THROUGHOUT CENTRAL

FLORIDA, OUR AREA FACES

INCREASED CHALLENGES IN

GETTING FROM POINT A TO

POINT B. TRANSPORTATION

REMAINS A MAIN TOPIC OF

INTEREST AND CONCERN.

WE'LL HEAR TODAY WHAT IS

BEING DONE TO ADDRESS

THESE ISSUES.

>>PEOPLE WONT USE IT

UNLESS IT'S CONVENIENT,

UNLESS IT CONNECTS, UNLESS

IT GETS THEM CONVENIENTLY

WHERE THEY WANT TO GO.

WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE THAT

HAPPEN.

>>WE'LL TALK ABOUT

TRANSPORTATION ISSUES WITH

CONGRESSMAN JOHN MICA,

NEXT ON METRO CENTER

OUTLOOK.

>>HELLO, I'M DIANE TREES.

MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS TO

INTERSTATE 4 THROUGH

DOWNTOWN ORLANDO, SUN

RAIL, AIRPORT EXPANSION.

ALL ARE HOT BUTTON ISSUES

RIGHT NOW. CENTRAL FLORIDA

HAS AN AGGRESSIVE PLAN TO

DEAL WITH ALL OF OUR

TRANSPORTATION ISSUES.

JOINING US TODAY IS UNITED

STATES REPRESENTATIVE JOHN

MICA. HE'S REPRESENTED

FLORIDA SEVENTH DISTRICT

IN WASHINGTON D.C. SINCE

1993 AND IS THE FORMER

CHAIRMAN OF THE HOUSE

TRANSPORTATION COMMITY.

WELCOME.

>>GOOD TO BE WITH YOU

DIANE.

>>I UNDERSTAND THAT IT

SEEMS THAT WHENEVER YOU

TRAVEL I-4 NOW IT'S

CONGESTED NO MATTER WHAT

TIME. HOW HAVE WE GOTTEN

TO THIS POINT?

>>WELL, CENTRAL FLORIDA

KEEPS GROWING. I THINK

AFTER THE WEATHER WE'VE

HAD THIS WINTER WE'RE

GOING TO SEE ANOTHER UP

SERGE, BUT PEOPLE JUST

KEEP MOVING HERE. IT'S A

VERY ATTRACTIVE PLACE TO

LIVE, WORK, AND RETIRE.

>>THE I-4 EXPANSION

PROJECT IS THE LARGEST

INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT IN

THE HISTORY OF CENTRAL

FLORIDA. CAN YOU TALK A

LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE SCOPE

OF THE PROJECT AND THE

TIME FRAME?

>>WELL, WHAT WE'RE GOING

TO DO IS ADD SOME LANES.

IN ORDER TO PAY FOR THOSE

LANES, WILL BE TOLLS. AND

THE MONEY WILL GO TO PAY

OFF BOTH THE CONSTRUCTION

AND THEN EVENTUALLY THE

BONDED INDEBTEDNESS. THE

GOOD NEWS IS THAT THE FREE

LANES THAT BOTH IN CENTRAL

AND ACROSS THE UNITED

STATES WILL CONTINUE TO BE

FREE UNDER THE PROVISIONS

OF THE LAW THAT I PASSED.

BUT WE'LL HAVE 20 MILES OF

ROADS EXPANDED EXPRESS

LANES AND START DOWN AT

KIRKMAN AND GO ALL THE WAY

UP TO 434. AND

CONSTRUCTION SHOULD START

SOMETIME IN LATE 2014

WE'RE HOPING.

>>COMING VERY SOON THEN.

>>YES.

>>NOW WITH THE EXPRESS

LANES, WHY ADD EXPRESS

TOLL LANES INSTEAD OF JUST

ADDING MORE CONVENTIONAL

LANES TO THE HIGHWAY? IS

THAT A STRATEGY INVOLVED

THERE?

>>THE MAIN THING IS PAYING

FOR IT. RIGHT NOW WE'VE

TAKEN THE HIGHWAY TRUST

FUND. 18.4 CENTS PER

GALLON. CARS HAVE BEEN

DRIVING FURTHER AND PAYING

LESS BECAUSE THE AVERAGE

MILAGE A CAR ACHIEVES WITH

ONE GALLON OF GASOLINE IS

NOW ABOUT 24 MILES UP FROM

15 OR 16. SO ACTUALLY

YOU'RE DRIVING MORE AND

MOST OF THE MONEY IS JUST

USED NOW AND COVERS BASIC

MAINTENANCE. BUT TO DO NEW

CONSTRUCTION AND TO PAY

FOR IT, THE TOLL LANES

WILL BE INSTALLED, BUT THE

FREE LANES, BOTH IN

CENTRAL FLORIDA, YEARS AGO

I PUT A RESTRICTION ON

TOLLING FREE LANES IN

CENTRAL FLORIDA; EXPANDED

THAT FOR NOT ONLY CENTRAL

FLORIDA BUT FOR THE WHOLE

COUNTRY. SO FOLKS CAN DO

THIS BUT THE MONEY HAS TWO

REQUIREMENTS. ONE, TO GO,

IF IT'S TOLLED, INTO NEW

CAPACITY. OR TWO, TO PAY

OFF THE INDEBTEDNESS SO

EVENTUALLY THEY CAN BE

FREE TOO. THE GOOD NEWS

FOR THE FOLKS IN THE FREE

LANES IS THAT IT WILL TAKE

SOME OF THE PRESSURE OFF

OF THEM. WHERE WE'VE DONE

THIS THE TRAFFIC MOVES

TWICE AS FAST.

>>SO THERE ARE MODELS

AROUND THE COUNTRY THAT

YOU LOOKED AT THAT HAVE

BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL IN

THE PAST? I UNDERSTAND

THAT THERE IS GOING TO BE

VARIABLE PRICING FOR THE

TOLLS. WHAT DOES THAT

ENTAIL AND MEAN TO

PASSENGERS?

>>WHEN CONGESTION THE

PRICE WILL BE HIGHER. SOME

OF THESE, AND I DON'T KNOW

THEIR TOLL STRUCTURE,

SOMETIMES IT'S AS LOW AS

25 CENTS, SOME OF THE

OTHER ONES SOMETIMES THEY

LIFT THE TOLLS. BUT THAT'S

UP TO HOW THEY PRICE IT

AND PRICE CONGESTION

PRICING IS THE NEW WAY TO

GO.

>>NOW LETS TALK A LITTLE

BIT ABOUT THE PUBLIC

PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP THAT

WAS ESTABLISHED TO FUND

THIS. CAN YOU TELL US

ABOUT THAT?

>>WELL THAT'S AGAIN THE

PROJECT IS $2.2 BILLION

DOLLARS. IF WE HAD WAITED

FOR PUBLIC MONEY TO BE

AVAILABLE, IT'D BE AT

LEAST EIGHT MORE YEARS. SO

THIS WAY WE CAN ADVANCE

THE PROJECT, THOSE WHO USE

IT WILL PAY FOR IT, THE

FREE LANES WILL GET THE

ADVANTAGE OF TAKING SOME

OF THE PRESSURE OFF OF

THOSE LANES AND THOSE THAT

CAN PAY FOR IT AND USE IT

WILL PAY. SO THE PRIVATE

SECTOR IS RAISING $1.2

BILLION DOLLARS IN CAPITAL

TOWARDS THE PROJECT AND

WE'LL HAVE IT SOONER