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FHWA Updates BIL Implementation Guidance Memo

On February 24th, the FHWA published an update to its “Policy on Using Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Resources to Build a Better America” guidance memo. The new memo replaces the original guidance from December 16th, 2021. That original memo caused quite a stir from Republicans in Congress and some governors, who claimed that the guidance was […]

The Brent Spence’s Long Road to Bridge Funding

In 2011, when Public Works Financing reported on Ohio’s new enabling legislation for transportation Public-Private Partnerships, one project was identified as a prime candidate for the procurement model: the Brent Spence Bridge replacement and expansion project.

The P3 Audits That Need an Audit

At the Canadian Council on Public-Private Partnerships’ (CCPPP) annual event in November, a nearly decade-old auditor’s report on VfM studies came up during the opening session. The report is a 2014 audit of Infrastructure Ontario (IO) published by the province’s Auditor General. It keeps coming up. As recently as October, the audit was cited by […]

Build America Bureau Launches TIFIA 49

This month, the Build America Bureau announced a new TIFIA 49 program to increase the amount of financing available for transit and transit-oriented development projects. The new program increases the amount of financing under the program to 49% of eligible project costs. For other types of transportation projects, the cap for TIFIA (which stands for […]

Democracy, Democrats and Development

The city of San Francisco briefly went viral for more public works incompetence in October. This time it was due to a planned, and fully funded, public restroom project, for a single toilet, with an expected cost of $1.7 million. By the time the public ridicule subsided, the Governor of the world’s 4th largest economy […]

On the Biden Admin’s Accelerating Infrastructure Plan

In October, the Biden-Harris Administration not only sought to tackle the infrastructure permitting issue head on, but to make the issue of permitting their own. It hosted a one-day event at the White House and published an “Action Plan for Accelerating Infrastructure.” The Plan contained a number of new programs and administration actions aimed to […]

West Virginia Senators for Permitting Reform

Along with Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), we were promised permitting reform in September, and along with Sen. Manchin, we begin the new fiscal year empty handed. At the beginning of the month, it appeared that there could be a real bipartisan coalition around permitting reform. Progressives in Congress opposed Manchin’s promised bill, but some Republicans […]

Manchin Permitting Sidecar Implications for Public Works

In a dramatic turn of events this month, Democrats in Congress were able to sort a compromise with Senator Joe Manchin a and quickly passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) via reconciliation. Lost in the flurry of press on the passing of the IRA and the contents of that legislation was an additional provision of […]

When Inflation Met Infrastructure

It has been a rough year to be in the inflation forecasting business. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen recently admitted to having a hazy crystal ball on the topic, and fed officials have done the same. International experts have fared no differently. In early 2021 International Monetary Fund (IMF) economists were forecasting low inflation risk. […]