The International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) is the worldwide alliance of toll operators and associated industries that provides a forum for sharing knowledge and ideas to promote and enhance toll-financed transportation services.
Transportation Finance Summit
December 3-5, 2006
Dynamism in Transportation
IBTTA extends a big thanks to all of the Transportation Finance Summit Sponsors and Presenters.
Summary Observations and Themes
Take me to the Presentations
IBTTA’s fourth Transportation Finance Summit featured insights on the work of the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission, an exploration of public versus private approaches to financing transportation projects, and discussions of goods movement, public acceptance of tolling, traditional highway funding mechanisms, and road pricing for demand management.
Following are some of the major themes that emerged from this two-day summit.
Vision and National Purpose. We do not have a national transportation vision. Having a clear vision of what we want from the transportation system and identifying the resources and competencies needed to achieve that vision are key starting points for overcoming the current transportation funding crisis.
Huge Investment Gap. There is a huge and growing disparity between transportation needs and investment levels. Experts believe the Highway Account of the Federal Highway Trust Fund could have a zero balance as early as 2008. And there is a $1 trillion gap between the revenues we expect to have and the revenues we need simply to maintain the U.S. highway system in its current condition.
Federal Fiscal Imbalances. Recent Government Accountability Office research suggests that if current federal spending trends continue, by 2040 there will only be enough revenue in federal coffers to make annual interest payments on the national debt – with no money available for any other purpose. This suggests a much diminished federal role in transportation funding.
Institutional Barriers and System Design Challenges. The current transportation system is not designed efficiently based on current transportation patterns. One of the major reasons is that transportation funding and policy decisions are based on political and geographic boundaries while the transportation systems themselves must freely cross these boundaries to effectively serve customers.
Performance Improvements. Future transportation plans must emphasize performance improvements such as reduced congestion and lower environmental impacts to win support for higher levels of funding and new funding approaches.
Freight. Goods movements is a critical part of the economy but is often overlooked in the planning process.
Public versus Private Dichotomy in Financing. There are potential downsides to monetizing future cash flows of toll facilities, as was done with the Chicago Skyway and Indiana Toll Road. Public entities may have the legal ability to adopt more innovative approaches to financing and may be able to do so in a more cost-effective manner – but they often don’t. This phenomenon contributes to the current interest in the “private partner/concession approach” to transportation system financing.
Rise of Direct User Fees. Newly constructed tolled highways represent more than 35% of the total limited access centerline miles added to the national inventory from 1992 to 2006, with more than 700 new miles tolled and roughly 1,200 miles untolled. This is a significant increase in tolled mileage for an industry that currently represents only about 5% of highway system revenues today.
Public Acceptance. Market research in Washington State suggests that low income groups are more sympathetic to the HOT lanes concept than typical users. This research turns the “Lexus lanes” argument on its head. In addition, research from Stockholm suggests that public acceptance of a cordon or area charging system will increase once people have experienced the benefits of reduced congestion and travel time from the new charging scheme.
Download Program of Events (Adobe® Reader® required) 
| Monday, December 4 |
General Session
8:30 am – 10:00 am
Strategic Context and Foundational Questions
Surface Transportation and Global Economy (Due to proprietary information contained within this presentation, it is not posted. The link below is the email address for Mr. Gallis)
Michael Gallis, Principal, Michael Gallis & Associates, Charlotte, NC
10:30 am – Noon
Insights on the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission
Moderator: Stephen Mayer, P.E., Ph.D., Market Development Manager for Public/Toll Programs, Parson Corporation, East Aurora, NY
Presenters: (Please note that Mr. Penner is the only presenter that had a PowerPoint accompany his talk)
- Jack Schenendorf, of Counsel, Covington and Burling, Washington, DC
- Tom Skancke, President and CEO, The Skancke Company, Las Vegas, NV
- Rudolph Penner, Senior Fellow, Urban Institute, Washington, DC
- Unanswered Questions, Joseph Giglio, Ph.D., Professor, Northeastern University, Boston, MA
Noon – 1:15 pm
Luncheon Address: The New Congress and Implications for Transportation (there was no formal presentation given)
- Rodney E. Slater, Partner, Patton Boggs LLP, Former Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Exploring the “Public Versus Private” Dichotomy: Financial Feasibility
Moderator: Jim Crawford, Executive Director, Interagency Group, Atlantic City, NJ
Presenters:
- Karen Hedlund, Partner, Nossaman, Guthner, Knox & Elliott, LLP, Arlington, VA
- Dennis Enright, Principal and Founder, NW Financial Group, Jersey City, NJ
- Michael Kulper, Vice Chairman, North America, Transurban City Link Limited, New York, NY
- Michael Bartolotta, Vice Chairman, First Southwest Company, Houston, TX
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Big Ideas in Transportation Finance
Moderator: Michael Replogle, Transportation Director, Environmental Defense, Washington, DC
Presenters:
- Gabriel Roth, Research Fellow, Independent Institute, Washington, DC
- Samuel Staley, Director, Urban and Land Use Policy, Reason Foundation, Los Angeles, CA
| Tuesday, December 5 |
General Session
8:30 am – 10:00 am
Goods Movement
Moderator: Bob Poole, Director of Transportation Studies, Reason Foundation, Plantation, FL
Presenters:
- Dr. Eng. Andreas Kossak, Consultant, Andreas Kossak Research & Consulting, Hamburg, Germany
- Darrin Roth, Director of Highway Operations, American Trucking Associations, Alexandria, VA
Urban Truck Tollway Planning - David Weir, Deputy Executive Director, State Road and Tollway Authority, Atlanta, GA
- Erik Autor, Vice President International Trade Counsel, National Retail Federation, Washington, DC
- Jim March, Team Leader, Industry & Economic Analysis Team, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, DC
10:30 am – Noon
Tolling and the Role of Public Opinion
Moderator: Lisa Callahan, Public & Employee Relations Director, Kansas Turnpike Authority, Wichita, KS
Presenters:
- Steve Cohen, Assistant Director, Physical Infrastructure, Government Accountability Office, Washington, DC
- Steve Lockwood, Principal Consultant, PB Consult, Rockville, MD
- David Forte, System Planning Manager, Washington State DOT, Seattle, WA
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Funding and Financing
Moderator: Jack Basso, Chief Operating Officer, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), Washington, DC
- James Whitty, Manager, Office of Innovative Partnerships, Federal Highway Administration, Salem, OR
- Bill Buechner, Vice President, Economics and Research, American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), Washington, DC
- Bryan Grote, Principal, Mercator Advisors LLC, Philadelphia, PA
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Pricing, Demand Management and Mobility
Moderator: Tyler Duvall, Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
HOT Lanes
- Peggy Catlin, Deputy Director, Colorado DOT, Denver, CO
- Mark Muriello, Assistant Director, Policy & Business,Tunnels, Bridges & Terminals, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, New York, NY (This is a link to Mark's email. A presentation will be posted shortly)
- Patrick DeCorla-Souza, Program Manager, Office of Operations, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, DC
5:00 pm
Closing Remarks and Adjournment
