Tag: infrastructure funding

Are Tolls already a Done Deal when Officials ask for Public Comments?

Even before the COVID-19 crisis, funding new roads and bridges has been challenging. Inevitably, the idea of creating tolls to fund new builds or rebuilds comes up for discussion. Sometimes toll roads are ramrodded through with little public input as happened in Florida recently. Residents in San Clemente, California, have been organizing for years against […]

Rails-to-Trails and other Insights

By NMA Member Art Delagrange I retired at 55.  Now approaching 80, I haven’t been able to cycle the last few years, but before that, I spent much time cycling, mostly on rail/canal trails.  I have operated locomotives on rails that later became a trail and a shared rail & trail.  I think rails to […]

Is it Really Tough Times for Toll Roads Ahead?

By Shelia Dunn, NMA Communications Director The website Chief Investment Officer posted in June a lament for how tough it is for toll roads right now. Here’s a quote, “The typically stable asset class has been hit as traffic levels have dropped 40 percent to 85 percent globally, S&P analysts say.” So the website tells […]

6 Key Connectivity Requirements of Autonomous Vehicles

Creating a safe and reliable autonomous vehicle or AV would indeed be an immensely achievable landmark for humankind. The AV race is on with Ford, Tesla, Apple, Renault, Uber, and many other automakers competing for technical expertise and becoming the “first” to launch. That last five to ten percent of the journey, though, appears to […]

More Fallout in Pennsylvania over Turnpike’s Elimination of 500 Jobs

By Shelia Dunn, NMA Communications Director The technology revolution grinds on, and more jobs will be eliminated as more companies realize they can automate functions. That’s exactly what happened in Pennsylvania during the COVID-19 Crisis. Due to the pandemic, the state’s turnpike commission stopped accepting cash payments for tolls due to safety and announced this […]

Big Changes for Toll Roads in New Jersey and Pennsylvania

By Shelia Dunn, NMA Communications Director Despite NMA and public opposition plus general condemnation for holding hearings during a pandemic, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority voted unanimously on May 27 to increase tolls on two of the state’s largest toll roads. The increase takes effect on September 13, 2020, and would increase the average Turnpike […]

Motorists Vote 2020: Arkansas Ballot Issue 1

By NMA member, Tom Beckett Editor’s Note: A couple of months ago, Tom wrote the NMA National Office an email with some information on what is going on in his home state of Arkansas with regards to infrastructure funding. We asked him to write more formally about the situation, and we feel his insight gives […]