His Way or The Highway (Rick Perry's approach to road building)

Houston Freeways ^ | December 2006 | Paul Burka (Texas Monthly)

[Ben Ficklin]

You can say all that but everyone knows that AZ is a high tax state. Your state motto is "Tax me More"

As it stands, the gas tax is about the same in each state, except 25% of the gas tax in Texas goes to schools.

AZ directs its lottery money to roads. We don't. AZ is hiding the cost of roads from the taxpayer.

[Ben Ficklin]

"almost a billion"

We have a 15 billion surplus

[narby]

everyone knows that AZ is a high tax state

Yeah. That's why everyone is moving here.

Your state motto is "Tax me More"

You got a link for that?

except 25% of the gas tax in Texas goes to schools.

So, Texas' high rate of education is the reason they don't know how to build roads?

AZ directs its lottery money to roads.

Good.

AZ is hiding the cost of roads from the taxpayer.

You ever heard of a "loss leader". That's how retailers get people to visit their stores and they make their money in other ways. Building good free roads is a "loss leader" for a area's economy. People move in, build houses in the burbs, spend money on their cars, and everywhere they drive they spend money (at the very least on their gas).

But you wouldn't understand that.

Toll roads are a damper on the economy. The Texans of old knew that, which is why they removed the toll booths on the turnpike between Dallas and Ft. Worth and growth happened there.

Today's Texans either don't get it, or they have other agendas.

[narby]

We have a 15 billion surplus

Well there's 15 bil you could spend on roads. (except that pesky "non compete" clause in the toll road contract, that actually prevents the state from fixing the roads.

What fool would pay money to drive on a toll road when there was a free road just as good? Answer: none. Which is why Texans will be paying gas tax *and* toll taxes every time they drive.

And you think this is a good thing.

[Ben Ficklin]

Arizona lawmakers pumped 345 million of state's surplus into the budget to accelerate road construction. Preliminary estimates suggest the state's coffers won't be in the same robust condition next year

[narby]

Arizona lawmakers pumped 345 million of the state's surplus into the budget to accelerate road construction.

Good. (and Texans can't figure out why they have lousy roads)

[Ben Ficklin]

I keep reading that I10 in AZ is worn out and you will have to build the new I10 bypass which won't be much different from TTC 35 concept in Texas, except shorter. And it will likely be a toll road.

[Ben Ficklin]

AZ wants more roads but the Feds won't give them any more money

They might have to look at alternative financing

[stevie_d_64]

Bump...

Because I'm too damn sick and tired right now to think clearly...

I have looked, and I have wanted someone to show me where this is a good idea...

If we have problems/issues securing the existing ports of entry for goods and services from foriegn countries in what we have now...

Why is it we are blind to the increased risk of creating this "corridor" right through the middle of this country???

I understand that there could be some economic benefit, but thats for the foriegn countries to reap...Doesn't help us enough to justify it...

So maybe I'm not too ill right now to unload my dissagreements for any of this corridor nonsense...

They've (government and the private supporters foriegn and domestic) been working on the side to get as much done on it without voter approval for years now...And too few of us are fed up with it...

I've expended enough credibility with the people whom are just going along to get along with this abomination, trying to interject some valid security points alone on this till I figure I'm just going to head out and let it go to heck and a handbasket, and wait till someone tells me I'm going to have to learn spanish to do any official business in this state...

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

You're welcome. :-)

[neb52]

I-35 is and will be in the future a public Freeway that TxDOT will continue to maintain and expand. The TTC-35 is a parallel highway off in no mans land.

[hocndoc]

First, if any bills were rushed through in 2003, I'd blame the Dems who ran away a few times, disrupting the Regular Session and guaranteeing a few Special Sessions.

However, I do not like the way TexDot is handling the toll roads. I'm concerned about access, the non-compete clauses, and the perpetual construction of bits and pieces. There's no benefit that I can see to going where I don't want for a fee, all the while getting on and off and trying to find a connection to where I do want to go. Add in the problems I've read about with the electronic pre-payments and the piece-meal construction of this stretch, then that stretch, then the next and the snarls can only get worse in my lifetime (I guess they could be better in 50 years, but at 50, I don't plan to be driving in 2056.)

And this is the first I've heard about the non-compete clauses interfering with improvements on State owned roads.

I'm concerned about security, too.


I grew up hearing about Eisenhower's decision that the highways needed to be capable of serving as landing fields for jets. I like that idea.

I went to the New Braunfels League of Women Voters forum last month, with a Mr. Casteel as TexDot rep. He was vague, condescending, and struck me as selling snake oil. I'd like to know why.

[hocndoc]

No improvements for 10 miles either side of any route along I 35 and/or in any of the cities will guarantee that what we have will only get worse.

No access to Pfluggerville, and a non-compete clause prohibiting improvement of the roads in and to Pfluggerville is a recipe for a disaster for Austin. If we learned nothing else, recently, Katrina/Rita should have taught us that we must have escape routes to evacuate millions of people.

Who ever is leading - I'm concerned no one is - this mush will neither improve traffic through Texas, improve traffic for Texans moving around and between Austin, San Antonio, Houston and Dallas, nor improve evacuation and security. If they hope to push "public transportation," first, good luck in Texas, and second, wouldn't that be competition?

Casteel told us that all TXDot is committed to is the present construction. Pressure needs to be brought for a more transparent process, a more logical and progressive plan for first, improvement, second, expansion.

I'm half convinced the whole I 35 mess could be improved by planning - coordinated planning: simply standardizing the lanes to 3 on either side (rather than weaving in and out from 2 to 4 to 3 to 5 to 2 to a detour to one lane with no shoulder,with machines, smoke and dust) and ceasing the constant skip and jump construction that guarantees at least some of the road will be clogged and narrowed for "improvement" during any trip from San Antonio to Dallas.

Want to save money? Stop seeding then planting then scraping and starting all over at the doggone side of the road while construction is ongoing or planned in the next year. And do we really need individualized art at each overpass?

[hocndoc]

I went to the Trans Texas Corridor site (finally). http://www.keeptexasmoving.com/get_involved/

Overview

Your involvement is key to the successful development of the TTC. There will be many opportunities for citizens to participate in the development process. You are encouraged to check this website frequently for updates on public involvement opportunities.

"Inquiries" is a blind link.

The posting of meeting agendas is incomplete, the posting of summaries is farther behind. The latest summary is from July. No notice of the December meeting (accidentally found by checking the agenda for the November meeting) or any future meeting.

The page labeled, "Receive Information by Email" leads instead to a form for comments rather than the expected link to sign up for email updates. The form is limited to 1000 characters and there's no preview function, much less a link to use to send a more thoughtful comment. http://www.keeptexasmoving.com/comments_questions/

Here's my 3 AM post:

The public info here and otherwise is poorly organized and communicated.
I do not approve of any non-compete clauses - keep it public if that's the only way to avoid these.
Reps such as Casteel come off as selling snake oil.
The "plan" does not appear to guarantee anything other than indefinite broken links and constant construction.

1. Decide whether the route is planned to move Texans around and through Texas or to move commercial traffic from Mexico to Oklahoma.
2. Guarantee that evacuation routes will be open and accessible at all times.
3. Reassure Texans that our daily commutes to work snd (sic) across the State will improve rather than perpetually be impeded by construction and designed lack of links.
4. Stop wasting money on roadside art and wildflowers that are obviously redone over and over during construction.
5. Keep control in Texas for Texas and National security and voter assurance: no more 'non-compete" clauses.

[husky ed]

"As it stands, the gas tax is about the same in each state, except 25% of the gas tax in Texas goes to schools"

You might want to do some research on this. Texas' gas tax is only $0.20.
However here in Washington it is $0.34 and is going up again this year and next. And that was with Repub's in control in the House and Senate.
Nothing like being a good Bipartisan.

Here in Washington 100% of the money is supposed to be used for building roads. But they count H.O.V. lanes and Bike lanes in there to. <\Don't get me started on Bike Lanes> <;8^)

ED

[DustyMoment]

I-35 is and will be in the future a public Freeway that TxDOT will continue to maintain and expand. The TTC-35 is a parallel highway off in no mans land.

Not according to the article and not according to the TTC-35's own site. Parts of I-35 are definitely included in the TTC-35 plan across Texas. In fact, if you read the article, the CDAs in the TTC-35 expressly forbid TXDOT, or any other agency from maintaining ANY of the public roadways.

[E.G.C.]

BTTT

[Sarajevo]

I'm half convinced the whole I 35 mess could be improved by planning - coordinated planning: simply standardizing the lanes to 3 on either side (rather than weaving in and out from 2 to 4 to 3 to 5 to 2 to a detour to one lane with no shoulder,with machines, smoke and dust) and ceasing the constant skip and jump construction that guarantees at least some of the road will be clogged and narrowed for "improvement" during any trip from San Antonio to Dallas.

I agree with your points. We should also include the proper construction of interchanges that do not impede the flow of traffic, such as the mess between Loop1604 and I35, and Loop 410 and I35 in San Antonio. It seems that the interchanges are one of the biggest problems on I35.

IMO, the TTC is just a grandiose idea being foisted upon us by Perry and company.

[Sarajevo]

Don’t need to raise gas tax at all

New Double Tax

TTC Catastrophe

There, I've matched your links and raised you a bumper sticker.