Skip to main content

“Stable” 2014 for U.S. toll roads market, says Fitch Ratings

The 2014 outlook for U.S. toll roads, airports, and ports is stable despite tepid growth, according to a new Fitch Ratings report. “The growing use of Public Private Partnership, or P3, transactions to construct new or expand existing projects is largely motivated by limited resources at the state and local level, combined with uncertainty on future federal funding levels,” said Scott Zuchorski, director in Global Infrastructure and Project Finance at Fitch Ratings. “While not a panacea for all funding is
December 11, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
The 2014 outlook for U.S. toll roads, airports, and ports is stable despite tepid growth, according to a new Fitch Ratings report.

“The growing use of Public Private Partnership, or P3, transactions to construct new or expand existing projects is largely motivated by limited resources at the state and local level, combined with uncertainty on future federal funding levels,” said Scott Zuchorski, director in Global Infrastructure and Project Finance at Fitch Ratings.

“While not a panacea for all funding issues, governments are increasingly looking to P3s for transportation projects where the economics make sense. Two-thirds of states currently have P3 enabling legislation in place, and given the size of future capital needs, Fitch expects transportation P3s to continue to rise in 2014.”

The stable 2014 outlook for the U.S. toll roads sector is said by Fitch Ratings to reflect continued slow growth in aggregate driving across the country. The firm reports that even in a declining traffic scenario, mature assets and systems with a combination of pricing power, robust liquidity and moderate leverage retain considerable resilience to sustain current rating levels. According to Fitch Ratings, forecasting risk remains high for recently constructed or green field standalone projects, which may be more vulnerable to a sustained weak economic environment.

Related Content

  • The market is due for a slowdown
    December 13, 2012
    There is nothing that fuels economic uncertainty like economic uncertainty. Lack of confidence amongst investors ensures a reluctance to invest, and that is a common problem for many of the markets around the world at present. The financial crash that started in the US in 2008 and then spread to Europe is an economic malaise that has lasted longer than previous recessions and has had a wider effect for the world economy. Europe has been hard hit and speaking at the recent Committee for European Constructio
  • Funding road research in Kenya as infrastructure development grows
    August 14, 2017
    The demand for road construction material research and testing services in Kenya is expected to soar. The East African country is going through a construction boom, despite policy and financial challenges facing public institutions overseeing the research and testing operations in the transport industry. “Kenya is going through a construction boom and so is the demand for construction material testing services,” said Juma Ali Madzitsa, Geotechnical Lab Supervisor at SGS Kenya, a subsidiary of Swiss based in
  • A new transportation project for Northern Southeast Asia
    March 2, 2022
    Transport in Northern Southeast Asia is to benefit from a new US$145 million project
  • Caterpillar’s 2016 results reflect tough market conditions
    January 31, 2017
    Caterpillar’s financial results for 2016 reflect the tough trading conditions that US construction machine firms in particular have been experiencing. In another development, the firm is looking to move its global corporate headquarters from Peoria to Chicago.