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Task Force on the Crescent City Connection

Task Force on the Crescent City Connection. Presented by Michael Teachworth Task Force Member. What is the Task Force ?. Task Force authorized by SCR47 in June 2011 Mission: “To analyze transition to a toll free bridge…when tolls expire Dec 31, 2012.” 10 member board nominated to Gov Jindal

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Task Force on the Crescent City Connection

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  1. Task Forceon theCrescent City Connection Presented by Michael Teachworth Task Force Member

  2. What is the Task Force ? • Task Force authorized by SCR47 in June 2011 • Mission: “To analyze transition to a toll free bridge…when tolls expire Dec 31, 2012.” • 10 member board nominated to Gov Jindal • Meets every 2 wks @ CCCD on Friday 1pm • Final recommendations due Feb 1, 2012 • Meetings are open to the public

  3. Bridge Facts • First span completed 1958 (tolls 35 ¢) • Second span completed 1988 (tolls $1) • 180,000 vehicles per day cross the CCC • It costs 21¢ per car to cross CCC1 • Bridge maintenance costs $1.8M/yr • DOTD budget for roads & bridges is ~500M/yr • 4 non-HOV lanes are full at rush hour (2000/hr) • 2 HOV lanes are under-utilized 1 including lighting and CCC police dept costs Source: DOTD

  4. Mississippi River BridgesAll Operated by DOTD

  5. Ferry Facts • 1.8M people use the ferries annually • 1M pedestrian / 800K vehicles • 6 ferries – oldest built 1930 - newest built 1980 • DOTD doesn’t collect any fare from pedestrians • DOTD collects $1 fare from vehicles but only one way • 22% of all vehicles exempted from any fare • True cost for a ferry ride: $5.21 per crossing • 73 full time employees for ferries • CCCD spends ~$1M per year on repairs (estimate) • CCCD spends ~ $1M per year on diesel fuel (estimate) Source: DOTD

  6. DOTD Ferries Source: DOTD Cost in Millions

  7. A Comparison of Fuel Efficiency for Ferries 2008 Diesel Fuel Consumption by Selected US Ferry Boat Operators1 1 Source: National Transit Database 2008

  8. CCC Police Facts • Primary mission is traffic regulation on bridge • Patrol 14 miles of roadway (Hwy 90 to Broad St) • Security on ferries and terminals, manage HOV • Respond to crashes and disabled vehicles • Anti-terrorism/Homeland security for bridge • Accidents: 2/day on bridge 2/day on expwys • Responded to 5000 disabled vehicles • Made 700 arrests/82 DWI in 2010 • 8000 tickets issued in 2010 • 23 full-time officers + 4 full-time dispatchers Source: DOTD/LSP

  9. Road Projects Facts • Landscaping projects on DeGaulle, Terry Pkwy, & Shirley Drive - completed • Extending Peters Rd to LA23 – incomplete • Macarthur Interchange Peters Rd ramps – incomplete • 4th St Extension to Burmaster – incomplete • Barataria Widening – 72% complete • General DeGaulle improvements – incomplete • General DeGaulle drainage – 42% complete • 4-laning Lapalco to Hwy90 - incomplete Remaining projects will require $171M to complete In 2010, CCCD contributed $1.6M to road projects Source: DOTD

  10. Toll Facts • Tolls on CCC extended by HB250 in 1998 • Act by Legislature - not a public vote on tolls • Over $400M paid in tolls since 1989 • $21M collected in tolls in 2010 • ~300K of free toll passes provided in 2010 • ~500K of uncollected toll violations (estimate) • Almost half of all tolls paid by Jefferson Parish • 1/3 of tolls paid by Orleans Parish • 43% of tolls paid in 2010 were via toll tag • 82 full time employees for toll collection Source: DOTD

  11. Who really pays the tolls ? Source: DOTD

  12. CCCD Finances 2010 Source: DOTD In Millions

  13. Why the tolls should end: • Westbank pays twice for what the rest of Louisiana pays for once (ferries, police patrols, bridge maint.) • Tolls are double taxation of the Westbank by the rest of Louisiana (22 years of tolls = ~ $400M) • Bridge construction bonds will be paid in full • Bridge can be maintained and policed without tolls • Tolls mostly pay for ferries (9M) and for toll collection (4M) • State should pay for New Orleans ferries out of their 2.0B budget (like they do everywhere else)

  14. Is this fair ??? For 22 years, the citizens of the Westbank have been forced to pay tolls to receive bridge maintenance, police patrols, and ferry service while the State of Louisiana has paid for these services on every other public bridge across the state…

  15. Not again… Extending the tolls again is like your bank telling you that your mortgage has just been extended for another 20 years … on the day you make your last payment.

  16. Popular Myths & Misconceptions • CCC Bridge won’t be maintained/rust/fall down if tolls go… • New Orleans area ferries will be eliminated if tolls go… • Massive traffic jams will occur on bridge if tolls go… • Grass wont get cut and trash won’t get picked up under Expressway if tolls go… • All Westbank road projects will be cancelled by DOTD unless we continue the tolls…

  17. Ferry Plan • Build new fuel efficient pedestrian only ferries • Use capital bonds & Federal TIGER funds • Charge a “fair” fare ($1) both ways to cars and pedestrians (offset > $2M in ferry costs) • Algiers+Gretna pedestrian only; Chalmette auto only • Modernize ferry terminals • Ads+Concessions in terminals will generate $$$ • Integrate pedestrian with RTA (transfers etc) • Ped ferries should do frequent circuit/loop routes • New ferries will require much less fuel & repairs • Promote Old Algiers as a tourist visit spot via ferry • Assign all existing auto ferries to Chalmette – lowers their cost

  18. Why don’t we start charging a “fair” fare to those people who use the ferries ??? Fares collected now (240K/yr) cover only 3% of costs (fyi: average US ferry fare covers 71% of costs) Charging everyone just $1 each way will generate an additional $2M per year which covers 1/4 of ferry operating costs.

  19. Louisiana Supreme Court:When is a Toll really a Tax ? Whether a charge is a tax or not is "determined not by its title, but by its incidents, attributes and operational effect. Thus, the nature of a charge must be determined by its substance and realities, not its form. A charge that has as its primary purpose the raising of revenue, as opposed to the regulation of public order, is a tax.“1 1Safety Net for Abused Persons v. Segura, 96-1978, p. 4 (La. 4/8/97), 692 So. 2d 1038, 1041

  20. Who is against renewing the tolls? • Bureau of Governmental Research “a renewal of tolling would be mistake...bridge tolling is unfair…the costs are manageable from other sources” - BGR Report, April 2011 • The Times Picayune “it wouldn’t be fair to continue charging a toll to cross the Crescent City Connection when the expenses of other Mississippi River bridges are covered by state and federal funds.” - “Our Opinion” editorial April 30, 2011

  21. This entire tolls issue is just an argument over who pays for what… • Who pays for maintenance of the bridge ? • Who pays for the ferries ? • Who pays for bridge lighting ? • Who pays for cleanup ? • Who pays for the bridge police ?

  22. DOTD Facts • $2 Billion annual budget • 4500 full-time employees • Responsible for: • 16,000 miles of roads • 13,000 bridges • 62 airports, 7 ports, 3,000 miles of rail • 3.6 Million acres mowed annually • 71,000 cu yds of litter picked up annually • 8 ferries statewide • 3000 traffic signals + 1 Million traffic signs • Pays for every Mississippi River Bridge and Ferry except for CCC and New Orleans area ferries • Funded mostly with TTF (from 20¢ state gas tax approved in 1984) + federal money Source: DOTD

  23. State Highway Fund No. 2 • Created by Amendment to Louisiana Constitution (1952) • Funded by vehicle license tag fees from 6 parishes: • Orleans • Jefferson • St. John the Baptist • St. Charles • Tangipahoa • St. Tammany • Will generate ~ $12 Million in 2012 • Currently split 50/50 between CCC and Causeway • Designated to pay debt service on capital bonds • If no bonds to pay then CCC portion goes into TTF

  24. Working Plan • Let tolls expire on Dec 31, 2012 as per current law • Continue using our half of Hwy Fund #2 for CCC (est 6.0M/yr in 2013) • Use 3M/year to purchase/service $52M in capital bonds • Use 3M/year to return to TTF dedicated for: • CCCD police (2.4M/year) • Lighting on bridge (600K/year) • Notes: • Convert Algiers pedestrian only • Ferry fares $1 each way will generate 2M year • New efficient ferries will save est 2M year in maint & fuel • $ from capital bonds goes to ferries, roads, bridge painting • State of La pays for ferries starting 1/1/2013 • State Police have oversight of CCCPD not DOTD • Open 2 HOV lanes to general traffic for max efficiency

  25. Advantages of Plan • Eliminating tolls is fair thing to do for Westbank citizens (finally!) • Lowers taxes by eliminating an existing (bridge) tax • No new taxes required • Keeps CCC bridge police intact for good traffic control • Funds bridge lighting costs w/o any parish paying • Orleans & Jefferson have zero additional expense • La State Police have zero additional expense • Raises much needed capital for: • New fuel efficient passenger-only ferries • Ferry terminal renovation which will generate concession & ad revenue • Much needed and long awaited priority road projects • Funds CCC bridge maintenance & painting • Offsets some of DOTD expense costs • Lowers ferry operation costs to DOTD (+ addl car carriers for chalmette) • Provides better service to ferry riders/taxpayers

  26. Remember This: If the tolls get renewed in 2012, and you live or work on the Westbank… then get out your checkbook…

  27. We need your help • Stand up with us against toll renewal • Make tolls an issue • Contribute to making your community better • We can have a great bridge without tolls • Contact your legislators • Put up a StopTheTolls yard sign • Get involved – its up to us !

  28. The Simple Truth: We can have a safe, maintained, lighted, clean, and traffic-free bridge without tolls. We’ve earned it and we deserve it. You decide.

  29. Thank You Questions?

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