTURE: FOUNDATION FOR SUCCESS

In July, 2019 then NGA Chair and Maryland Governor Larry Hogan launched a national, year-long initiative focused on fixing America’s crumbling infrastructure. This 2019-2020 NGA Chair’s Initiative, Infrastructure: Foundation for Success, brought together thought leaders from government, business, and academia to work with the nation’s governors on developing the best ideas in pursuit of a common mission: building a more efficient, innovative, smart, resilient and secure infrastructure foundation for success.

With America’s economy suffering from the coronavirus pandemic, investing in infrastructure has become more urgent to the prosperity of our nation than at any time in modern history. As a result, Governor Hogan has accelerated the release of this report by two months. America simply cannot afford to wait for action any longer.

Governors across the country are leading the way by upgrading roads, bridges, interstate rail, and mass transit, improving regional and international airports, repairing aging water systems, providing high-speed internet access and connectivity, and keeping our infrastructure secure and sustainable, but they need support from Washington to make critical investments in our nation’s future.

Now is the time for the federal government to follow the example of governors and prioritize fixing our infrastructure to get our economy back on track. By holding summits across the country, learning the best practices from both governors and international leaders, as well private sector stakeholders, Governor Hogan has identified key priorities that Congress and the Administration should address.

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I. Relieve Congestion to Boost Economic Competitiveness

Governors (from left) Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, Larry Hogan of Maryland and Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island discuss their states’ approaches to transportation and infrastructure to reporters in Boston.

Americans have lost countless hours of their lives in soul-crushing traffic. To address the perpetually clogged state of America’s streets and highways, the federal government needs to increase flexible funding for states to find modern, adaptable, and creative solutions to relieve congestion across all transportation modes. This includes support for our transit systems and critical freight networks that continue to provide essential goods and services while purposefully operating at reduced capacity in keeping with COVID-19 health guidelines. Whether people or goods are traveling by land, sea, rail, or air, Americans need a network they can count on that is safe, efficient, adaptable, and well-maintained.

Chair’s Recommendations:

As Congress considers the next surface transportation authorization, states should be granted maximum flexibility to relieve congestion and invest in adaptable and innovative solutions. This will require Congress to seek a balanced approach in federal funding across all modes.

Governors support preserving the funding levels and formula distributions of the FAST Act, which outline how state DOTs receive their funds and how they are required to be spent at the state level or sub-allocated to MPOs. Key priorities include:

  • Preserving the Highway Trust Fund split, which is 80-20 between the Highway Account and the Mass Transit Account.
  • Keeping the current formula ratio at 92 percent for core highway programs distributed to the states.
  • Maintaining the current sub-allocated Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) program funding, which is set at 55 percent of total funding.

Governors support reliability and certainty of formula funding and state flexibility of surface transportation dollars, rather than prescriptive requirements for funding usage or new discretionary grant programs that could be awarded to other entities such as MPOs, transit agencies, ports, or other units of government.

II. Enhance Efficiency by Eliminating Red Tape and Integrating Smart Technology

Past federal actions to streamline project delivery, such as those in the FAST Act and One Federal Decision, made a dent in the often redundant and lengthy approval and permitting processes that increase project time and costs and fill the public and private partners with uncertainty.

More must be done to expand these streamlined processes to more projects, increasing transparency and reducing permitting review and completion times, while safeguarding the intent that underlies critical environmental, planning, design, and procurement reviews.

The efficiency of our infrastructure can be measured by three key determinants: the cost and duration of a project, the project outcomes, and the ease of maintenance of the infrastructure.

Beyond permitting and process reforms, efforts must also be made to increase the efficiency of our infrastructure itself, by incorporating new technological capabilities related to increased connectivity, autonomy, digital information, and electrification. States are leading the way in embracing new practices and technologies that provide innovative solutions to traditional infrastructure needs; federal investments should support the deployment of these technologies and reward positive, evidence-based outcomes. Further, we must expand broadband access so that all communities can utilize emerging and existing connected technology. Broadband and IT infrastructure that runs and is intertwined with America’s vital transportation networks is a foundation for tomorrow’s success. As our nation recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, expanded access to broadband in both rural and urban communities is especially critical to addressing the digital divide and improving educational and employment opportunities for all Americans. With the change in delivery of instruction due to the pandemic, enabling students from disadvantaged backgrounds to transition to online learning is a particularly pressing need.

Chair’s Recommendations:

As Congress considers the next surface transportation authorization, the One Federal Decision policy should be codified for highway projects, which would establish a 2-year goal for completion of environmental reviews and a 90-day timeline for related project authorizations. Further, clear guidance that is developed collaboratively with the states on the front lines of delivering infrastructure would modernize the delivery process in an efficient manner without sacrificing the important safeguards the processes were designed to ensure.

As Congress considers additional relief and economic stimulus in response to the coronavirus, we must strengthen the federal-state partnership to expand individual and communal access to broadband.

III. Strengthen Security and Resiliency by Protecting America’s Critical Infrastructure from Disaster and Cyber Threats

Pandemics are not the only threat that our country will face this decade. Weather and climate-related impacts, including wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes will test the physical resiliency of our infrastructure, while the barrage of increased cyber-attacks threaten to steal confidential information and hijack our increasingly connected and cyber-dependent systems.

While we must fix and expand existing infrastructure, we must also invest in resiliency and security to modernize our infrastructure for both today’s generation and those to come. We must attend to needs across our rural, urban and suburban areas. Infrastructure encompasses more than roads and bridges. It also includes city and community development, transit, passenger rail, seaports and airports, inland waterways and electric vehicle charging networks. It involves water and wastewater systems, dams and reservoirs, electricity grids and power plants, public buildings and broadband networks.

Strengthening the resiliency of each of these aspects of our infrastructure to the scale of physical and digital threats that we face must be a national priority. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought this issue to the forefront, as activities that have been traditionally conducted in-person, including monitoring, inspection, permitting, and reviews, are increasingly transitioning online. The shift to virtual operations will require a renewed focus on protecting the data systems that support our critical infrastructure.

Chair’s Recommendations:

As Congress considers all levels of infrastructure legislation, limited waivers for the most vulnerable or underserved communities should be allowed to have up to 100 percent of the cost of the project covered by the federal government to ensure resiliency measures are afforable and implementable. Additionally, robust partnerships between the public and private sectors for innovative and sustainable funding are more critical than ever.

As Congress considers cyber security legislation, funding is needed to prioritize best practices at all levels of government and help participating state and local governments coordinate resources, better respond to threats, and plan for a strong and resilient cyber future.

IV. Finance for the Future by Leveraging Private Sector Investments

Government — whether federal, state, or local — simply cannot afford what it will take to address all the gaps that currently exist in our collective investment in America’s infrastructure. States need a comprehensive approach that allows for leveraging a variety of funding sources and flexibility to match the right tool with each project.

Private investments and strong public private partnerships play a critical role in modernizing our infrastructure. Federal infrastructure programs should support state efforts to leverage the full range of infrastructure financing options, and build increased capacity to screen projects for the most beneficial project delivery model.

Chair’s Recommendations:

As Congress considers all levels of infrastructure legislation, flexible financing and tax treatment should be encouraged to promote economic competitiveness and innovative project delivery structures.

Congress should consider helping state and local governments access vital new revenue sources for investment in state and local infrastructure. For example, Congress should provide meaningful federal incentives for state and local governments to pursue the long-term lease of existing infrastructure assets, with the requirement that proceeds from these leases get reinvested into new infrastructure assets. These leases have the potential to inject hundreds of billions of dollars of new private and public capital into American infrastructure, which will create jobs and drive economic growth.

Congress should consider providing new tools and resources to help state and local governments bring projects to the market and access private sector capital and expertise through the expanded use of P3s, state P3 offices, infrastructure asset inventories, and predevelopment grants. Additional resources for the Build America Bureau would help achieve this.

  • These options not only help bring capital resources to the table, but also relieve the state of the long-term maintenance of infrastructure costs, stretching the use of existing state and federal dollars and providing greater value for the investment.
  • A broader set of tools involving private sector capital allows states to have better access to private sector collaboration and innovative solutions.

Infrastructure is the foundation states are built upon. It impacts every part of the day-to-day life of our citizens: from economic development and global competitiveness, to our quality of life, safety, environment, and resiliency. As we seek effective solutions to speed our economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, now is the time for a national program for infrastructure investment based on the common-sense principles outlined above.

Explore Infrastructure Innovations

As states seek to meet the infrastructure demands of the 21st century, they are exploring innovative approaches for managing congestion, enhancing project efficiencies, ensuring critical systems are secure and resilient, and funding and financing projects.

The Year In Review

Governor Larry Hogan

Maryland | 2019 – 2020 NGA Chair

Governors across the country are leading the way by upgrading roads, bridges, interstate rail, and mass transit, improving regional and international airports, repairing aging water systems, providing high-speed internet access and connectivity, and keeping our infrastructure secure and sustainable.

The 2019-2020 NGA Chair’s Initiative, Infrastructure: Foundation for Success, under the leadership of Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, brought together thought leaders from government, business, and academia to work with the nation’s governors in pursuit of a common infrastructure mission: building a more efficient, innovative, smart, resilient and secure foundation for success.

Infrastructure Stakeholder Summit I – Congestion Relief

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Maryland Governor Larry Hogan kicked off the first of four stakeholder summits in Boston, as part of his 2019-20 NGA Chair’s initiative Infrastructure: Foundation for Success. He was joined by host Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker as well as Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo and New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu.

Read More About The Stakeholder Summit

International Study Tour In Australia

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Maryland Governor Larry Hogan led a multi-state delegation to Australia for a four-day study tour to explore the country’s innovative approaches for developing, securing and financing roads, mass transit, ports and other infrastructure. The trip was the first of three planned international study tours in support of Gov. Hogan’s NGA Chair’s Initiative, Infrastructure: Foundation for Success.

Read More About The Study Tour

Infrastructure Stakeholder Summit II — Strengthening Security and Resiliency

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Maryland Governor Larry Hogan joined Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Tennessee Governor Bill Lee in Detroit for the second of four U.S. stakeholder summits in support of Gov. Hogan’s NGA Chair’s Initiative. The Detroit summit focused on protecting America’s critical infrastructure by strengthening security and resiliency.

Read More About the Stakeholder Summit

Infrastructure Stakeholder Summit III — Enhancing Efficiency

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Maryland Governor Larry Hogan joined California Governor Gavin Newsom, Montana Governor Steve Bullock and Tennessee Governor Bill Lee in San Francisco for the third of four U.S. stakeholder summits in support of Gov. Hogan’s NGA Chair’s Initiative. The San Francisco summit focused on enhancing efficiency by eliminating red tape and integrating smart technology.

Read More About the Stakeholder Summit
View a Photo Gallery of the Summit

Infrastructure Stakeholder Summit — Financing For The Future

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Six governors joined other state officials and private-sector stakeholders to explore partnerships to finance and maintain vital infrastructure, during the final stakeholder summit in support of Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s National Governors Association 2019-20 Chair’s Initiative.

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, Montana Governor Steve Bullock, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon and Virginia Governor Ralph Northam joined Gov. Hogan during the virtual meeting that served as the fourth regional stakeholder summit for his NGA Chair’s Initiative, Infrastructure: Foundation for Success.

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Sponsors

Infrastructure: Foundation for Success is supported by the following sponsors:

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If you would like more information on this initiative, please contact the staff of NGA’s Energy, Infrastructure & Environment Division at this email: infrastructure@nga.org

American Samoa – Resilient And Renewable Energy

Currently, the Territory of American Samoa is largely dependent on imported petroleum products, primarily diesel fuel, for energy. Electricity rates for residents are approximately $0.29 per kilowatt-hour, more than twice the average U.S. residential rate. In 2009, the 8.3 magnitude Samoa earthquake and tsunami caused extensive damage, including damaging the diesel-based Satala power plant, the primary power generator for the largest island, Tutuila. Repairing and improving the resiliency of the Salata plant was an immediate priority, however the 2009 earthquake also has increased the urgency for more investments in renewable energy.

In 2016, the island of Ta’u in the Manu’a Island group converted to 100 percent solar power through the American Samoa Power Authority’s Renewable Energy PV Project. The project includes 1,410 kW from more than 5,000 solar panels and 6,000 kWh of battery storage, which replace 110,000 gallons of diesel. At the beginning of 2019, the American Samoa Power Authority signed purchase power agreements for a $47 million for a new solar project and $100 million for a new wind power project, combined these projects are projected to reduce energy costs by more than 50 percent. Governor Lolo Matalasi Moliga has set the goal that American Samoa will obtain 50 percent of its energy from renewable resources by 2025 and to obtain 100 percent by 2040.

Alaska’s Renewable Energy Microgrids

Kipnuk is one of the more remote communities in the United States. Located on the Kugkaktlik River in western Alaska, it is closer to Russia than to the nearest highway. Despite its remoteness and traditional culture, the approximately 700 residents of this Alaska Native community still need access to affordable energy to heat their homes, cook their food, and light their buildings.

For several decades, energy in Kipnuk has come almost completely from diesel fuel which was barged in during the short summers when the river was not frozen. However, the recent construction of a hybrid power and heating system is changing that reliance on diesel. In 2019, the village electric utility, Kipnuk Power and Light, installed six 95kW wind turbines, 40 residential electric heating systems, and an electric boiler in the new diesel powerhouse to offset diesel fuel use. The diesel powerhouse, designed to complement the wind turbines, was installed by the Alaska Energy Authority over the past two years.

The wind turbines in the Kipnuk hybrid diesel-wind power system were designed with excess capacity relative to the modest 220kW average electrical load on the power grid. During periods of light wind, they reduce fuel use at the power plant. When the wind blows hard, which it does often in this region, the powerhouse controls maximize the fuel savings that can be integrated into the power grid and the excess wind power is used to heat village homes. In addition to the fuel cost savings and associated emissions reductions, this hybrid power system provides increased local employment and training, reduced exposure to volatile fuel prices, and serves as a model for a more sustainable rural Alaska community.

Minnesota’s UAS Bridge Inspection Program

Minnesota has more than 20,000 bridges, including 3,800 state-owned bridges, which are individually inspected every 12 to 24 months. Traditional bridge inspection methods can require traffic closures and require specialized lifts, vehicles and equipment.

Since 2015, the Minnesota Department of Transportation has been conducting award-winning research into the use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS or “drones”) for bridge inspections. Utilizing drones equipped with protective rolling cages and cameras, then paired with 3-D modeling software, the UAS approach is able to completely inspect entire bridges and save an average of 40 percent on inspection costs. The use of UAS also can increase safety for inspection personnel and save time for travelers by reducing lane closures.

Texas – Brays Bayou Project

Following the devastating flooding from Hurricane Harvey in 2017, the state of Texas, the city of Houston, and federal agencies have prioritized increasing resilience and reducing the risk of flooding in the Houston area. Project Brays, a partnership among the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Harris County Flood Control District, and state and local agencies, is estimated to cost $550 million and consists of more than 75 individual projects throughout the entire 31 miles of Brays Bayou. Projects include widening 21 miles of the Brays Bayou channel, modifying approximately 30 bridges to increase flow capacity, and creating four stormwater basins that can hold around 3.5 billion gallons of water.

Project Brays also work to bring much needed greenspace and recreational amenities to the communities along Brays Bayou through local initiatives led by strategic partners. The 75 projects that encompass Project Brays will greatly reduce the risk of flooding in the Houston area, benefitting thousands of residents and businesses along the Brays Bayou, and reduce the number of structures at flood risk in a 100-year flood from 16,800 to 1,800.

Iowa Watershed Approach To Disaster Mitigation

Recent spring flooding in Iowa caused roughly $2 billion in damages. Just over a decade ago, in 2008, flooding caused an estimated $10 billion in damage across Iowa, destroying and damaging thousands of homes and businesses. In 2010, the state of Iowa created a watershed pilot program funded by disaster recovery funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), creating five watershed management authorities to assess flood risk and develop mitigation plans. The pilot carried out over 150 projects, and in 2016 the program was expanded to create the Iowa Watershed Approach (IWA) program, expanding the number of watershed authorities from five to nine with an award of $97 million from HUD.

The IWA aims to accomplish six specific goals in each watershed by 2021: 1) reduce flood risk; 2) improve water quality; 3) increase flood resilience; 4) engage stakeholders through collaboration and outreach/education; 5) improve quality of life and health, especially for susceptible populations; and 6) develop a program that is scalable and replicable throughout the Midwest and the United States.

The IWA acts as a state-wide planning and coordination resource by combining revenue streams and conducting cross-jurisdictional planning between local, state, and federal partners. As of 2017, the IWA has approved 10 projects at a combined cost of $1.4 billion.

North Dakota Flood Diversion Project

Flooding along the Red River in North Dakota has repeatedly damaged the Fargo-Moorhead area, including major floods in 1997, 2009 and 2011. The Fargo-Moorhead Area Diversion Project will prevent catastrophic flooding with a combination of river control structures, floodwalls and levees, mitigation areas and a 30-mile-long diversion channel. The $2.75 billion project is funded by a partnership consisting of local sponsors, the federal government and the states of Minnesota and North Dakota. The diversion channel portion of the project is being procured as a public-private partnership, and for every $0.35 of investment, $1 will be protected within the metro area.

After the project stalled in 2017 during a lawsuit, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and former Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton appointed a 16-member task force, eight each from North Dakota and Minnesota, to reach an agreement on a new “Plan B” proposal for the project and resume progress. The task force members represented business leaders, local elected officials and upstream and downstream representatives to fully include diverse perspectives on achieving flood protection for the region.

More than one-fifth of North Dakota’s population, or more than 170,000 citizens, resides within the metro area protected by the FM Area Diversion Project. Once completed, the project will allow the Red River to flow through the metro area at an elevation of up to 37 feet. Flood stage in Fargo is 18 feet, and major flood stage is 30 feet.

Michigan’s Cyber Security Infrastructure

Under Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan utilizes two key programs to protect the state’s critical infrastructure.

Michigan Cyber Civilian Corps

Since its creation in 2013, the Michigan Cyber Civilian Corps (MiC3) has grown to over 100 members with approximately 20 new members in the pipeline. This all-volunteer force of highly qualified technical experts provides cyber incident response assistance to municipal, educational, and nonprofit organizations across Michigan. The importance of the program was reinforced by the passage of supporting legislation, the Cyber Civilian Corps Act of 2017, which clarified the program’s authorities and provided liability protections to volunteers. The MiC3 deployed several times in 2019, helping municipal and critical infrastructure entities respond and recover from cyber attacks and ensure the continued delivery of essential services to Michigan residents.

Michigan Cyber Command Center

The Michigan State Police (MSP) Cyber Section conducts criminal investigations, provides evidential forensic data recovery services, promotes public awareness regarding cyber issues, and provides law enforcement education opportunities with seven office locations throughout Michigan. The MSP Michigan Cyber Command Center (MC3) consists of highly specialized law enforcement personnel that investigate complex network intrusions and provide services in the area of evidential forensic recovery, cyberterrorism investigations, malware detection analysis and origination determination, intelligence gathering, information sharing, prosecution, and crime prevention. The MC3 partners include industry leaders in public utilities, health care, education, finance, and others. The MC3 assists Michigan governments and businesses by providing critical information for information technology services to be successful with cybersecurity prevention, attribution, and remediation.

Florida’s Resilient Coastlines Program

In 2017, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection launched the Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection, which has developed the Resilient Coastlines Program to address the challenges posed by rising sea levels. The Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection manages more than 4.5 million acres of submerged lands and coastal uplands, partners with local governments with jurisdiction over 825 miles of shoreline, and helps coordinate and plan various resource protection, beach management, and ecosystem restoration projects.

The program is funded by the Florida Coastal Management Program in partnership with NOAA, and by the governor and Florida Legislature. The Resilient Coastline Program promotes coordination across county, city, state, and federal government agencies, and has provided more than $5 million in grants to over 60 community projects, including vulnerability assessments and adaptation plans.

Vermont Transportation Resilience Planning Tool

Following the damage caused by Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) developed the Vermont Transportation Resilience Planning Tool (TRPT), a web-based application that identifies bridges, culverts, and road embankments that are vulnerable to damage from floods, estimates risk based on the vulnerability, and criticality of roadway segments, and identifies potential mitigation measures based on the factors driving the vulnerability. The TRPT was developed with funding from FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, FHWA planning funds, and matching state transportation dollars.

The TRPT combines river science, hydraulics and transportation planning methods and is applied at a watershed scale. The TRPT was developed and tested in three pilot watersheds and VTrans, in partnership with Regional Planning Commissions, is adding seven watersheds, and ultimately will complete the entire state.

By using the TRPT, VTrans is able to identify vulnerabilities in a proactive manner to avoid or mitigate against the impacts of future damages in the most critical, highest risk locations. VTrans utilized the TRPT to support a successful application for FEMA Pre-Disaster Mitigation funding for roadway and river channel improvements to reduce future flood damage along VT Route 9, a National Highway System roadway across southern Vermont. From a systemwide perspective, output from the TRPT is being used as a criterion in the VTrans project selection and prioritization process so that flood resilience is integrated in the agency’s investment decisions. The TRPT also is supporting local and regional hazard mitigation planning.

Maryland, I-270 Innovative Congestion Management Project

By 2030, the average daily traffic on Maryland’s I-270 is estimated to increase by 15 percent, from 260,000 vehicles to nearly 300,000 vehicles. In 2017, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced the $100 million I-270 Innovative Congestion Management Project, which is incorporating both roadway improvements and innovative technologies to reduce congestion. The roadway improvements target 14 existing bottlenecks across the 34-mile corridor, using a “right-sizing” approach to maximize capacity and address safety. Applying a dynamic and integrated traffic management system, the I-270 project also is installing more than 25 real-time traffic signs and more than 30 intelligent signals, cameras, and sensors to create an automated flow management system. Expected to be completed in 2020, the I-270 project is estimated to reduce commute times by up to 30 minutes.

Massachusetts, The “Big Dig” Central Artery/Tunnel Project

In an effort to replace Boston’s deteriorating and congested six-lane elevated highway with an underground tunnel system, Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) began the Central Artery/Tunnel Project in 1982. Following a variety of delays and challenges, the first tunnel link opened in 1995.

Upon completion, the $24.3 billion tunnel project restored 300 acres of open land, reduced total vehicle hours by 62 percent, and lowered citywide carbon monoxide levels by 12 percent. The Central Artery/Tunnel Project is estimated to annually save $168 million in time and costs to drivers.

New York, Congestion Pricing And Transportation System Investments

To combat the increasing levels of traffic congestion in Manhattan, in 2019 New York State authorized the nation’s first Central Business District Tolling Program (congestion pricing). This bold action was taken to counteract the adverse economic and health-related impacts that traffic congestion posed to the region and to ensure the region’s continued global competitiveness. As part of the plan, New York is implementing a pricing cordon within the Central Business District from 60th Street south. The program will dedicate 100 percent of the congestion pricing proceeds toward modernizing the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s subway, bus and commuter rail services so that residents have enhanced and reliable alternatives to the automobile. Congestion pricing along with strategic investments in the region’s public transportation systems are reimaging how the public travels. For example, in 2017, New York opened the $4.5 billion first phase of the new Second Avenue Subway. Since its inception, this new subway line has provided 125 million passenger trips and at the same time provided critical system redundancy, thereby significantly reducing passenger crowding on the nearby Lexington Avenue line by 40 percent during peak morning periods. When Phase II construction is complete, this single line will carry 300,000 passenger trips annually, equivalent to the entire Philadelphia SEPTA rail system.

Virginia High Occupancy/ Toll (HOT) Lanes

n January 2019, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced a $1 billion investment to reduce congestion on Northern Virginia highways in partnership with the private sector. The effort includes four new congestion relieving projects on Interstates 495 and 95 including, for one section of highway, providing two reversible Express Lanes of new tolled capacity, which will be available at no charge to HOV 3+ and transit riders. The announced improvement projects add to the more than 55 miles of roadways in the region that use dynamic tolling to manage congestion. As of 2017, the existing Express Lanes have generated $6.3 billion in economic activity and reduced the average travel time on I-95 by 17.5 minutes.

Washington, SR 99 Tunnel

To replace the aging Alaskan Way Viaduct along State Route 99, which cut through downtown Seattle, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) constructed a new tunnel to run under the downtown corridor. The $3.3 billion, 2.8-mile tunnel will collect toll revenue on the estimated peak travel flow of 7,000 vehicles per hour. The impetus for the SR 99 tunnel was to replace a seismically at-risk elevated highway, reconnect downtown Seattle with its waterfront, and provide a faster and more direct route to drivers that need to get through the downtown area. The viaduct will be replaced with new parks, pedestrian and bike paths, and waterfront access. The innovative double-deck tunnel is built to withstand a 9.0 seismic event, improves accident management, and incorporates smart technology to monitor the tunnel’s conditions and manage traffic.

Deepening And Widening The Port Of Mobile

To meet the cost-competitive shipping needs of Alabama commerce and to accommodate increased ocean vessel sizes serving major international trade lanes, Alabama and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) propose to deepen the existing Port of Mobile Bar, Bay and River Channels to 50 feet (15.24m). The project also includes widening the Bay Channel by 100 feet (328.08m) for 3 nautical miles to accommodate two-way vessel traffic. Project safety modifications include expanding the current Post-Panamax sized turning basin and incorporating a minor bend easing in the lower Bay Channel. Following a four-year, $7.8 million environmental impact study, the USACE issued in September 2019 a Record of Decision and initiated preconstruction engineering and design of the project. The USACE expects to begin its three to four-year construction program by October 2020. The estimated $365 million project will receive up to $150 million from the State of Alabama under the Rebuild Alabama Act, a bipartisan fuel tax increase dedicated to Alabama harbor and surface transportation infrastructure improvements.

When complete, the harbor modernization will allow full lading of Post-Panamax ships, expand ship capacity, improve ship transit efficiencies, and reduce shipping costs making Alabama and other U.S. businesses more competitive in a global market arena. The national economic assessment determined for every $1 invested, the U.S. Treasury receives $3 in benefits. From the increased cargo activity, Alabama and local governments coupled with the state’s beneficial cargo owners (importers/exporters) conservatively receive $5 in benefits for every dollar invested.

New Mexico, Vanpooling Partnership For Commuting

In 2019, the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) launched “NMGo!” a partnership with the rental car company Enterprise to reduce congestion through a vanpooling service for commuters. The program connects employees who live near each other and provides them with a recent-model van or SUV to commute together.

The program currently operates along 36 routes with more than 250 passengers per day. “NM Go!” also helps NMDOT collect data about commuting patterns that will help improve the state’s transportation infrastructure and enhance local and regional mobility. According to NMDOT’s Transit and Rail Director, David Harris, “The average commuting cost for vanpoolers is 50% less than the cost for commuters who travel alone in their vehicles.” And according to Enterprise, for an average commuter travelling 80 miles per day, ridesharing such as vanpooling can save an individual up to $8,700 per year by reducing the cost of tolls, gas, vehicle maintenance and depreciation.

Additionally, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed an executive order in 2019 to create new work guidances for state employees, including allowing for alternative work schedules that can help alleviate congestion.

The NMGo! program has taken more than 200 cars off the road each day, and the program aims to grow to more than 650 passengers per day by the end of 2019.

Ohio’s Variable Speed And I-670 SmartLane Technology

To increase safety and improve travel times on Ohio’s roadways, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has recently turned to variable speed limit technology through two pilot projects.

For traffic eastbound on Interstate 670, outside of Columbus, ODOT recently opened the Smartlane, an extra travel lane only open when drivers need congestion relief. When the SmartLane is open, the speed limit drops to keep traffic flowing at a constant, slower speed to avoid stop-and-go backups that cause crashes. Prior to construction, traffic speeds on that stretch averaged 25 mph and the drive could take anywhere from 5 minutes to 30 minutes. In the first month of operation, average travel times were cut in half and drivers can now rely on a 5-minute-commute, regardless of the time of day.

Variable speed limit technology was also deployed along a stretch of Interstate 90 east of Cleveland where sudden winter whiteouts caused large, multi-vehicle pileups. ODOT adjusts the speed limit in response to closely-monitored weather and traffic conditions to avoid the potential of crashes from poor visibility or stopped traffic. Phase 2 of the I-90 project will involve testing the use of AI in making recommendations for when to lower the speed as well as incorporate connected vehicle technology in partnership with the Highway Patrol. Since its launch in 2017, there has been a 58 percent reduction in crashes when snowing and secondary crashes are down 63 percent. The effort has also reduced the time needed to clear a crash by more than a half-hour.

North Carolina State Agency Improving Operations With Drones

The North Carolina Department of Transportation’s award-winning Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Program, part of the Division of Aviation, is collaborating with state agency teams to integrate the use of UAS, or drones, in ways that optimize operations, improve safety and save tax dollars.

Drones are being used by the N.C. Department of Public Safety to reconstruct highway collisions more quickly, safely and cost-effectively than traditional methods. The NCDOT’s Environmental Analysis Unit uses drones for targeted herbicide spraying to control invasive species on National Park Service land. Using drones for this task minimizes the amount of herbicide required and limits human foot traffic on sensitive wetlands.

Meanwhile, a growing number of other NCDOT units are using drones to enhance operations ranging from transportation infrastructure inspection, project monitoring and landslide damage assessments to coastal shoreline mapping and endangered species counts.

Drone-captured images helped transportation officials inspect infrastructure, and plan and monitor repairs. Drones proved extraordinarily useful during Hurricanes Florence and Dorian in 2018 and 2019. Drones teams deployed in hard-hit areas captured more than 10,000 images and live streamed data in real time to help emergency officials monitor roadways and bridges to reroute traffic away from flooded and dangerous areas.

Pennsylvania’s Rapid Bridge Replacement Project

Pennsylvania’s inventory of state-owned bridges is among the largest and oldest in the nation. Pennsylvania’s Department of Transportation has prioritized transportation investments to repair and replace structurally deficient bridges, including through the $899 million Rapid Bridge Replacement (RBR) Project. With RBR, Pennsylvania is replacing 558 structurally deficient bridges by bundling the bridges into a single public-private partnership agreement. A first-of-its-kind project in the United States, the predominantly rural bridges were chosen based on their similar sizes and designs, allowing for the mass production and procurement of replacement materials. The public-private partnership was awarded to the consortium of Plenary Walsh Keystone Partners as a design-build-finance-maintain agreement.

The newly constructed bridges are designed to last for longer than a century. The P3 approach has enabled PennDOT to transfer maintenance responsibilities to its private-sector partner for 25 years. As of October 2019, the project has replaced 553 of the 558 bridges in a span of five years, compared to an estimated 8 to 12 years under the traditional procurement process.  

Puerto Rico’s Modernization Of The Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport

In 2013, through the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airport Investment Partnership Program, Puerto Rico entered into a public-private partnership for the long-term concession to finance, operate, maintain and improve the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (LMM), located in Carolina, Puerto Rico, just three miles from the capital city of San Juan.

Entering into a 40-year lease with the venture company Aerostar, Puerto Rico received $615 million in an upfront leasehold fee, and an annual payment of $2.5 million for the first five years of the agreement, along with 5 percent of revenue over the next 25 years and 10 percent of revenue for the final ten years. The company Aerostar is a joint venture between PSP Investments, one of Canada’s largest pension investments managers, and Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, a Mexican airport management firm. Aerostar modernized the facilities at LMM with an upfront investment of roughly $400 million, renovated terminals, automated baggage scanning, and retail stores. Recently, Aerostar announced an additional $200 million, 5-year improvement and expansion plan, including runway reconstruction, structural repairs from damage caused by Hurricane Maria, and terminal renovations.

Today, LMM handles more than 8 million passengers per year and is served by in excess of 15 different airlines. LMM is the largest airport in Puerto Rico and serves as the island’s primary international gateway and connection to the rest of the region, primarily the continental United States.

Building off of the success of the LMM International Airport, the Puerto Rico P3 Authority has developed a list of over 20 projects in 2017 and moved a sub-segment of these projects through a detailed screening process. The identification of project candidates together with the successful approval of legislative enhancements that introduced unsolicited proposals, has allowed the P3 Authority to formulate a pipeline of potential P3 projects.

The most recent demand projections estimate that by 2024 traffic at the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport will be at 17.9 million passengers.