Category Archives: Analysis
Senate & House can’t agree on toll funding solution
When a bill unanimously passes the House and then unanimously passes the Senate, it should become law, right?
NC House unanimously votes for I77 cancellation fund amendment
In a stunning development, the NC House today approved an I77 reserve fund in a unanimous 113-0 vote.
The Legislature, the Budget, and I-77 Tolls
Is there a way to fund contract cancellation costs and get approval from the legislature? Possibly, but like everything with this project, it won’t be easy. Background Transportation projects are scored and ranked under a process called the Strategic Transportation Initiative (STI). Those that score high enough receive funding. If STI funds were used to
NC Legislature: No Toll Cancellation Without Our Permission
If you were going to terminate an employee, would you tell them 60 days before you actually did it? Would you change who could actually terminate that employee? That’s what’s in a bill now circulating the halls on Jones Street. Tucked way back on page 180 of a “technical corrections” bill (basically a catch-all bill
WI77 Town Hall Thurs July 20
For the first time in nearly a year and a half, Widen I77 will be hosting a town hall meeting. The purpose of the meeting is to debrief the preliminary report given by Mercator, the consultant hired by NCDOT to analyze exit options. Mercator will be giving their preliminary report on Wednesday, July 19 at
Cooper Appoints Pro-Toll Transpo Secretary
One of the things about a new administration is that it promises a fresh start. New faces, new beginnings. Unfortunately that may not be the case with Governor Cooper’s new Secretary of Transportation. Yesterday Cooper announced he had appointed Jim Trogdon as the new Secretary of Transportation. While Trogdon may be new to the position,
Caution! Road “Constriction” Ahead…
No, that headline is not a typo. If you have the ill fortune of driving over the causeways recently, you probably noticed construction of the toll lanes has begun there as well. Adding two toll lanes (one each way) plus buffers and shoulders is pretty tight fight. How will Cintra accomplish this? Well, if you
“By the Numbers” Pt 2: Cintra’s Annual Toll Revenues
Part Two of a four-part series analyzing Cintra’s and NCDOT’s public claims using their own numbers. In Part One we discussed Cintra’s projected toll rates. In this installment, we’ll look at how that translates into annual toll revenues. Fully Ramped Revenues Top $30M The chart below shows Cintra’s estimate for annual toll revenues for the
Justice Department Investigating Cintra
Widen I-77 recently obtained a copy of an Investigative Demand of the NC Department of Justice to I-77 Mobility Partners, the wholly owned subsidiary of Cintra. An investigative demand is an order from a law enforcement agency requiring the requestee to produce materials as part of a legal investigation. The demand was sent on Dec
New Penalty Estimate: Cintra’s Dream Scenario
Early last week, NCDOT released an analysis of the cancellation penalties. Unfortunately, the headlines have dutifully blared the cancellation penalty could be as high as $300M. Like so many other “independent analyses”, a look past the headline yields a different result. Consultant’s Independence Questionable The analysis was performed by Clary Consulting, headed by a Mr. Lowell
