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The article looks at U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's campaign promise to bring about large investments in infrastructure. It says that Trump's plan involves giving private corporations tax credits to build various kinds of infrastructure which they would then own, with the ability to earn profits for example through road tolls. Topics include infrastructure banks and the financing of Route 73 in Orange County, California.

The article focuses on a proposed tollroad that would extend from southern Orange County to the Trestles beach in California. It notes that the proposed road would affect some of Southern California's last unspoiled landscape, including habitat crucial to the threatened California gnatcatcher in a pair of Important Bird Areas (IBA), such as the Southern Orange County IBA and the Camp Pendleton IBA. Surfer Jerry Collamer has also participated in the efforts of conservation, outdoor and other groups to fight the road.

Deals with issues about the private and publicly owned toll roads in Orange County, California. Number of lawsuits filed by Riverside County officials against the Orange County toll roads; Details on financial struggles facing the county's toll road operators; Factor fueling toll road projects; Lessons learned from Orange County's transportation planning.

The article discusses reasons why private toll roads in California have only inched forward since 1995. It was learned that a Quino Chekerspot butterfly, an endangered specie, was spotted on the planned highway of California State Route 125 in 1997. The sighting resulted to months of habitat assessment. However, not an inch of pavement has been laid on the planned highway after years of red tape. The $20 million equity put up by California Transportation Ventures remained idle. According to Kent Olsen, head of the Route 125 venture, the government should be responsible for the environmental approval risks. It was learned that since 1989, Route 125 was already authorized by the state legislature. Only a 10-mile tollway on State Route 91 has come to pass and reached cash flow break-even.

(Bloomberg) -- Northern California drivers in the last month cut toll road use as coronavirus cases flared and traffic could slow further with a stay-at-home order for San Francisco set to take effect Sunday. Toll usage is already about 20% lower than last year, according to data from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission/Bay Area Toll Authority. [Extracted from the article]

Examines the difficulties in California with the privatization efforts in toll road projects. The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA); The California Assembly Bill 680; Transferring facilities back to the state upon completion; Opposition from the Professional Engineers in California Government (PECG); More. INSET: Where they are, where they stand..

Discusses the financial performance of the bonds sold by Transportation Corridor Agencies in Orange County, California in 1993. Details on the performance of the bonds; Reasons for the success of the bonds; Details on the agency's marketing strategy.

Presents information on the plans for the San Joaquinn Hills Transportation Corridor Agency's toll road of a $1.4 billion refunding. Views of Joe Deanae a port folio manager; Information on credit inhancement on the issue.

Offers an update on information previously reported in `Forbes' magazine. Suspension of Garth Drabinsky, chief executive of the production company Livent Inc.; Productions put on by Livent while Drabinsky was with the company; Impact of the Quino Checkerspot butterfly on toll roads in California; Dispute over the estate of deceased ice cream magnate Thomas Carvel.

This article reports that Watsonville, California-based Granite Construction Inc., one of the U.S.'s largest heavy construction contractors, has emerged as the leading publicly owned firm in the growing market for private toll road construction. Teaming up with companies like Bechtel, Peter Kiewit Sons' Inc., Perot Group and Greiner Engineering, Granite has won pieces of three toll road projects in California and Washington State. Later this year David Watts, chief executive of Granite Construction Inc., expects to finish State Route 91, which connects Riverside County to Anaheim, California.

The Foothill-Eastern toll road authority in California made a tender offer ahead of a planned sale, and exchanged the bulk of the debt it wanted to refund. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency's $892 million deal is expected to yield $100 million in present value savings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the Bay Area Express Lanes project in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 550 mi network will include lanes for high occupancy vehicles (HOV) and solo drivers paying toll. Topics discussed include the design and construction of the roadways and the express lane corridors, systems for monitoring traffic, processing tolls, and reduction in traffic congestion. Metropolitan Transportation Commission's (MTC) role in implementing the project is elaborated.

The Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency's $892 million deal is expected to yield $100 million in present value savings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the continuing conflict between the two toll road agencies, the Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency and the San Joaquin Hill Transportation Corridor Agency in Orange County, California despite the approval of a financial agreement between the two agencies' boards. Terms and conditions of the financial agreement; Recipient of the financial assistance; Factors contributing to the continuing conflict between the two toll road operators.

The article offers information on the possible purchase of a private toll road in San Diego, California, which is considered by insurance broker and city councilman Jerome Stocks as a good business deal.

The article reports on the proposed border crossing east of the existing Otay Mesa port of entry in San Diego, California, which would charge tolls based on the day and hour of use. The report informs that charging tolls based on the time of day is part of a state bill, SB 1486, that would establish a separate toll authority for the estimated $700 million project that includes both a new border-crossing station in the state.

Presents business news briefs pertaining to the construction industry. Agreement of the state and federal agencies aimed to speed up the processing of plans and permits to ensure eroding levees in northern California are repaired by November 1, 2006; Proposal by construction company Jay Cashman Inc. to build a wind farm in Massachusetts; Agreement of officials in Indiana to lease the state's Indiana East-West Toll Road to a foreign consortium.

Presents the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor (SJHTC), 1997 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Outstanding Civil Engineering Award of Merit winner. Features of the toll road; Traffic advantages of the SJHTC construction; Problems during construction; Costs of the project; Design approach to enhance seismic safety; Description of SJHTC's toll collection system.

Reports on the automated toll road project in California. Foothill Transportation Corridor; Transportation Corridor Agencies consortium; Advantages; Description and performance; Costs; Timetables.

Features the Corridor project of San Joaquin Hills Transportation in Orange County, California, the 1997 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award Merit awardee of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Funding and structural design history of the project; Total cost and covered area of the project; Expected operational year and functions it will perform.

Reports on Level 3 Communications Inc.'s plan to pay for some of its international Internet protocol (IP) network by selling a private toll road outside Los Angeles, California. Estimated cost of the network; Assets of Level 3; Important aspects of the network; Remarks of James Crowe, president of Level 3, about the plan.

Director, Fitch Ratings [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several letters to the editor are presented including one on a photo essay from subscriber Ruth Sanchez on the existence of a ghost bike in memory of her boyfriend Jean Carlos Galaviz after the accident, the demolition of Kirkeby Mansion, and one on anew toll lane on the 110 freeway in Los Angeles, California.

This section offers news briefs on transportation and infrastructure legislation in the U.S. as of August 2012. An independent audit of the state parks department in California has been requested by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. The Maine Turnpike Authority has decided to tentatively agree to a toll increase package for New Gloucester and West Gardiner. The New Hampshire Department of Transportation (DOT) has claimed that there is a lack of funding for repair of bridges in the state.

Information about several papers discussed at a meeting of the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and the 18 cities of San Diego County, California held December 3, 2011 regarding the purchase of South Bay Expressway is presented.

The article reports that the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency avoided default on the SR 73 San Joaquin Hills toll road in California. It extended the maturities on 430 million dollars in outstanding bonds and decreased its debt service coverage ratio requirement. Instead of 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024, the issue will now mature in 2037, 2038, 2040, 2041 and 2042, respectively.

This section offers news briefs related to nature conservation in the U.S. The Department of Commerce rejected a county transportation agency's proposal for a toll-road extension in Southern Orange County, California. During his final days in office, President George W. Bush designated three new marine national monuments covering nearly 200,000 square miles in the Pacific Ocean, creating the world's largest area of fully protected waters. The 111th Congress overcame Senator Tom Coburn's filibuster to approve a massive package with 160 public lands bills.

The article features three tourist destinations in the world. In Ghana, the mounting ocean levels and severe erosion along its low-lying coasts threatens many of its historic slave forts and castles. The Caltongate project in Edinburgh, Scotland tends to threaten the character of the medieval Old Town rather than attracting business investments to the city. California transportation officials proposed a six-lane toll road to alleviate traffic on Interstate 5's Los Angeles-San Diego corridor.

The article reports that the California Coastal Commission has voted to stop construction of a toll road through San Onofre State Beach in California following protests from local community members, environmentalists, and surfing enthusiasts. Fears that the road would alter sediment flows and threaten endangered species such as the least Bell's vireo are discussed. It is reported that San Onofre State Beach's Trestles area is one of the world's most beloved spots for surfing thanks to its year round swells.

The article reports on the opposition regarding the toll road proposed by the Coastal Commission in California. The toll road officials argued that the proposed project would wipe out the endangered species, destroy an ancient Indian burial ground and block sediment that creates world-class waves at San Onofre State Beach. Lance MacLean, chairman of the Foothill Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency, states that the group will file an appeal with the U.S. Secretary of Commerce.

The article features the South Bay Expressway in San Diego, California. The region's toll road was opened to traffic on November 19, 2007. It is a 10-mile highway that completes the missing link in San Diego's transportation network. The Expressway runs from State Route 54 in Spring Valley to SR-905 near the International Border Crossing connecting San Diego's second port, Otay Mesa, with downtown San Diego and points east and north.

The article reports on the opposition of the California Coastal Commission in the toll road proposals in California. The commission has voted 8-2 to reject the toll road proposal which will run through the habitat reserve of San Onofre State Beach and Orange County. The public hearing for the toll road is considered as the most heavily attended event in the history of Coastal Commission.

The article presents the author's view on the benefit of expanding the state Route 241 that will link Orange County, California's 67-mile toll road system to Interstate 5 (I-5). The author relates that State Route 241 is the best solution to reducing congestion and avoiding daily gridlock on I-5. The Route 241 will also improve public safety by serving as an alternative evacuation route from both the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station and Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.

The article reports on the plan of San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce to support the completion of the state Route 241 toll road on November 15, 2007 in California. It is inferred that the project would be built thru a public-private partnership and anticipated to complete in 2010. The project was intended to expand the 16-mile stretch of the state Route 241 toll road at the Oso Parkway in Rancho Santa Margarita and connect to Interstate five near San Clemente in northern San Diego County.

The author reflects on the proposed Foothill South Corridor, a 16-mile toll road. He argues that the Eco-extremists have blocked the forward progress of the toll road and the approval process because the road could disrupt wave patterns, which is just speculation. He believes that there is no real regional planning for public transit other than adding trains to existing tracks.

The article reports on the convenience towards the public of the South Bay Expressway that is being constructed in state Route 125 in Otay Mesa, California. The expressway could help lessen traffic congestion in state Route 905 and Otay Mesa Road. It is considered as a time and cost saver by truckers who pay $75 in every hour they wait in traffic. The expressway is also an attractive route for traffic going to Los Angeles and Long Beach.

The article presents information related to the construction of a six-lane toll road in Southern California. This project will permanently wipe out one of the best surfing spots on Earth. Environmentalists have raised their concern over this project. The 16-mile highway extension would be made through San Onofre State Beach. It will ruin the Trestles Beach surf break. It will destroy the habitat of such endangered species as the least Bell's vireo, a gray-green songbird, and the Pacific pocket mouse by altering the flow of sediment to the shoreline.

The article reports on bailout loans to be given by transportation officials in Orange County, California for the San Joaquin Hills tollway. The deal will help the toll road defray bond repayments worth almost $2 billion. The tollway has struggled with lower traffic and toll revenue since it opened in 1996. The loans will be sourced from surplus toll revenue.

Reports on the progress on the state Route 125 South in California. Role of the construction firm California Transportation Ventures Inc. in constructing the toll road; Aspects of the project; Project cost.

Financing has closed on the SR 125 toll road, a groundbreaking public-private project in California, as of July 2003. The $635 million deal is a rare example of a privately funded toll road in the U.S. and is one of the first to use European-style financing technology for such a project. Australia's Macquarie Infrastructure Group (MIG) is the sponsor on SR 125, having bought out the original sponsors Parsons Brinckerhoff and Egis with an 84.3 percent stake in September 2002. Financing for the deal included a $140 million federal government loan, made under the 1998 Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act.

Reports on problems overcome by California Transportation Ventures (CTV), a private company building a toll road in San Diego, California. Settlement of a lawsuit seeking to prevent CTV from building a portion of state Route 125; Financing agreements for its toll road project.

Focuses on the status of road construction projects in San Diego, California. Impact of budget cutbacks on the projects; Lack of reliable funding for the projects; Role of the California Transportation Ventures in funding a toll road.

Reports that California Transportation Ventures Inc. is planning to build Highway 25 as a toll road. Estimated cost of the proposed development project; California Transportation's plans of issuing binds to raise capital for construction; Tentative date of commencement and completion of the speculated project.