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Yeah, we voted on tolls — kinda
Austin American-Statesman ^
| October 16, 2006
| Ben Wear
Posted on 10/16/2006 6:45:49 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
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To: Dead Corpse; Ben Ficklin
The estimates of Cintra's initial investment in these projects that I've seen range from $7B to $12B. So let's call it $10B. That's $10B that Cintra is paying up front that otherwise would have to come from the pocket of the Texas taxpayer. Apart from those folks on this website that I've see advocating that their gas taxes be raised to cover it (a real head-scratcher), there is no other way to come up with that kind of money.
To: Radix
For many reasons, the public sector doesn't do a very good job. The private sector does much better.
You probably can't discern it but the toll roads in Texas, all local in nature, are run by the public sector.
These new statewide wide toll roads are being proposed as a Public Private Parnership and the apparent winner in the bidding on the first road is Cintra, a foreign company.
To: Diddle E. Squat
I agree that 1/3rd of the gas tax shouldn't be diverted to education, but that diversion was put in place more than a decade agoI thought that it was 1/4 being (mis)used for education thanks to a constitutional amendment passed around 60 years ago. Furthermore, I'm under the impression that about 1/4 is used for other non-transportation purposes, but I could be wrong (and hope that I am).
103
posted on
10/16/2006 2:38:07 PM PDT
by
Tolerance Sucks Rocks
(Hugo Chavez is the Devil! The podium still smells of sulfur...)
To: Dead Corpse
No net loss is no net loss.
Try taking the "frontage" from Burnet Road up 183 to 620 some time. Or the I-35 frontage from Grand Avenue Parkway down to Oltorf.
Sounds to me like you're upset because you want the new construction but don't want to pay for it.
To: 1rudeboy
Well, subtract the $4.5 billion we've already siphoned off from the gas tax for other purposes that was supposed to pay for new roads and we're already half way there.
105
posted on
10/16/2006 2:39:26 PM PDT
by
Dead Corpse
(Well, my days of not taking your seriously are certainly coming to a middle)
To: Dead Corpse
Does you reply #99 mean I won the argument? If you can't beat them, malign them.
To: 1rudeboy
Sounds to me like you're upset because you want the new construction but don't want to pay for it. Nope. We've BEEN paying for it. Now they want to charge us AGAIN.
107
posted on
10/16/2006 2:39:58 PM PDT
by
Dead Corpse
(Well, my days of not taking your seriously are certainly coming to a middle)
To: Dead Corpse
Thanks for the link. The 183A(toll) looks to be separate from 183 most of the way. It connects up to 45 which is a new road. Unless I'm reading the map wrong, you will just be impacted by construction in the area for the most part.
Regardless, this is all separate from the TTC except for possibly 130 which was going to be a tollroad anyway. The local CTRMA is to blame for those decisions.
To: Ben Ficklin
Well, you've been making stuff up about me all along, so why would you stop now?
Or are you ready to admit that I am FOR tolls, but only tolls, as a means of paying for roads? Are you also ready to admit that soaking us for the current billions, plus another $10 billion in tolls probably is NOT going to be that good for the loca economy?
109
posted on
10/16/2006 2:41:38 PM PDT
by
Dead Corpse
(Well, my days of not taking your seriously are certainly coming to a middle)
To: Radix
Meanwhile, the thinking taxpayers are wondering about just how to escape this cesspool. One way would be to have a private company build, operate, maintain, and lease the road. It won't eliminate the threat of mismanagement or corruption, but certainly reduce the possibility of the same.
To: 1rudeboy
I read that funding for the first few miles of the planned U.S. 281 improvements north of San Antonio was secured from traditional methods, but they were planning to toll the road, anyway. The road is currently not being rebuilt due to an envirowhacko lawsuit.
111
posted on
10/16/2006 2:43:28 PM PDT
by
Tolerance Sucks Rocks
(Hugo Chavez is the Devil! The podium still smells of sulfur...)
To: Dead Corpse
We've BEEN paying for it. Now they want to charge us AGAIN. I fail to see how the gas taxes you are paying now, and paid in the past, have paid for roads/lanes that haven't been constructed.
To: 1rudeboy
have paid for roads/lanes that haven't been constructed. Correction, are currently under construction. Everything was bonded out before they began building.
113
posted on
10/16/2006 2:46:03 PM PDT
by
Dead Corpse
(Well, my days of not taking your seriously are certainly coming to a middle)
To: 1rudeboy
You have different Regional authorities involved with these local/regional toll roads..... Then there is the TTC system basically under TxDot with ties to some of the regional authorities.... The following are three of the major regional authorities. I'm not sure if there is one in South Texas. So you get regional plans mixed with TxDot and the landscape gets blurred.... jmo.
http://www.ntta.org/ [North Texas... Dallas - Fort Worth]
http://www.hctra.com/hctra/ [Harris County ... Houston area]
http://www.centraltexasturnpike.org/ [Centeral Texas .. Austin]
114
posted on
10/16/2006 2:48:42 PM PDT
by
deport
(The Governor, The Foghorn, The Dingaling, The Joker, some other fellar...... The Governor Wins)
To: Dead Corpse
I know what your position is, or what you say it is.
Its just a fact of life that you should get used to, you, and I, will have higher transportation costs and that higher cost will depend on how much we use the roads, and the quality of the roads that we choose to use.
To: Dead Corpse
So what's Cintra's $10 billion for? Shrubbery?
To: Ben Ficklin
So instead of going with one or the other, just double the amount people pay to get around in CenTex.
That'll do wonders for the loca economy... NOT...
117
posted on
10/16/2006 2:50:55 PM PDT
by
Dead Corpse
(Well, my days of not taking your seriously are certainly coming to a middle)
To: 1rudeboy
Heck... you pro-Toll+Gas tax types seem to have all the answers. You tell me. The billions we collect now PLUS the billions in tolls oughta buy a gold plated Caddy for everyone in the Austin area.
Or, at least of Gonzalo Ficklin and his shareholders...
118
posted on
10/16/2006 2:52:50 PM PDT
by
Dead Corpse
(Well, my days of not taking your seriously are certainly coming to a middle)
To: Dead Corpse
You will be able to avoid the tolls. Will it be worth your time?
To: deport
"You can't put the info out until the deal is done.
Dude, we're talking about public monies and taxes, not a private contract.
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