Last week, a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators introduced a bill to create a variation of the national infrastructure bank touted by President Obama. The BUILD Act is sponsored by Senator John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee from Massachusetts, as well as Texas Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison and Virginia Democrat Mark Warner, a former governor with a history of prioritizing transportation infrastructure.

Financial crisis and federal stimulus have slowed the push to privatize infrastructure. (New York Times) A new study looks how to address equity concerns in congestion pricing. (Environmental Defense Fund) Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm suggests that old car factories to be retooled to make trains, while the state cuts 137 transportation projects because of lack [...]

Pennsylvania’s government is considering leasing the state’s main turnpike to a group of investors for $12.8 billion in a deal that could set a new bar for public-private partnerships. (Wall Street Journal — Craig Karmin)

With city and state governments feeling squeezed amidst the continued economic slowdown, many are looking to lease highways, bridges, and airports to private companies in order to keep the cash flowing. (Reuters — Jonathan Stempel)