Posted on 01/26/2005 5:06:47 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Trans-Texas Corridor PING!
You'll pay for them one way or another. The difference is that trucking firm from Chicago or Portland will be helping to pay for the roads they use to make their profits.
i agree with what you said.
but there's more at issue here.
1. why is a foreign company being chosen behind closed doors, as the article above states.
2. don't we have american firms that can do the construction and management?
3. we need american taxpayers and drivers involved in the political process.
4. as radio klbj said the other day, concerning freeways in the austin area, city council members have noticed discrepancies in the state department of transportation's disclosures.
everything need closer scrutiny, and especially the involvement of texans.
It does need to be more open and transparent. Construction jobs are often the biggest in this state, and we often know nothing about them until they're awarded. The potential for corruption is immense, even if it isn't occurring. There's no way for us to know.
While you are at it,
Insurance Companies, Trash Collection, MADD, Wind Storm Engineers and anybody else in bed with the folks in Austin.
yep.
dear student:
please check all of the above!
Can you say, "Big Dig"? The way we'll know is when the cost overruns begin -- or when the toll increases start...
Governor PERRY has to GO!
AND, , ,
http://www.firericwilliamson.com
Paying only $1.2 billion to the state and then $6 billion to develop it is chump change. Besides, the politicians will not actually use the windfall to reduce taxes but will treat it as "free money" to spend on pork.
I have not accounted for current value etc. since tolls will rise each year or few years to keep pace with inflation.
Toll roads in Texas have tended to be just the opposite. They get built faster and significantly under budget compared to public sector projects. The Hardy toll road in Houston is a good example of that. It was finished a year ahead of schedule and $50 million under budget. I've never seen state owned highways that got built as fast.
The "Big Dig" is a financed by the federal fuel taxes paid by drivers all over the US. At least with toll roads, the money doesn't get allocated according to which senator has seniority or which one is the party leader. I wonder how many people have died in other states due to the diversion of highway funds away from them postponement or cancellation of highway improvements.
BTTT!!!!!!!
If all the state money is being spent on maintaining and widening existing roads, then the really big new projects can't be built with state money. Nobody is being forced onto toll roads in this state.
Nobody likes tolls but nobody likes taxes, either. Yet most of us like new modern roads. You have to pick your poison.
I didn't even know the PA turnpike was making profits. I thought it was having red ink problems, but maybe I was misinformed. One thing's for sure: whatever profits they're making comes from keeping the tolls relatively low (currently at about 6 cents per mile). If the Trans-Texas Corridor administration wants to actually see profits, I think they would be wise to follow the PA Turnpike's example.
5 cents a mile and no higher BUMP!
"A 6 cent per gallon gas tax increase will raise around $840 million per year $630 million goes to transportation, $210 million goes to education
"$610 million per year is enough to prevent all freeway-to-tollway conversions, as well as build many of the new highways we need."
In addition to that, if the portion of the gas tax that was (mis)directed toward education was redirected toward roads, things would be even better. And if the gas tax were raised, as some advocate, by ten cents per gallon instead of six, things would be even better, and it would still be lower than it is in eight other states.
Why are you so fascinated with the politics of road construction in Texas? It's equivalent to me having an obsession with fishing regulations in Chesapeake Bay and setting up a ping list for that topic.
They have a PDF somewhere on their web site (state.pa.us); they take in about $400 million per year, spend $50 million on maintenance and $30 million on wages (all those toll collectors making $40K + per year, plus the no doubt unionized maintenance guys), leaving $320 million of CASH which is promptly mis-spent by the thugs in business suits located in Harrisburg.
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