http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/tollways/ en-us Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:28:45 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2163467/posts Two years ago, lawmakers went to war with Gov. Rick Perry over his push to privatize Texas toll roads, but their efforts to stop the idea largely failed. As they return Tuesday to launch the 2009 legislative session, lawmakers will be faced with a choice of either raising taxes – which both Perry and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst have called a bad idea – or giving private companies a greater role in paying for, and operating, a fast-expanding network of toll roads. The two-year moratorium on private road deals that passed in 2007 slowed but didn't kill Perry's plan to... WFAA http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2163467/posts#comment Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:28:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2155839/posts The Texas Legislature is coming back Jan. 13, and change may be in the air. The Sunset Advisory Commission, by a narrow margin, recently voted to abolish the five-member commission that oversees the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDoOT), and replace it with a single commissioner. This is but the latest in the continuing evolution of Texas state government. When legislators think an agency isn’t working right, the urges generally are to change the agency’s personnel; to change the agency’s structure; to combine it with some other agency; to investigate it; or to abolish it. Such it is with TxDOT. In... The Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2155839/posts#comment Tue, 30 Dec 2008 00:04:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2152472/posts Confronted with a struggling transportation fund, lawmakers in Texas soon are expected to wage battle on various methods to help generate $14 billion for roads and bridges throughout the state. Another bill is intended to sideline the planned Trans-Texas Corridor. A report released this week from the Texas Department of Transportation says that the state will need to come up with $313 billion by 2030 for road and bridge maintenance and for congestion solutions. The report’s unveiling happened a couple of weeks before the Texas Legislature is set to convene its 2009 session. Lawmakers say they already were committed to... Land Line Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2152472/posts#comment Mon, 22 Dec 2008 02:50:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2140981/posts The Greater Toronto Area needs a gazillion dollars to fund Metrolinx, a mega mega transportation system of light rail, commuter trains, subways, highways, roads, and bicycle paths designed to reach every ward in an 8,000 square kilometre operating region approaching six million people. It will cost more than governments can afford, say its government backers. The answer, the backers say, is a toll road system that extends across the GTA and finances the transit megaproject. I have a better idea. Install the GTA-wide toll road system and scrap Metrolinx. Once roads are tolled, the population growth that is now projected... Financial Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2140981/posts#comment Mon, 1 Dec 2008 20:15:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2134806/posts Texas politicians who support toll roads won't have Sal Costello to kick them around anymore. Costello and his family moved to a small town in Southern Illinois this summer. He announced it on his blog Sunday, quietly, an adverb seldom associated with Costello in the past. Costello, if you're new around here or have forgotten, was a Southwest Austin graphics designer who in 2004 made a warp-speed trip from obscurity to notoriety after politicians pushed through a plan to build seven more toll roads. The plan included putting tolls on three roads that were already under construction using nothing but... The Austin American-Statesman http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2134806/posts#comment Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:54:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2122217/posts Put a fork in it. That’s what two Texas politicians recently said about the controversial Trans-Texas Corridor. “Everybody in Austin knows it’s dead. Everybody across the state knows it’s dead. It’s just something to be talking about,” House Speaker Tom Craddick, R-Midland, said at a debate in Midland on Oct. 19, according to a published report. But folks fighting the corridor here in Central Texas call it election season bluster. “Yes, they are still planning to do it,” said Mae Smith, Holland mayor. “That’s nothing but political talk. I don’t believe anything Mr. Craddick says, or any politician says prior... The Temple Daily Telegram http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2122217/posts#comment Sun, 2 Nov 2008 02:19:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2100090/posts Having tolls removed from a major route in British Columbia, Canada, has taken some of the sting out of the cost of operating a trucking business in that province, but there’s still plenty of sting to go around. In late September, the government removed a $20 truck toll and $10 passenger vehicle toll from the Coquihalla Highway, which connects the city of Hope to Kamloops, B.C., in the Canadian West. Provincial officials said that truckers were pleased with the move, and they were. “Given the price of fuel, truckers are very happy with this,” Bridgitte Anderson, spokeswoman for British Columbia... Land Line Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2100090/posts#comment Wed, 8 Oct 2008 02:20:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2099299/posts State transportation officials are poised to issue billions of dollars in debt to help speed road construction, a move that will keep Dallas-area projects on schedule for now but will do little to shore up the state's long-term road-funding crisis. The Texas Department of Transportation will likely begin issuing $1.5 billion in bonds within 60 days, pending the recovery of the nation's upended credit markets, and is taking steps to borrow another $6.4 billion over the next few years. Historic turmoil in the credit markets is already costing the department hundreds of thousands of dollars in extra interest payments each... The Dallas Morning News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2099299/posts#comment Tue, 7 Oct 2008 04:10:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2093911/posts The Texas Department of Transportation, which has alternated between fiscal gluttony and subsistence the past few years, may be about to belly up to a feast again. A feast paid for with money to be borrowed, mind you. Given the state of credit markets, one hesitates to reach for the salt right away. But absent the financial Armageddon that the president and others have been gabbing about, TxDOT might be sitting on an $8 billion stash this time next year. Even in the zero-laden world of government spending, $8 billion would be a significant infusion into TxDOT's budget. Without that... The Austin American-Statesman http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2093911/posts#comment Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:43:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2081208/posts In an interview with the Taylor Daily Press, State Sen. Steve Ogden revealed a possible new course for the controversial Trans-Texas Corridor. Instead of building superhighways across the state, Ogden said, the state may opt to augment the Texas Trunk System, a web of rural highways that includes U.S. 79. The plan would expand those highways to four-lane divided highways, while expanding urban infrastructure with toll roads. “We need to limit that concept to existing highways,” Ogden said of the proposed network of superhighways and tiered rail systems. “I passed a bill last session that did that, but [Gov. Rick... The Taylor Daily Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2081208/posts#comment Fri, 12 Sep 2008 23:18:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2080338/posts St. Hedwig has homes on large lots and a longtime tradition of rural living. And folks there want to keep it that way. “We want to be able to maintain as best we can the reason we moved out here in the first place,” said Kathy Palmer, the city’s planning and zoning commissioner. But a new master plan and recently updated zoning maps are no match for a proposed route of Trans-Texas Corridor 35 that would slice straight through the city of about 2,000 people and create headaches for several city departments, officials said. With neighboring Wilson County, St. Hedwig... The San Antonio Express-News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2080338/posts#comment Thu, 11 Sep 2008 22:32:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2075733/posts The Texas Department of Transportation is asking Nueces County residents to attend a public meeting in Driscoll to comment and provide input on proposed upgrades of US 77 to a controlled access facility that meets interstate standards. The purpose of the meetings is to review proposed options for upgrading US 77 and to present recommendations, TxDOT officials said. The first round public meetings were held in early March. This second round of public meetings is being held as part of TxDOT's continued effort to gain public input on issues related to proposed improvements and to provide an opportunity for public... The Nueces County Record Star http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2075733/posts#comment Sat, 6 Sep 2008 01:13:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2066264/posts Governor Perry and other state leaders have agreed to bring a halt to the practice which some say has led to toll roads...the diversion of money from the state's highway fund to other projects, 1200 WOAI news reports. "Implement a plan that sets a definitive course to end the practice of funding the Department of Public Safety with gas taxes that are needed for road construction, and return to funding the DPS with general revenue," is the first goal in a long term transportation funding plan released by Perry, Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst, and House Speaker Tom Craddick. 1200 WOAI... WOAI Radio http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2066264/posts#comment Fri, 22 Aug 2008 18:53:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2066243/posts NEW YORK (Reuters) - Public investment funds based in Texas could invest directly in transportation projects through a new corporation under a plan unveiled on Thursday by the state's legislative leaders and the governor. Texas has the nation's biggest road privatization plan but the legislature, reacting to criticisms that developers were enriching themselves at the expense of taxpayers, enacted a two-year moratorium. That has crimped road-building projects and led to a series of clashes between the governor and the legislature, who now have agreed on a compromise plan. Developers, including overseas companies, investment banks and private equity funds all vie... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2066243/posts#comment Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:57:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065530/posts (KCPW News) Utah lawmakers took tips on highway funding from a Texas legislator this morning. Texas Republican Representative Mike Krusee joined them on Capitol Hill. He told the Revenue and Taxation Interim Committee that with federal money drying up, the only way to pay for new highways is to make them toll roads. "Guess how many roads pay for themselves in taxes? Zero. Not a one. Most of them are less than 50 percent," said Krusee. "Imagine if you're a grocery a store owner, and you decide, I'm gonna sell sirloin at a buck a pound, and I'm gonna sell... KCPW http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065530/posts#comment Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:45:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2063411/posts Lately I have heard from some of you, asking about the Corridor. Most folks believe it is over, dead, gone from our beautiful East Texas. I have been watching our government's actions on this subject. Did you know that in TxDOT's cover letter to the federal government it states they will only use existing highways to build their corridor? Did you know that TxDOT also stated that it may need to build in non-existing paths also, some time in the future. Citizens, I write you today to make sure you understand that the corridor issue in Trinity County has not... The Lufkin Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2063411/posts#comment Sun, 17 Aug 2008 21:10:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2054816/posts “Regardless of losing funding, TxDOT is moving ahead,” said Larry Tegtmeyer, district engineer for the Wichita Falls District of the Texas Department of Transportation during his report Thursday morning to the Texas Transportation Commission. The Texas Transportation Commission is a five-member board appointed by the governor to oversee TxDOT. The commission met Thursday in the J.S. Bridwell Auditorium at Midwestern State University. It was the first time in 12 years that the commission had met in Wichita Falls. Tegtmeyer was enthusiastic about reporting the district’s accomplishments under a tight budget. In November, the Texas Department of Transportation announced budget cuts... The Wichita Falls Times Record News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2054816/posts#comment Fri, 1 Aug 2008 13:04:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048728/posts Executives from the state highway department are again defending themselves at the Capitol against people who say they are using taxpayer money to advance an agenda in favor of toll roads in Texas. At the heart of the issue are claims that TxDOT has hired lobbyists, using taxpayer dollars, to push in favor of projects like the Trans-Texas Corridor. Part of that is the "Keep Texas Moving" website. "Marketing is undertaken to inform drivers in the Austin area about the opening of new toll roads, toll road locations and incentive periods, and about the benefits of paying with an electronic... KLBJ News Radio http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048728/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:48:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046301/posts Member of the Texas Sunset Commission today recommended 'radical' changes in the administration of the Texas Department of Transportation, including placing the troubled and controversial agency into a four year legislative 'receivership' and abolishing the Texas Transportation Commission, which runs TexDOT, and appointment of a Transportation Commissioner who would be answerable to the Legislature, 1200 WOAI news reports. But Sunset Commission member Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon (D-San Antonio) suggested going one step further. "What I am hearing form the public is that they are wanting to see an elected commissioner," she said to loud applause from the TexDOT opponents who... WOAI http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046301/posts#comment Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:24:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045728/posts Toll road opponents today will ask the Sunset Advisory Committee of the Texas Legislature to abolish the Texas Department of Transportation, saying the agency has become too corrupt and too dysfunctional to fix, 1200 WOAI news reports. "We want to see elected leadership at the helm of Tex-DOT," says long time toll road opponent Terri Hall, the founder of the citizen action group Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom. "We are done with this unelected beaurocracy that is just an arm of private road building companies and the lackeys of this governor." The idea of eliminating TexDOT and establishing a... WOAI http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045728/posts#comment Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:24:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044573/posts Local toll road activist Terri Hall, the Spring Branch home schooling mom who's campaign against toll roads made her WOAI's San Antonian of the Year for 2007,. is taking her populist campaign nationwide. Hall is among the speakers for Saturday's 'Freedom March,' in Washington DC, organized by supporters of former Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, and designed to keep alive his message of smaller government and vigilance against encroaching government power. "They wanted someone to speak about the Trans Texas Corridor, and what's happening here, and the eminent domain abuses, and how all these toll roads are tied to corporate... WOAI radio http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044573/posts#comment Sat, 12 Jul 2008 22:28:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037568/posts AUSTIN — The Texas Transportation Commission on Thursday selected San Antonio's Zachry Construction Corp. and a Spanish toll road developer to plan a superhighway from Texarkana to Brownsville. The $5 million contract calls for Zachry American Infrastructure and ACS Infrastructure to create a financial plan for the Interstate 69 segment of the Trans-Texas Corridor. "This team represents the best in the balance of local and global expertise necessary to complete a project of this scope," said David Zachry, chief operating officer of Zachry Construction Corp. The private developers' plan calls for seven new loops around Corpus Christi and other cities... The Houston Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037568/posts#comment Sat, 28 Jun 2008 01:42:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2034593/posts The Texas Transportation Commission never fails to amaze us. Bottom line - this leopard has not changed its spots. Nothing has changed. The Commission and TxDOT are hell bent to sign deals and give away the farm before the legislature can rein them in. Rain, sleet and snow won't stop the mail; and, moratoriums, legislative intent and a sunset review won't stop TxDOT. Just a week ago TxDOT tried to impress everyone with how responsive they could be as they announced their recommendation that TTC-69 focus on using existing facilities rather than building a new highway. The only thing that... Corridor Watch email bulletin http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2034593/posts#comment Sun, 22 Jun 2008 03:45:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2033822/posts The controversial project known as Interstate 69/TransTexas Corridor became a little less so last week after the Texas Department of Transportation announced it would recommend utilizing existing highway routes rather than building new ones. The announcement comes after months of public meetings during which residents along the path of the proposed path of Interstate 69/TTC voiced varying concerns. TxDOT has designated four priority corridors to address the state's transportation needs in the next decade. "The preliminary basis for this decision centers on the review of nearly 28,000 public comments made on the Tier One Draft Environmental Impact Statement," TxDOT Executive... The Nueces County Record Star http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2033822/posts#comment Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:54:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031727/posts Drivers who get safely off Interstate 35E after arriving in Dallas from Austin or San Antonio have a certain look of relief – like they just outran a buffalo stampede. Only on I-35, the stampede is trucks. The white-knuckle experience helps make the case for some kind of reliever road, even a tolled one. Making that same case has been a harder sell for U.S. highways along the Gulf Coast and East Texas. Drivers there can judge their own level of congestion, and they have insisted that their mostly rural corridor doesn't warrant the major undertaking of a parallel turnpike.... The Dallas Morning News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031727/posts#comment Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:54:26 GMT