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Maryland Releases Freight Rail RFQ

The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) has released an RFQ for a novel contract to transition the operations of a small freight rail network on the state’s east coast into a public-private partnership concession. The 92-mile network is currently overseen by the state directly via an operating contract, which is set to expire this year. […]

California High-Speed Rail Courts Private Finance (Again), Feds Pull Grants

For months, the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) has been flirting with ways to incorporate private investment into the struggling megaproject. The Authority held an industry forum in January on the topic, and in May it announced that it was preparing a Request for Expression of Interest (RFEI) to begin formally consulting with potential private […]

Trends in U.S. Airport Sector: A Conversation with WSP’s Lou Wolinetz

The U.S. airport sector is emerging from a period of many changes, induced by the pandemic-era bust and rebound in travel. The pandemic brought with it unprecedented levels of federal support for operations, and later for capex (via the IIJA). Airports have also embarked in a once-in-a-generation boom of capital expenditures over the last four […]

Sepulveda Transit Corridor Releases Details on Alternatives, Draft EIR

After years of a two-pronged predevelopment process, the Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project is nearly ready to select a design for rail transit between the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles. In May, LA Metro, the project’s public sponsor, released details on the five remaining project alternatives under consideration, and followed up with a Draft Environmental […]

A Public‐Private Partnership Could Still Redevelop Penn Station

A new front in the battle between the Trump administration and New York’s transportation agencies opened up in April, when the Department of Transportation announced that,  together with Amtrak, it would be taking over the $7 billion project to redevelop Penn Station. The move sidelined New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which was leading the […]

500 Comments on Tennessee’s I‐24 Choice Lanes

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) still hasn’t released an official shortlist for the I-24 Choice Lanes procurement, but is expected to do so in the near future. The procurement is running in parallel with the project’s federal environmental study, and a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) is expected soon. As part of that evaluation process, […]

Inglewood Transit Connector Inks Predevelopment, Now Bus Lane Project

The predevelopment contract for the Inglewood Transit Connector project has proven to be extraordinarily resilient, so much so that the predevelopment agreement has finally been signed, even though the project has changed almost entirely. The rail transit project that was planned and procured doesn’t involve rail any longer – at least not in its first […]

Maryland Considers Freight Rail P3

The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) is considering novel P3 to improve, operate and maintain approximately 92 miles of freight rail lines on the state’s Eastern Shore. The state collected input and held meetings with industry in April via a Request for Information, and a procurement is expected to begin with an RFQ as early […]

Don’t California My Texas High‐Speed Rail

Texas has a well-earned reputation for out-building California. In both renewable energy to housing, Texas builds while California makes it harder. When Texas Central, the company working to develop a high-speed rail link between Dallas and Houston, completed federal environmental permitting in 2020, it appeared that high-speed rail was about to be added to that […]

I‐285 East Express Lanes Enters RFP Phase

The next round of competition for Atlanta’s massive top end express lanes network has entered the proposal phase. The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) shortlisted bid teams for the I-285 East Express Lanes procurement in late February. The I-285 East Express Lanes project was expected to draw heavy competition from investors, and GDOT’s shortlist is […]