http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/highways/ en-us Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:45:37 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050231/posts Commission approves financing plan for toll lanes on Highway 101, other Bay Area freeways A Bay Area transportation commission took a step today toward creating an 800-mile network of toll lanes on parts of Highway 101 and other local freeways for car pools and drivers who pay a toll. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission approved a 25-year financing plan that allocates $6.1 billion for the lanes. Transportation planners say the money for the project will come from the tolls collected from motorists who use the lanes. The commission also approved a set of principles for developing the network. The profits from... San Jose Mercury News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050231/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:45:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049705/posts 800 miles of toll lanes on Highway 101, other Bay Area freeways proposed A Bay Area transportation commission is proposing the creation of a $3.7 billion, 800-mile-long network of mixed-use carpool and toll lanes on more than 12 freeways in a big new attempt to ease chronic traffic congestion. Called High Occupancy Toll or HOT lanes because they are free to car poolers in rush hour and open to other vehicles for a toll, the network of express lanes would be developed over the next 25 years by a group county, regional and state transportation agencies. The lanes would be... San Jose Mercury News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049705/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 01:32:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2044518/posts Please pardon this "original material" vanity posting, however all the talk this Saturday morning (and previously) of re-imposing a nationwide 55 MPH speed limit has motivied me to take up the keyboard to make an important point that seems to be being missed in this debate. That point is that imposing such a limit inherently places a value on peoples' time. Let's do the math. Since both sides have been claiming that this speed limit will result in fuel savings of 2% from traveling at 70 MPH, then let's do the math using those numbers. We'll also use a vehicle... Self http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2044518/posts#comment Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:37:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043713/posts Dust storms that fouled Kern County’s air in May could mean months of delay for two major Kern County freeway projects. A project to widen Highway 46 from Holloway Road west to Highway 33 at Blackwells Corner will almost certainly be delayed for five months or more, said Ron Brummett, executive director of the Kern Council of Governments. And the Westside Parkway in Bakersfield, a freeway that’s to run west from a point near Highway 99 to Heath Road, might also be delayed if dickering over air quality standards goes on too long. The Environmental Protection Agency, Brummett said, is... The Bakersfield Californian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043713/posts#comment Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:46:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2032262/posts Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Soaring gas prices at the pump means more drivers are going to have a bumpier ride no matter where they go because economic pressure is forcing states to cut back on repaving projects. Americans drove fewer vehicle miles this year than last year, which means that states have less state and federal gasoline excise tax money to pay for the soaring cost of asphalt to repave roads. Asphalt is made from a combination of rocks and sand mixed with liquid asphalt, made of crude oil, to hold it all together. Soaring oil prices have caused asphalt... AHN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2032262/posts#comment Tue, 17 Jun 2008 14:16:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2026448/posts Gas prices topping $4 a gallon. Freeways that have become parking lots — if you can get to them through surface-street traffic jams caused by fast growth, urban sprawl, and inadequate road planning. Transportation planning in Texas in general seems to have turned into a careening Mack truck that’s just as liable to plow into a city as help it. New highways are needed to get more and more people to work and get NAFTA traffic from the Rio Grande to the Red River, but the state says it doesn’t have the money to build the roads and bridges and... Fort Worth Weekly http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2026448/posts#comment Thu, 5 Jun 2008 14:32:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2025784/posts Many in the great state of Texas have a lot to say about a proposed network of toll roads and railway lines known as the Trans-Texas Corridor. The Texas Department of Transportation received more than 27,000 public comments during a three-month comment period on a proposed corridor project called the TTC-69, said TxDOT spokesman Mark Cross. Transportation officials had 47 public hearings in February and March and accepted written comments through April 18 on the environmental and social impact of the corridor. Comments ranged from flat-out opposition to the corridor to suggestions about how to lessen its impact, Cross told... Land Line Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2025784/posts#comment Wed, 4 Jun 2008 13:03:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2025281/posts AUSTIN — Saying big changes are needed to restore trust in the Texas Department of Transportation, the Sunset Advisory Commission staff is recommending a revamp of its governing board, project planning, and dealings with lawmakers and the public. The commission's report, to be released today, comes in the wake of controversy over planned public-private partnerships on toll roads, the route of the proposed Trans-Texas Corridor transportation network and questions concerning agency funding figures. The Houston Chronicle obtained a copy of the report. "The Sunset review of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) occurred against a backdrop of distrust and frustration... The Houston Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2025281/posts#comment Tue, 3 Jun 2008 13:22:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2021192/posts WASHINGTON — The Texas Department of Transportation, long viewed as hyperpartisan and arrogant by some members of the state's congressional delegation, has been trying to soften its image by reaching out to lawmakers of both parties in the nation's capital. But while state transportation officials are having some success in easing the personal animus, they still face a stiff challenge in selling their policy agenda to the state's elected officials in Washington. Many Texans on the Potomac cringe at the agency's embrace of toll roads, the controversies surrounding the Trans-Texas Corridor and TxDOT's resistance to many of the highway earmarks... The Houston Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2021192/posts#comment Sun, 25 May 2008 21:55:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2019138/posts McALLEN -- State senators on Tuesday ordered transportation officials to assess Texas' highway system and prioritize which regions are most in need of new roads. "We're expecting a full report, not some two-page letter," said state Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, chairman of the Senate Committee on Transportation and Homeland Security. "You can't begin addressing the funding problems until you know when the roads are expected to come on line." The transportation committee, which met Tuesday morning at McAllen City Hall, has been at odds with the Texas Department of Transportation since earlier this year, when the agency announced the halt... The Monitor http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2019138/posts#comment Wed, 21 May 2008 14:38:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2017856/posts QUAD CITIES -- Illinois officials have grounded state highway workers, and that means you'll be seeing more dead animals along highways and interstates. ''There's alot more road kill, it's disgusting'', said a driver parked at a rest-stop along Interstate 74. ''It's not a very good image for the state. People drive through and see all that stuff in the road. '' Al Mustafa says he drives all over the country and noticed this week how bad it was on roads in Illinois. ''Dead deer. I've seen alot more. I seen a trucker almost have an accident trying to avoid one.... WQAD.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2017856/posts#comment Mon, 19 May 2008 00:27:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2014530/posts Texas Gov. Rick Perry wants to build a big highway through the Lone Star State. No, make that a really big highway, as in a monstrously big highway. The exact route hasn't been determined. The mega-highway would run roughly from Laredo on the Rio Grande River through the Hill Country and the Piney Woods and then through Texarkana in that tiny portion of the state that borders Arkansas. Imagine for a moment if that thoroughfare would be pointed in the other direction - from the Valley, through the South Plains and then through the heart of the Panhandle, right past... Amarillo Globe-News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2014530/posts#comment Sun, 11 May 2008 21:38:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2011464/posts Sad but true...animals meet their maker on the highways and byways every day. We’ve all seen them...deer, raccoons, pheasants, geese, even bears...that happened to, (on purpose or accidentally), play in traffic. We look the other way and pretend that we didn’t see that big 12 point buck or that big old fat pheasant rooster laying on the shoulder of the road. The Road Kill Record Book Club celebrates and memorializes the alpha animals of the wild kingdom. Honor Mother Nature’s Finest. Pick up the “Big Guy”...measure with certainty...enter it in the Record Book. And if it’s a really good trophy...mount... Roadkill Record Book Club http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2011464/posts#comment Mon, 5 May 2008 15:53:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2011067/posts Block the road all nite BY DAVE BARRY (This classic Dave Barry column was originally published Oct. 15, 2000.) According to a recent newspaper article that I carefully clipped out and then lost but I remember the gist of, traffic gridlock in the United States is very bad. It's getting to the point where many commuters arrive at work, use the bathroom, then immediately begin commuting home. FACT: The average American commuter whose car radio is tuned to a ''Classic Rock'' station spends more time singing along to the Kiss song ''Rock And Roll All Nite'' than talking with his... Miami Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2011067/posts#comment Sun, 4 May 2008 16:26:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2009638/posts County commissioners reaffirmed their stance against the Trans-Texas Corridor, and they took another step toward keeping county government transparent when they met Tuesday. First up on the court's agenda, commissioners heard a presentation by Connie Fogle on behalf of the newly formed Pineywoods Sub-Regional Planning Commission. According to Fogle, the Texas Local Government Code, Chapter 391, requires state agencies to coordinate with local commissions to "ensure effective and orderly implementation of state programs at the regional level." "Critical in the code is the word 'coordinate,'" she said. "This does not mean the commission has to cooperate. The intent is to... The Daily Sentinel http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2009638/posts#comment Thu, 1 May 2008 12:34:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2009052/posts He says he is — seriously devoted to building and maintaining highways. But he is just as devoted to fencing state government into fiscal straits that make these goals impossible without privatizing highways through tolls. Perry last week said that going full-bore with toll roads is the only way for Texas to build new highways. That’s not so. The history of Texas tells us it’s not. Toll roads have their function without question. But so do bonds. So does a gasoline tax that has not kept pace with inflation. So does a reexamination of how Texas funds highways in general... The Waco Tribune-Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2009052/posts#comment Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:28:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2007492/posts Texas Farm Bureau offered several viable transportation and funding alternatives to the proposed Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC) in meeting Texas’ future transportation needs during testimony before the Senate Transportation Committee. “Let me assure you, as an industry we absolutely support and recognize the need for building and maintaining roads in Texas,” said Texas Farm Bureau State Director Tom Paben. “We feel this can be accomplished within the current framework of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).” “However, there is a need for redirection, as well as a review of the current priorities of the agency,” Paben added, noting several concerns about... Southwest Farm Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2007492/posts#comment Sun, 27 Apr 2008 00:32:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2006803/posts AUSTIN — Maybe Texas’ transportation problems are a lot simpler to understand than recent fights over toll roads make it seem, North Texas leaders told state senators Wednesday. “My first recommendation: You need to provide a lot more revenue for transportation,” Michael Morris, transportation director for the North Central Texas Council of Governments, told the Texas Senate transportation committee. That was hardly the only suggestion from Mr. Morris or the many others who spoke to the committee, which is seeking input as it readies an approach on toll roads, TxDOT and more for the next legislative session. But it might... The Dallas Morning News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2006803/posts#comment Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:13:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2006428/posts AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry promised to keep fighting for private toll roads and his other transportation priorities Tuesday during his first major speech on the subject since the death in December of transportation commission chairman Ric Williamson. "This is a place for big challenges, not big excuses," he told state Transportation Department employees and highway experts from around the country at the annual Transportation Forum. Next year's legislative session, he said, can't be anything like last year's. "The Legislature must understand that 'no' is not a solution," Mr. Perry said. "It is an abdication of responsibility." Before last year's... The Dallas Morning News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2006428/posts#comment Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:20:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2006208/posts Continuing a lifelong practice of helping rural East Texans, Nolan Alders attended a meeting in Austin Tuesday as a member of the citizens' advisory committee for the Trans-Texas Corridor highway project. Alders was among 18 representatives of communities that run along the route of the proposed highway, which runs from Laredo to Texarkana. The committee members prepared for their roles as community representatives, and heard comments from state transportation leaders, including Texas Department of Transportation Executive Director Amadeo Saenz and Commissioner Ted Houghton of the Texas Transportation Commission. TxDOT literature says the TTC-69 committee — and another committee to represent... The Daily Sentinel http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2006208/posts#comment Thu, 24 Apr 2008 11:25:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2004453/posts For years, Texas has been planning a privately financed super turnpike from Mexico to the Oklahoma border. But like rush-hour traffic, the plan for a Trans-Texas Corridor is only inching along. "It ran into a firestorm of controversy in Texas,” said Neal McCaleb, a former Oklahoma transportation secretary. Critics have a wide range of concerns about the corridor, which has a key stretch that would parallel Interstate 35. (Another stretch would extend from the Texarkana/Shreveport area to Mexico.) Particularly upset are landowners who may be in the corridor's path. The Texas Transportation Department calls many concerns myths. The department says,... NewsOK.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2004453/posts#comment Sun, 20 Apr 2008 20:26:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2001110/posts Despite the uproar over the state's proposal to build Trans-Texas Corridor 69 through East Texas, Lufkin's mayor says he supports the highway — as long as it follows the path of the current U.S. Highway 59. The Trans Texas Corridor/I-69 project is a statewide network of transportation routes in Texas that will incorporate existing and new highways, railways and utility right-of-ways. Anyone wishing to comment on the proposed road can go online to www.keeptexasmoving.com. TxDOT has expanded its public comment period for TTC-69 to Friday, April 18. Gov. Rick Perry appointed Gorden, along with 17 other Texans, to an I-69... The Lufkin Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2001110/posts#comment Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:44:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1998902/posts As the state's population continues to grow in its urban centers, expansion plans for the highway system continue to be the focus for transportation improvements. The Trans Texas Corridor proposal is aimed to alleviate traffic congestion, improve air quality and provide safer traveling for drivers, among other goals. In 2002, Texas Governor Rick Perry released the plan to create the passageway, which spans northeast from Laredo to Oklahoma and is set to total 4,000 miles in the next 50 years. The $140 billion project calls for the incorporation of new toll roads, commuter railways, power lines and gas pipelines, while... The Lariat Online (Baylor University) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1998902/posts#comment Wed, 9 Apr 2008 12:10:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1997635/posts For Peyton Gilbert, the battle over the Trans-Texas Corridor is reminiscent of the moment in 1836 when Lt. Col. William Travis drew a line in the sand at the Alamo and invited those willing to fight thousands of Mexican soldiers to step across. "That line in the sand is the Trans-Texas Corridor, and it's a threat to our sovereignty again, just like at the Alamo," said Gilbert, 14, who is from Whitehouse, near Tyler. Gilbert was among a large crowd of people who marched down Congress Avenue to the Capitol on Saturday afternoon to demonstrate against the proposed highway-rail-utility corridor... Austin American-Statesman http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1997635/posts#comment Sun, 6 Apr 2008 20:02:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1993152/posts HARRISBURG -- With a section of a Pittsburgh bridge dropping 8 inches and an Interstate 95 support pillar cracking in Philadelphia, Gov. Ed Rendell is turning up the heat under the Legislature to provide infrastructure repair funds more quickly. Mr. Rendell sent a letter to all 253 legislators yesterday urging quick passage of a $240 million "supplemental debt authorization." His program of borrowing would enable state officials to fast-track repairs on some of the state's 6,000 bridges classified as structurally deficient, along with fixing ailing highways, repairing "state-owned, high-hazard dams" and beginning flood mitigation projects. Also yesterday, Mr. Rendell called... The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1993152/posts#comment Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:59:28 GMT