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Why Value‐for‐Money is Still a One‐Sided Burden

It has been a long time coming, but American public sponsors finally have official guidance on completing Value-for-Money (VfM) analysis. VfM as a concept long predates the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) in federal law, but the IIJA made significant changes, culminating in last month’s final VfM guidance from the Build America Bureau (BAB). […]

Express Lane Series #2: Key Planning Considerations for Agencies Developing Express Lane P3s

Priced managed lanes (PMLs) are increasingly delivered through public-private partnerships, and the commercial, planning, and long-term decisions needed to deliver them well are the subject of this three-part series. Our first paper examined the commercial decisions at the heart of every PML P3: toll policy, discount structures, and toll services agreements. We argued that good […]

The Future of the Highway Trust Fund

One of the most important transportation policy reports I’ve ever read is the recently-released “Last Exit: Options for Fixing the Highway Trust Fund While Solvency is Still Solvable.” It was researched and written by Jeff Davis and Rebecca Higgins, highly respected transportation analysts at the Eno Center for Transportation. (https://enotrans.org/the-last-exit) As the authors document, the […]

After Botched Procurement, MassDOT Taking Second Pass at Service Plaza P3

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is taking another pass at a procurement to redevelop 18 service plazas on highways across the state, but is making several changes to their procurement approach and re-starting a state P3 Commission for additional oversight. The procurement, which was initiated in March, will be the state’s second attempt at […]

Inside the New Federal Value‐for‐Money Guidance

Regardless of where one stands on the value of value-for-money (VfM) analysis and the minutiae of VfM assumptions and methodologies, the United States now has real federal guidance and a number of statutory requirements for public sponsors. They spell out in much greater detail if, when and how public agencies must complete a VfM analysis […]

Potrero Bus Yard Project Approved in San Francisco

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Board finally approved the project agreement legislation for the Potrero Bus Yard Modernization Project in March. The project agreement approval was quickly followed by approval by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in late March and a $742 million tax-exempt bond financing in early April. The bond issuance, […]

Performance Comparison of Public-Private Partnerships and Traditionally Procured Hospitals

Original study by David Alarcon-Ramirez, Jose Oliveros-Romero and Daniel Mahn. This study examines the extent to which public–private partnership (PPP) and traditional procured (TP) models impact the performance of hospital infrastructure projects.  It therefore adds to the emerging literature that compares PPP with traditional procurement of social infrastructure projects. The paper begins with a discussion […]

I‐77 South Express Lanes Gets Shortlist, Then Opposition

The I-77 South Express Lanes project passed a few important planning and procurement milestones in February. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) announced a shortlist of four bid teams for the procurement, though a final RFP is now not expected until this summer. NCDOT also selected an initial design configuration for the project. On […]

Gordie Howe Bridge Nearing Finish Line, Gets Trump Card

After literally decades of political battles during planning, and more than seven years of construction, the Gordie Howe Bridge project in Michigan is finally nearing completion. Major construction is complete, and testing and commissioning began in earnest in February. While an opening date is not yet set, it is anticipated to open to traffic very, […]

Will Asset Recycling Return to America?

In December the new U.S. DOT Advisory Board had its second meeting with DOT Secretary Sean Duffy. One of its recommendations was that the federal government should encourage state and local governments to “recycle” existing revenue-generating infrastructure, with investors entering into long-term brownfield P3 leases and the up-front concession fee being used by the state […]