The event included more than a dozen panels and break-out sessions that ranged from international perspectives to the view from state legislatures.

More than 200 transportation design and construction executives, financial services and consulting professionals, and federal and state transportation agency officials gathered July 13-15 in the Nation's Capital for the American Road & Transportation Builders Association's (ARTBA) 28th Annual Public-Private Partnerships (P3s) in Transportation Conference.

Attendees at the private infrastructure investment community's premier annual gathering heard from Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), a member of the House Ways & Means Committee, and Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), chairman of the House Highways & Transit Subcommittee. Blumenauer, noting an opportunity to capitalize on the 2015 passage of the FAST Act, said it was “a time of optimism for those rebuilding and renewing America's infrastructure.”

Both Blumenauer and Graves spoke of options to provide a sustainable revenue source for the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), including indexing the federal motor fuels tax to inflation and addressing long-term infrastructure funding solutions as part of comprehensive tax reform. Graves also said he thought P3s would be a key part of the next multi-year highway/transit reauthorization bill.

The event included more than a dozen panels and break-out sessions that ranged from international perspectives to the view from state legislatures. ARTBA's P3 Owners Council, a peer group exclusive to public agency representatives, met for the third year. About 40 public and state legislators attended.

ARTBA recognized Purdue University President and former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels with its “P3 Entrepreneur of the Year” award and the 16-mile U.S. 36 Express Lanes in Colorado with the “P3 Project of the Year” award. At the same awards luncheon, ACS Infrastructure Development's Senior Vice President Steve DeWitt assumed the presidency of ARTBA's P3 Division for the coming year.

For more information on the conference and ARTBA's P3 Division, visit www.artbap3.org.

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