New York State received good news on Oct. 31: A $1.6 billion loan has been approved toward the $4 billion replacement of the Tappan Zee Bridge. The remainder will be borrowed from the private sector. A commission will offer ways to repay the loans.
While news of approval of the low-cost Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan from the U.S. Department of Transportation was no doubt well-received by the New York State Thruway Authority (see press release), it still left them with the problem of working out how the the loans will be repaid. Buffalo News reporter, Tom Precious, whose readers are probably more concerned about whether tolls on their portion of I-90 on the Thruway will increase to repay the loans, writes:
Asked if a determination had been made to have bridge users pay for the construction or to spread it out across the Thruway system, [Gov. Andrew] Cuomo said he is awaiting recommendations from a commission that was created to look at various financing ideas.
Later, a Cuomo spokesman, seeking "to end any worries that Thruway tolls on the entire system will rise...", stated that there were "no plans for other Thruway users to pay for the bridge’’. Similarly, a plan to raise tolls on trucks was scrapped after push back from industry groups, writes Precious.
And what about upping the tolls on the 138,000 bridge users? Precious writes that "original estimates when the project was first projected to cost $5 billion had bridge tolls nearly tripling to $14 each way".
Uncertainty over how to finance the construction has already led a "Wall Street ratings agency (to) lower the credit rating on Thruway borrowings this week, in part, because of uncertainty over toll increases and the federal loan level."
Not ruled out is charging all New Yorkers by using "the state’s budget to help pay for some of the bridge’s costs," writes Precious.
Contrast the uncertainty that the Thruway Authority and New York State is showing in the $4 billion to $5 billion Tappan Zee Bridge project with Virginia's $2 billion tunnels project which is in the hands of a public-private partnership. A toll schedule has already been approved to commence Feb. 1, writes The Virginia-Pilot's Dave Forster:
The all-electronic tolls will start at $1.84 for passenger vehicles and $7.36 for trucks during peak travel times, with Elizabeth River Crossings able to increase the amount by at least 3.5 percent a year beginning in 2016. The fees will be higher for motorists who decline to sign up for an E-ZPass account.
Being a public-private partnership, Elizabeth River Crossing's "58-year contract allows it to make an average annual profit of 13.5 percent on its investment," writes Forster.
FULL STORY: Thruway users here may help fund Tappan Zee bridge

Planning for Congestion Relief
The third and final installment of Planetizen's examination of the role of the planning profession in both perpetuating and solving traffic congestion.

Minneapolis Housing Plan a Success—Not for the Reason You Think
Housing advocates praise the city’s move to eliminate single-family zoning by legalizing triplexes on single-family lots, but that isn’t why housing construction is growing.

Car Noise Is Killing Us
It’s not just traffic collisions that kill—a new study from researcher at Rutgers finds that the loud noises emanating from cars has direct impact on heart health in Americans.

Parks as a Weapon Against Climate Change
The 2022 ParkScore finds that cities are increasingly employing green space as a tool for mitigating heat and extreme weather effects, but the distribution of parks remains inequitable.

Louisiana Capital Shifting to Electric Transit
The Baton Rouge area is now served by a fleet of nine all-electric buses.

New Community Engagement Practices for Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan Update
A major update of Seattle’s comprehensive plan is just getting under way, with new opportunities for local groups to get involved with outreach and engagement.
City of Malibu
EMC Planning Group Inc.
Jefferson Parish
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard GSD Executive Education
City of Rohnert Park
City of Hot Springs
City of Lakeway, Texas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.