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[cpzilliacus]

TOLLROADSnews: Republicans in northern Virginia move to socialize Macquarie Group's Dulles Greenway, get subsidies to drop toll rates

Northern Virginia Republicans want the government of Virginia to buy up the investor owned Dulles Greenway and the state Treasury to subsidize tolls for their constituents under state ownership.  Legislators from the Dulles Greenway corridor are behind two bills to allow the state to buy up the Dulles Greenway and to make use of subsidy funds to reduce tolls.

The legislators are also reportedly engaged in discussions with the Greenway over a price for the state buy-out of the toll concessionaire.

No word yet from the administration of Governor Bob McDonnell (also Republican) or from the Dulles Greenway company itself.

Two bills to take over the Greenway have been introduced by state Delegate Joe T May (Leesburg) who is also chair of the House transportation committee.  The takeover is supported by the other Republican delegate from Leesburg district Randy Minchew.

HB1979 authorizes the state Transportation Board to issue Virginia Dulles Greenway revenue bonds to buy the Dulles Greenway. It also establishes a Dulles Greenway Toll Fund as a sub-fund of the state Transportation Trust Fund. The fund is called a "non-reverting fund."

[cpzilliacus]

Relatives of ex-MWAA official were paid $175,000-plus in no-bid contract

At least 10 percent of the workers at the agency overseeing the region’s airports have family members employed there, and the wife and daughter of at least one former official were paid more than $175,000 in a no-bid contract that he created, according to interviews and documents.

A friend of Arl Williams’s, a former vice president of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), received nearly $800,000 from a series of contracts to do advertising work over six years, ending in 2009, according to the interviews and documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

[cpzilliacus]

Washington Examiner editorial:  Virginia's toll road shell game

In 1995, the Dulles Greenway, the first privately financed toll road built in over a century, opened in Northern Virginia. Investors believed they could profit from the commonwealth's failure to build a highway between Dulles International Airport and Leesburg in fast-growing Loudoun County. But the Greenway's backers overestimated demand and the amount of tolls drivers were willing to pay, and it has been losing money ever since. Equity investors lost all their money, estimated at $1 billion, and the Greenway's value has plummeted by two-thirds.

[cpzilliacus]

WTOP radio: Deal to buy Dulles Greenway may be elusive

HERNDON,Va -- Tolls will be going up again on the privately owned Dulles Greenway even as talk continues about a possible purchase by the state.

The Virginia State Corporation Commission has approved a 10 cent toll for the 14-mile highway between Dulles Airport and Leesburg, Va. It means a one-way trip at peak hours for cars will now cost $4.90.

[cpzilliacus]

Patch.com: SCC to Investigate Greenway Toll Structure

Virginia’s State Corporation Commission (SCC) has agreed to investigate the toll structure along the Dulles Greenway, according the Delegate David Ramadan (R-87), who requested the investigation.

Elected representatives at the state, local and federal level have long railed against the tolls on the Greenway, which are nearly $5 each way at rush hour for a two-axle vehicle. With the exception of an exist near Leesburg, all toll road drivers must pay the same toll, whether driving from exit to the next or the full length of the road, which runs from the end of the Dulles Toll Road to Leesburg.

[cpzilliacus]

WTOP Radio: More than 1M drivers skipped paying on Dulles Toll Road

It's a problem taking a bit of a toll on Virginia transportation.

The Washington Examiner reports that new numbers show drivers traveled on the Dulles Toll Road without paying more than 1 million times last year.

Only about 95,000 drivers were cited for the violation, meaning fewer than one in every 10 violators got a ticket.

Rob Yingling -- a spokesman for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which operates the toll road -- tells the Examiner the violations were caused by things like equipment glitches and drivers going through a closed lane before it could be blocked off, and that the violation rate is comparatively low.

[cpzilliacus]

WTOP Radio:  Reston citizens worried the Silver Line will bring gridlock

Some Reston residents are worried that the opening the first phase of Metro's Silver Line will make traffic worse near one of the stations scheduled to open at the end of the year.

The concern is that extra cars parking at the Wiehle-Reston East station's 2,300 space parking garage could further choke traffic on Wiehle Avenue.

"It's already a focal point for congestion because of the Dulles Toll Road next to it," says Terry Maynard, with the Reston Citizens Association.

"This situation with more cars coming there to park for Metrorail will make a bad situation worse."

Parking garages of that size aren't uncommon in the Metro system. For example, the New Carrollton station at the end of the Orange Line has a garage with 3,519 spaces.

"I live one block from Wiehle Avenue, and I don't think it's going to have any more gridlock than we have today," says Fairfax County Supervisor Cathy Hudgins.

[cpzilliacus]

Fairfax Times:  Dulles Toll Road hike sends few looking for detours

As tolls continue to rise on the Dulles Toll Road, one concern often cited by elected officials is that more drivers will choose to take other, already congested, routes or cut through residential neighborhoods in order to avoid the toll.

However, so far, most drivers seem to be willing to pay for the faster route, according to reports by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which operates the toll road.

The 25-cent increase in 2012 led to a 1.6 percent decline in the number of toll road transactions last year, as compared to 2011. The toll road recorded just under 100 million transactions last year.

[cpzilliacus]

WTOP Radio: Massive transportation plan to have little impact on tolls

The massive transportation package approved by Virginia's General Assembly will provide almost $1 billion per year in new money for roads and rail, but in the long term it will have very little impact on tolls.

The deal did ban tolls on Interstate 95, south of the proposed Express Lanes.

It also included $300 million for the second phase of the Dulles Rail extension project that will reduce increases on the Dulles Toll Road in the immediate future by about 50 cents.

But the biggest toll of them all on the privately owned Dulles Greenway will not be affected.

[cpzilliacus]

Loudoun Times: Dulles Greenway hearing planned for Sterling

The State Corporation Commission (SCC) will host hearings on the Dulles Greenway toll rates at Park View High School in Sterling on June 6 at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The Sterling sessions were scheduled at the request of state Del. David Ramadan (R-87th) after the SCC originally planned a Loudoun County hearing only in the western half of the county, in Purcellville.

[cpzilliacus]

Washingtonexaminer.com: Dulles Toll Road fees could rise as Silver Line funding questions linger

[cpzilliacus]

WTOP Radio: Northern Virginia couple gives birth on Dulles Toll Rd.

A Northern Virginia mother-to-be planned to deliver her baby this morning in the comfy confines of the hospital -- but sometimes babies don't wait.

Jean-Paul Bergeaux of Leesburg says things happened very quickly this morning as he rushed his pregnant wife to the hospital.

"At 6:45 she went from, ”˜I think I have some contractions' to, 'Oh my gosh I'm in labor!'" says Bergeaux, speaking from his wife's room at the Reston Hospital Center.

[cpzilliacus]

Group of winning bidders on phase 2 of Dulles Rail have been announced.

Details in the AAROADS Mass Transit forum here.

[cpzilliacus]

TOLLROADSnews: Fitch reduces Dulles Greenway's bond rating to BB+ from BBB-, outlook 'stable' short-term

The Dulles Greenway's holding company Toll Roads Investors Partnership II (TRIP2) $-billion of outstanding bonds have been downrated by Fitch from BBB- to BB+, reflecting what the rating firm says is high leverage, expected thin coverage of debt service and dependence for liquidity on increases in tolls beyond already high levels.

Management is engaged in what it calls "cash trapping" and has a flexible amortization schedule which gives it some flexibility but the fundamentals aren't consistent with triple rating.

[cpzilliacus]

[This is more about MWAA as an institution, but  since it collects the tolls on the Dulles Toll Road, it seems relevant here]

Washington Post: Old friends were at center of a network of public contracts

[cpzilliacus]

Washington Post: Metro’s new Silver Line could face challenge in attracting Northern Virginia riders

Metro is preparing for what experts say is its toughest challenge since opening 37 years ago: luring people onto the new Silver Line in Northern Virginia.

When the first phase of the 23-mile line opens next year, the gleaming new trains will no doubt revive the debate over whether mass-transit projects attract enough riders to make them worthwhile.

A recent Washington Post poll has found that it may be a tough argument to win.

The vast majority of Northern Virginians rely on cars to go where they need to go, and 70 percent of infrequent Metro riders say one reason they don’t ride the rails more often is that they just prefer driving.

A shrinking minority of Northern Virginians – 12 percent in the new poll – report taking Metrorail often, but riders and non-riders alike continue to give the system overwhelmingly positive marks. Half say they would ride the new Silver Line frequently or at least sometimes.

The Silver Line’s opening puts plenty at stake for a state that has been deeply conflicted over transportation priorities. Road advocates are pushing for new highways and wider arteries and have criticized the use of Dulles Toll Road revenue to help pay for construction of the new rail line.

If the Silver Line falls short of expectations, it could frustrate transit advocates’ efforts to further expand Metro and anger some riders of Metro’s Blue Line, who are already annoyed by service cuts made to accommodate the Silver Line.

[cpzilliacus]

TOLLROADSnews: TransCore likely to get uncompeted $16.5m maintenance contract at Dulles Toll Road

TransCore is being awarded a $16.5m on-call maintenance and conversion contract at the Dulles Toll Road toll collection system. The uncompeted contract is justified by the operator Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority on the grounds that their price is "fair & reasonable" and that the existing 17 year old toll system was developed by TransCore in the first place and they have proprietary rights to the equipment and software so it "can only be repaired/replaced by the incumbent (contractor)."

The "procurement justification" document filed by staffer Thomas Flowers at MWAA requests board approval of the contract providing for TransCore to keep performing maintenance "until a decision is made on replacing the (toll) collection system."

[cpzilliacus]

TOLLROADSnews: Dulles Toll Road operator aiming for at least 90% ET before dumping cash

2013-09-19: The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) operator of the Dulles Toll Road (DTR) is planning to get E-ZPass electronic toll (ET) usage to "above 90%" before considering a transition to open road tolling.  MWAA staffer Chris Browne said this in a slide in a presentation to the Dulles Corridor committee this week.

They are presently at about 81% ET, 7% coin machines, 11% toll collectors, 1% violations. Background material in a CDMSmith traffic and revenue study completed early this year says 67% of trips on the DTR are travel to and from work and 12% are employment-related so it is heavily oriented to regular users.

The mainline plaza does an average 110k toll transactions/weekday, while about 200k transactions/weekday are are rung up at some 19 ramp toll points. (Most trips involve both a mainline toll and a ramp toll.) Although the DTR runs close to Dulles International Airport it has rather little Airport-oriented traffic because there is an untolled 2x2 lane Dulles Airport Access Road set in the median of the tollroad.

[cpzilliacus]

Washington Post: Loudoun board formally joins Dulles Greenway toll rate complaint

Loudoun County critics of the Dulles Greenway received support last week from the Virginia State Corporation Commission, which granted the county Board of Supervisors’ request to join an investigation of the controversial rate structure and the tolls charged by the road’s private operators.

The SCC agreed to allow the Loudoun board to serve as a respondent in the case, which will allow the county to cross-examine witnesses and become a formal part of the proceedings, county officials said.

After years of complaints about the high tolls along the privately owned 14-mile road, its operator, Toll Road Investors Partnership II, filed a request in November seeking approval for another rate increase.

[cpzilliacus]

TOLLROADSnews: Dulles Toll Road booms - heads for $125m this year, up more than 20%

[cpzilliacus]

WTOP: Greenway toll hike to be challenged before state commission

[cpzilliacus]

Washington Post: Airport wants drivers to stop dodging the Dulles Toll Road

Drivers hopping on the Dulles Access Highway to avoid paying a toll are going to encounter a beefed up police presence, officials announced this week.

This campaign is meant to discourage drivers near Dulles International Airport from using the access road when they should be using the Dulles Toll Road, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which operates the toll road as well as Dulles and Reagan National Airport.

The access road exists for traffic going to and from the airport, the authority said, while the toll road is meant for local traffic and other commuters. Drivers who get onto the access road when they aren’t actually going to the airport – this is called “backtracking”  – can get hit with a fine as well as points on their license.

“Backtracking through Dulles is cheating and it is illegal,”  MWAA Police Chief Stephen L. Holl said in a statement. “It’s not fair to those who play by the rules and stick to the Toll Road for commuting and local travel. Our ongoing efforts to curb this illegal practice will help ensure the Access Highway is used properly.”

[Big John]

Shunpiking is now a points violation?  I also thought you needed to provide a free alternative to toll roads.

[NE2]

Shunpiking is now a points violation?  I also thought you needed to provide a free alternative to toll roads.

The DAAR is an access road owned by the airport. One free alternative is State Route 7.

[agentsteel53]

Shunpiking is now a points violation?  I also thought you needed to provide a free alternative to toll roads.

only on the US highway system, and even then I think there are certain bridge exemptions.  the Bay Bridge, for example (US-40/50) does not have a particularly viable alternative without going miles out of one's way.