American-based airlines transported more than 815 million passengers in 2012. That number was higher in 2013...but, final data is not yet available. In a few years, passenger counts will likely increase to more than 1 billion, according to the Airports Council International.

Here's the critical question for transportation officials. Given the current state of this country's aviation infrastructure, can American airports handle that much traffic?

The American Society of Civil Engineers recently gave the United States a "D" for aviation infrastructure. That means for the government to keep Americans in the air, aviation authorities must make substantial improvements to airports of every size and type.

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Pennsylvania officials looking for public-private partnership for reconstruction

Requests for qualifications from would-be, private-sector partners are being sought to participate in the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Rapid Bridge Replacement Project. The project, which will be a public-private partnership, is geared toward reconstructing at least 500 structurally deficient bridges. The bridges are similar in design and some 200-300 more will be rebuilt than originally anticipated thanks to the state's new comprehensive transportation plan.

"This project is a prime example of how investment in the public sector empowers stronger partnerships within the private sector, leading to increased safety, good-paying jobs and better services," said PennDOT Secretary Barry Schoch (pictured).

Transportation department officials are seeking a private-sector firm to manage the 500 bridges' design, construction and maintenance under one contract. The same basic design and construction standards will be used for multiple numbers of bridges, resulting in a cost savings.

Those interested in responding to the RFQ must do so by Jan. 31, 2014. Once the documents are reviewed, PennDOT will invite qualified teams to submit proposals for the project next spring. The cost and technical approach will be considered in choosing the winning team. Officials are hopeful to begin construction in 2015.

The Rapid Bridge Replacement Project is a result of legislation that created the Public and Private Partnerships for Transportation Act, which authorized the use of P3s for Pennsylvania projects. This project was approved in September by the state's P3 Board. Because it was approved, the agency was able to issue a competitive RFP to determine and enter into a contract with a private firm to deliver the project.

Scranton Sewer Authority seeks advice on possible sale proposals, policies

Facing about $140 million in upgrades over the next 25 years to meet federal and state standards, the Scranton (Pennsylvania) Sewer Authority is looking for advice from a financial consultant. The Authority recently issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) from financial consultants regarding the possible sale of the authority or the possibility of other alternatives such as a public-private partnership.

The RFQ seeks a consultant to evaluate, advise and make recommendations on financial matters, strategic plans and policies and sale proposals that might be received.

The millions in upgrades are part of a settlement with the federal and state governments to prevent pollution of the Chesapeake Bay watershed from sewer overflows into the Lackawanna River and its tributaries that feed the Chesapeake Bay. City officials also are hoping the authority will consider sale of the authority to raise much-needed revenue for the city.

The RFQ, according to Authority Executive Director Gene Barrett (pictured) is a step toward considering a potential sale. However, he said that does not mean the authority will be sold. Barrett suggested that another result of the RFQ might instead lead to a long-term public-private partnership.

"We just want to see what our options would be and how we address this and protect the ratepayers," said Barrett.

Because of the upcoming Christmas holiday, the Government Contracting Pipeline will not publish next Wednesday, Dec. 25. Also, because the New Year's holiday is on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2014, we will publish the Pipeline a day early that week, on Tuesday, Dec. 31. We will resume our regular Wednesday publication dates on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2014. The offices of Strategic Partnerships will be closed Tuesday, Dec. 24, and Wednesday, Dec. 25, in observance of the Christmas holidays, and will reopen on Thursday, Dec. 26. SPI offices will also close on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2014, for New Year's Day, reopening on Thursday, Jan. 2. Have a safe and happy holiday!

State, local government officers' contact information will be made available

A law passed in New Mexico will go into effect soon that will allow businesses to go to a state Web site for contact information regarding submitting bids for government purchasing contracts.

The new law, which was passed earlier this year, requires the contact information for the chief procurement officer for state and local governments to be made available on the Web site of the State Purchasing Division by January 2014.

The goal of the legislation is to make information available to vendors seeking to do business with government entities. The bill also requires that by next year, all government procurement officials must be certified by the state. The certification will make sure that the procurement officials are familiar with requirements for contracting with the private sector. 

University of Colorado approves $143 million for athletics upgrades

An indoor multi-sport practice facility that will house a football field and 300-meter track is among the projects planned for the University of Colorado and approved as part of $143 million in athletics upgrades at the university. The governing board of the university recently approved a number of athletic facility improvements and upgrades. Athletic Director Rick George (pictured) hailed what the upgrades will mean for the CU athletic programs. "It will allow us to create a world-class, holistic student-athlete experience," said George. "It will allow us to compete for and win championships, and it will allow us to become fiscally responsible. I believe it's a long-term sustainable model." Other projects planned include refurbishing the Dal Ward Athletics Center to include an Olympic sports strength training room in the sub-basement level and new locker rooms and equipment room on the field level; transforming the second floor of Dal Ward to increase the athletic department's academic support system from its current 5,115 square feet to 17,200 square feet; adding a 21,900-square-foot, high-performance sports center at the football stadium, as well as a rooftop terrace and converting the south offices at Folsom Field to retail space; and proposing that the third floor of the sports performance center be used for team meeting rooms. George said next, university officials will present the proposal to architects. Ground could be broken as early as this spring with a completion date of sometime during the 2015-16 academic year. 

RFI nets Virginia nearly 20 possible solutions to improve Interstate 66

Plans to transform Interstate 66 in Virginia from a traffic nightmare into an efficient roadway have been offered in response to a request for information (RFI) released by the Commonwealth of Virginia in June. Gov. Bob McDonnell (pictured) said 19 firms responded to the RFI. McDonnell said the RFI was seeking a proposal to "transform I-66 from a highly congested corridor to a multi-modal transportation facility that moves traffic and people more efficiently." The congestion occurs mostly in the area from the Capital Beltway to Route 15 in Haymaker. Three state entities released the RFI - the Office of Transportation Public-Private Partnership, the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Department of Rail and Public Transportation. The goal of the RFI was to get private-sector input on best practices and innovative approaches for developing and financing improvements that would increase the capacity to the roadway from U.S. Route 15 in Prince William County to I-495 in Fairfax County. The state also is seeking multi-modal options as well as the possible financing of the project through tolled express lanes. The Commonwealth is likely to consider the RFI responses early next year.

County planning addition to maritime training academy in Mississippi

A $1.3 million project will soon be under way to construct an addition to Ingalls Shipbuilding's Haley Reeves Barbour Maritime Training Academy in Jackson County, Mississippi. A community development block grant will provide funding for the project. The county already has hired an engineer, an architect and a grand administrator. The engineer and architect will work on the design of the addition, which should be completed by the end of next year. The academy provides training for future shipbuilders and workforce. County Administrator Brian Fulton (pictured) said the annex will be similar to an auditorium and will be more than 4,100 square feet as a multi-purpose classroom that will seat 320 people. The Barbour building, which is set to be open for classes next year, is a 70,000-square-foot facility with 24 classrooms, three computer labs, a library, bookstore, 26 offices and classrooms and a variety of laboratories. Some 400 students are expected to enter the program.

City in New York awarded funds for transportation center project

The city of White Plains, New York, has been awarded $1 million for a transportation center project through a Regional Economic Development Council initiative. The initiative seeks regional stakeholder input for developing strategic plans for projects aimed at creating job and growing the local economy. The White Plans Multimodal Transportation Center Redevelopment Project will provide a center that serves all modes of transportation while providing an economic boost for the area. The existing station area will be transformed into a gateway for the city's downtown area. The money comes from a $59.6 million pool of funding that is intended for projects in the Mid-Hudson Valley region. Statewide, a total of $716 million is being awarded

Addition to city's wastewater treatment plant planned for Pueblo, Colorado

An addition to the wastewater treatment plant in Pueblo, Colorado, is being planned so that the city can comply with federal regulations. The $1.08 million addition will be built by the city with the new enclosed concrete plant being supplemented by $15 million from state grants that are used to help small municipalities meet new state requirements in order to comply with federal regulations. Some $800,000 of the funding will go toward design and engineering, according to Gene Michael (pictured), wastewater director for the city. The plant is expected to comply with state requirements to use the funding by 2016, as it is expected to be completed in the summer of 2014.

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Cedar Rapids will seek P3 proposals for city Wi-Fi network

The city of Cedar Rapids will in January 2014 seek proposals from Internet providers to help create a public-private partnership for a Wi-Fi network for the city. City officials plan to start the Wi-Fi service in the downtown area and expand out from there. The city already has partnered with an Internet provider to provide a small Wi-Fi system downtown to prove the system will work. The goal is to expand Wi-Fi transmitters from the current eight to 70 next year. The system will be structured so that it is not just to provide Internet access to residents so they don't have to purchase the service from a private provider. Instead, those currently paying a private provider will be provided a password to use the public-private system as part of their private service. City Council member Monica Vernon (pictured) said the city has discussed the Wi-Fi system with local school officials, saying it could bring low-cost or subsidized Internet access to low-income neighborhoods where families cannot afford home Internet service. Vernon said giving those homes and those students access at home because they could not otherwise afford the service should help level the playing field for all students.

 Are you a government official who has moved into a new position or to a new agency? Did you recently retire? Were you recently named to an executive-level position at a state-supported college, university or community college? Have you secured a new job as superintendent of a public school? If so, we'd like to hear from you - and so would your friends and colleagues - for our "Where Are They Now" column. Just drop us a line at editor@spartnerships.com and let us know about your previous job and where you are now. This week we feature Alex Pettit. 

William J. Bratton (top left), who served as police commissioner in New York in the mid-1990s, has been selected by Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio to lead the New York Police Department. Texas A&M University President R. Bowen Loftin (top center), who previously announced he would step down from his A&M post in January 2014, has been named chancellor of the University of Missouri, replacing Chancellor Brady Deaton, who retired last month. Felicia Davis (top right), a former Chicago police officer and advisor to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, has been chosen to lead the Chicago Department of Buildings, replacing attorney Michael Merchant, who was promoted to CEO of the Chicago Housing Authority. E. Gordon Gee, former president of Ohio State University until his retirement in July, will accept the position of interim president of West Virginia University in January, replacing James P. Clements, who was named president of Clemson University. Texas Commissioner of Education Michael Williams has named Monica Martinez as Associate Commissioner for Standards and Programs for the Texas Education Agency, after her last nine years with the agency serving in positions including curriculum director, policy director and managing director within the Standards and Programs Department. Ted Barkley, who has been city manager of the city of Ellensburg, Washington, since 2000, has been hired as the new city manager for Belgrade, Montana. Dr. Paul Illich (bottom right), vice president for research, planning and information technology at McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas, has been selected as the next president of Southeast Community College in Lincoln, Nebraska, effective July 1, 2014, when he will replace retiring President Jack Huck. Frederika Harmsen (bottom center), a professor and dean of the College of Natural Sciences at Chico State University, has been named Sacramento State's new provost and the vice president of Academic Affairs. Maryland State Corrections Secretary Gary D. Maynard (bottom left) has announced that he will step down, saying he has accepted a job at a research institute. Milton Santiago, vice president for administration and finance at Westfield State University in Massachusetts, has resigned after less than a year on the job and after the former president, Evan S. Dobelle, resigned after being accused of excessive spending of university funds. Robbie Hilliard, who has been serving as interim chief of the Clarksburg, West Virginia, Police Department since July 2013, as the new police chief to replace former Chief Marshall Goff, who resigned. The Virginia Tech Board of Visitors has appointed Timothy D. Sands, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost at Purdue University, as Virginia Tech's 16th president, effective June 1, 2014, to succeed Charles Steger, who will step down when Sands assumes office.

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