NASHTU Notes Archives

Room Block Extended – Book your Rooms for the 2023 NASHTU Conference Today!

The 23^rd Annual NASHTU Conference is coming up quickly!  The conference is set for June 5 through 7, 2023 at the Hilton Capitol Hill Hotel in Washington D.C. 

NASHTU has secured a special room rate at the Hilton Washington DC Capitol Hill Hotel of $299 per night (single/double occupancy).  Our room block has been extended until Tuesday, May 9, 2023.  After this point, all room reservations will be sold at the current daily rate, based on hotel availability.  If you haven’t yet booked your rooms for the NASHTU Conference, please do so today!

Reservations can be made by clicking here or calling the hotel at 202/628-2100.  Please be sure to mention the NASHTU Conference when booking your accommodations.

As always, the 23^rd Annual NASHTU Conference will feature some of the preeminent transportation leaders in Washington.  Past conferences have included the congressional leaders of both Senate and House committees with jurisdiction over transportation and infrastructure and key transportation and labor officials from AASHTO, Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, FHWA, Center for American Progress, American Highway Users Alliance, Economic Policy Institute, and many other transportation stakeholder organizations.

If you still need to register for the conference, please, please visit our conference webpage.

Don’t Miss Out – 2023 NASHTU Conference Registration is Open! Register Today

In Case You Missed It: Registration for the 23rd Annual NASHTU Conference is now open!  The conference is set for June 5 through 7, 2023 at the Hilton Capitol Hill Hotel in Washington D.C. 
The conference will feature some of the preeminent transportation leaders in Washington.  Past conferences included the congressional leaders of both Senate and House committees with jurisdiction over transportation and infrastructure and key transportation and labor officials from AASHTO, Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, FHWA, Center for American Progress, American Highway Users Alliance, Economic Policy Institute, and many other transportation stakeholder organizations.

To register for the conference, please visit our conference webpage.

Colorado Auditor Finds Waste and Delay in State’s 
Alternative Delivery Program

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) spent almost $4 billion on alternative delivery construction projects that bypassed the state’s low-bid practices, violated state laws, and led to the projects costing more than independent cost analysis indicated they should, according to a recently released Colorado performance audit. 

The use of alternative delivery projects in Colorado followed the passage of state legislation in 2013 that allowed the department of transportation to loosen its strict adherence to low-bid procedures.  That law, House Bill 13-1292, instead allows the state agency to consider factors other than cost when awarding bids.  Alternative project delivery includes design-build and construction manager/general contractor (CMGC) contracting.

The audit reviewed 19 active alternative delivery projects CDOT managed during the fiscal year 2021 and 2022.  In eight of those projects, the audit found that CDOT “did not fully use its project delivery process” for deciding when to forego low-bid procedures.  This increased “the risk of choosing an unsuitable delivery method that could lead to cost and schedule overruns.”

In addition, the audit found that state officials ignored independent cost estimates they gathered when negotiating for alternative delivery work.  This resulted in CDOT awarding contracts that were nearly $18 million more costly than independent estimates had suggested for 27 contracts on nine projects. 

Although Colorado has trumpeted that alternative delivery projects saved time and money, the audit found that neither claim is supported by the evidence.  In fact, one design-build project jumped by 25% over the original contract amount, escalating to a total $65 million cost. Another design-build project jumped up to a total $77 million cost, a 13% increase from the original contract, according to the audit.

In addition, the audit determined that significant delays had occurred in alternative delivery projects, with construction delays of nearly a year or more for such projects.

Read more in Yahoo Finance.

Maryland Dodges P3 Bullet            

According to Maryland Matters, an online publication covering Maryland Government and Politics, Australian-based Transurban announced that it was withdrawing from a public-private partnership near Washington D.C. 

The $11 billion project, first announced by former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (R) in 2017, would replace the American Legion Bridge and add four “high-occupancy toll” lanes on portions of the Capitol Beltway (Interstate 495) and Interstate 270.

Transurban was the lead partner in a consortium known as Accelerate Maryland Partners, which was selected for the project in 2021.  The withdrawal announcement comes less than two weeks before the consortium was required to meet a key deadline and submit its design and finance plans for the project. 

In a statement, Transurban gave vague reasoning for pulling out of the project, but tellingly blamed a “changing political landscape,” among other reasons.  In January 2023, Governor Hogan’s term ended, and Democrat Wes Moore, who was elected in November 2022, took office.  Governor Wes Moore has been critical of the project, and he has sought “a change of direction in the plan.” 

The Governor said in a statement that the termination of the Phase P3 agreement does not impact the approved federal Record of Decision for the first phase of the project.  The statement went on to state that Maryland did not owe payment to Transurban because the company “executed its contractual right to not proceed” and that the state remains committed to continuing progress in a manner that ensures “social equity, environmental protection, and engagement with the local community.”

NASHTU has long advocated against the use of P3s in transportation and other public works projects.  When government allows private corporations to inject profit into public works projects, the public always loses.  In this case, as soon as the political winds changed and Transurban figured out that they couldn’t steamroll the environment and local communities, they bailed. 

It is uncertain at this time if the project will remain a P3.  NASHTU will post updates as they become available.  NASHTU urges the Maryland DOT to complete the necessary transportation improvements using traditional financing and public sector professionals for the design, construction inspection, and maintenance of the project.

Read the full article here.

Another Day, Another P3 Failure

The Purple Line, a 16-mile light rail project in southern Maryland just outside of Washington D.C., is the latest public-private partnership (P3) “success” story gone awry, according to the public advocacy group, In the Public Interest. 

In an article written by the group’s Executive Director, Donald Cohen, the Purple Line P3 is described as a “cautionary tale, with epic delays and out-of-control cost overruns.”

The Purple Line began as a five-year, nearly $2 billion construction project.  Costs have now ballooned to $3.4 billion and the project will take more than 10 years to complete.  In fact, according to the article, the original completion date was March 2023 – next month.  Now, sadly, Maryland light rail users will be waiting until at least mid-2027 to use the Purple Line.

Cohen also discusses the inherent problems with P3s and using private capital to solve infrastructure funding problems.  Private interests that fund P3s are only going to put their money where a big profit is guaranteed.  This can run afoul of public policy and public interest goals. 

P3s can also add unnecessary costs to a project.  In addition to the higher borrowing costs for private capital, Cohen reminds readers to think of the billable legal hours all along the way for each of the private parties involved in a project with an 876-page original contract – which has since been amended – that governs the Purple Line P3. 

Cohen furthers explains that when an infrastructure project is privatized, the public “loses control over an essential public good, for decades.”  That control is handed over to a private company that gets the power and authority over that project, often with no accountability to the public.  

NASHTU has partnered with In the Public Interest over the past several years, working in tandem to oppose P3s in state and federal legislation.  ITPI and their staff have also been featured at several NASHTU Annual conferences, including the most recent NASHTU Conference last May.   

Read the full article at In the Public Interest.

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2023 NASHTU Conference Registration Now Open! Register Today

In Case You Missed It: Registration for the 23rd Annual NASHTU Conference is now open!  The conference is set for June 5 through 7, 2023 at the Hilton Capitol Hill Hotel in Washington D.C. 

The conference will feature some of the preeminent transportation leaders in Washington.  Past conferences included the congressional leaders of both Senate and House committees with jurisdiction over transportation and infrastructure and key transportation and labor officials from AASHTO, Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, FHWA, Center for American Progress, American Highway Users Alliance, Economic Policy Institute, and many other transportation stakeholder organizations.

To register for the conference, please visit our conference webpage.

23rd Annual NASHTU Conference – Register Today!

The 23rd Annual NASHTU Conference will be held June 5 through 7, 2023 at the Hilton Capitol Hill Hotel in Washington D.C.  To register for the 2023 NASHTU Conference, click here.

The NASHTU Conference provides an important opportunity for transportation unions to come together and strategize about how best to serve our members and deliver safe, cost-effective transportation projects for taxpayers. 

The conference is also a chance to hear from some of the preeminent transportation leaders in Washington.  Past conferences included the congressional leaders of both Senate and House committees with jurisdiction over transportation and infrastructure and key transportation and labor officials from AASHTO, Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, FHWA, Center for American Progress, American Highway Users Alliance, Economic Policy Institute, and many other transportation stakeholder organizations.

NASHTU conference attendees will be able to meet face-to-face with their state’s Congressional Representatives and Senators during the lobbying portion of the conference, reserved for the afternoon of Tuesday, June 6.  The NASHTU Conference will also feature networking opportunities, including a Group Dinner where conference attendees can get to know union representatives from other states, and a Congressional Reception where they can mingle with Members of Congress and Congressional staff.

Again to register for the conference, please visit our conference webpage.