HARTFORD -- As Gov. Dannel P. Malloy scrambles to fund his $100 billion transportation improvement plan, one possible option -- privatizing public highways -- would place the state on a path toward electronic tolls.
Partnerships with private companies to maintain highways and operate toll systems is gaining popularity among cash-strapped states seeking big money for road, bridge and rail upgrades during an age of declining federal dollars.
For example, Indiana in 2006 contracted with an international consortium to collect tolls and maintain a major highway in exchange for a one-time, $3.8 billion lump payment to fund needed road improvements.
Colorado in 2013 struck a similar revenue producing deal with private investors to build a new toll expressway.
"Everything is on the table," said Cameron Staples, chairman of Malloy's new Governor's Transportation Finance Panel, which is charged with finding ways to fund the governor's massive transportation initiative.
"It's something I would be interested in knowing about," Staples said of public-private partnerships for highways. "The governor has been clear we should have options to finance the 30-year plan." CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Man accused of stealing $1.1M from gravel company
Associated Press
NEW LONDON — A Brooklyn, Connecticut man has been charged with embezzling more than $1.1 million from a Waterford gravel company.
The Norwich Bulletin reports that 51-year-old Todd Francis was arraigned Monday on larceny charges.
He is accused of manipulating the books at Kobyluck in Waterford, pocketing payments made for deliveries to construction sites.
Francis, who was the company’s operation’s manager, was fired in 2014. The company says it completed an audit in March that showed it was missing about $1.14 million as a result of Kobyluck’s activities.
Attempts to reach Kobyluck for comment on Friday failed. A listed phone number had been disconnected. He is free after posting a $75,000 bond.
Kobyluck told police he suffers from bipolar mania, a mental disorder that can lead to risky behav
Crane armada keeps Tappan Zee project afloat
The $3.9 billion N.Y. bridge is one of the largest infrastructure projects in North America and nearly half of the cranes on the job are made by Manitowoc. The venture is constructing a 3-mi. (4.8 km) twin bridge to replace the 60-year-old Tappan Zee Bridge that spans New York’s Hudson River. It is being run by Tappan Zee Constructors (TZC), a consortium composed of four contractors.
Bob Hammond, equipment manager of the consortium, said that of the approximately 30 cranes on site, 14 of them are made by Manitowoc. He joins the group from Watsonville, Calif.-based Granite Construction, one of the four companies that comprise TZC.
“Many of our partners in the consortium brought Manitowoc cranes to the project,” Hammond said. “Among them are a Manitowoc 11000-1 crawler crane loading and unloading supplies from barges; two Manitowoc 4600 RINGER cranes that are doing pile driving work, driving sheets, setting concrete and casting forms, and performing form work; a Manitowoc 14000 cleaning piles and handling dig out chores; and a Manitowoc 999 using a clam bucket to handle clean out work for piles.”
A Manitowoc MLC165, a Manitowoc 3900 and a Manitowoc 4000W also are on the job site that is a buzzing hive of activity, hosting up to 500 workers on site at any one time. With some 6,000 pieces of rigging equipment and 55 rigging crews working with an armada of cranes that lift from sunrise to sundown, there is no room for error.
While several of the cranes on site were brought by consortium partners, together as the TZC consortium the companies chose to purchase two of these cranes especially for the project: the Manitowoc MLC165 and the Manitowoc 11000-1.
Both cranes were purchased from Piscataway, N.J.-based Hoffman Equipment. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
The $3.9 billion N.Y. bridge is one of the largest infrastructure projects in North America and nearly half of the cranes on the job are made by Manitowoc. The venture is constructing a 3-mi. (4.8 km) twin bridge to replace the 60-year-old Tappan Zee Bridge that spans New York’s Hudson River. It is being run by Tappan Zee Constructors (TZC), a consortium composed of four contractors.
Bob Hammond, equipment manager of the consortium, said that of the approximately 30 cranes on site, 14 of them are made by Manitowoc. He joins the group from Watsonville, Calif.-based Granite Construction, one of the four companies that comprise TZC.
“Many of our partners in the consortium brought Manitowoc cranes to the project,” Hammond said. “Among them are a Manitowoc 11000-1 crawler crane loading and unloading supplies from barges; two Manitowoc 4600 RINGER cranes that are doing pile driving work, driving sheets, setting concrete and casting forms, and performing form work; a Manitowoc 14000 cleaning piles and handling dig out chores; and a Manitowoc 999 using a clam bucket to handle clean out work for piles.”
A Manitowoc MLC165, a Manitowoc 3900 and a Manitowoc 4000W also are on the job site that is a buzzing hive of activity, hosting up to 500 workers on site at any one time. With some 6,000 pieces of rigging equipment and 55 rigging crews working with an armada of cranes that lift from sunrise to sundown, there is no room for error.
While several of the cranes on site were brought by consortium partners, together as the TZC consortium the companies chose to purchase two of these cranes especially for the project: the Manitowoc MLC165 and the Manitowoc 11000-1.
Both cranes were purchased from Piscataway, N.J.-based Hoffman Equipment. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE