Ray Perryman
Midland Reporter-Telegram
08/04/2007
It's no secret Texans are spending more time on the road than ever before.
We jump in our cars, trucks and SUVs to go practically everywhere. And we use them for almost anything -- work, pleasure or just cruising. From daily commutes to the office to occasional jaunts to the neighborhood store to quick trips to see friends to long leisurely vacations, motor vehicles are our favorite mode of transportation.
It's also no secret that it's costing more to drive nowadays. The price of travel, however, is not just caused by the price at the pump. There is another culprit that tends to flatten our wallets and lighten our purses. It's traffic congestion, which is continuing to increase and is extending from the urban metros to some of the more populated rural areas.
Slow or unpredictable transportation times tend to negatively impact the state's economic vitality, as well as the general quality of life of most Texans. Overall productivity is also affected as industry shipments and just-in-time deliveries become less dependable because vehicles are stuck in traffic. In addition, the delays that commuters, shoppers and tourists face due to impediments to traffic flow are frustrating and are generally a waste of valuable time.
According to the Texas Transportation Institute, motorists in the nation's largest 75 metropolitan areas spend approximately 62 hours stuck in traffic a year -- equivalent to around one and a half working weeks.
Myriad attempts have been made to relieve the situation over the years with one important conclusion -- more can and must be done on an ongoing basis to enhance the flow of traffic in and around the state's major metro areas before it's too late. There is no appetite to increase the gasoline tax that currently provides state road funds; the federal government is not likely to provide any major infusions; a vocal minority opposes toll roads and public-private partnerships; and the distances involved make other modes relatively expensive.
It is a complex issue, to say the least.
The 80th Legislature gave clear indication that Texas' transportation problems need to be fixed. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is already at work discussing and planning some 87 projects with regional mobility authorities and county leaders; however, funding for most of them is still in the future. Many of the projects are being promoted by local partners in order to shorten the timelines as much as possible once funds become available.
To speed up the process, a few of the most pressing projects are being proposed by TxDOT for development, construction, and operation as toll projects. The ultimate goal is to find ways and means to enable local leaders to solve the problems they consider necessary for improved traffic.
In June, Governor Perry signed into law Senate Bill 792. It was a compromise measure partially in response to voters unhappy with the proposed Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC). The law places a two-year moratorium on most privately developed toll roads in Texas. However, it does not affect the six construction projects currently being coordinated by the Harris County Toll Road Authority, and it allows projects in the pipeline for the Dallas-Fort Worth area to proceed.
The moratorium doesn't halt the proposed TTC, but no dirt will be moved as a part of this enterprise for two years. The time will be spent for studies and expanded preparation. The TTC will improve efficiency, reduce transportation time and costs, help expand intrastate trade, and strengthen the position of Texas as a site of corporate operations and expansions. Delaying it will cost the state's economy millions of dollars per year.
In the absence of new revenue designated for roadway construction, it is possible that tax resources might be required to be shifted from new construction to maintenance of the current system in order to prevent further deterioration of the highway pavement. Therefore, it is important to consider the potential of the tolling approach in strengthening the transportation infrastructure.
There are several hurdles facing TxDOT in accomplishing its mandate from the Legislature. From 1990 to 2000, the total miles of highways in the U.S. remained virtually unchanged, but the total number of miles vehicles traveled jumped more than 75 percent. Increasing traffic is wearing out highways, and inflation has diminished the purchasing power of highway maintenance funds. In addition, many roadways are cracking and shifting due to the prolonged drought that began in 2005. Along with these circumstances, highway construction costs have risen by 73 percent since 2002.
According to TxDOT officials, an additional $6.3 billion is needed over the next five years for highway conditions to stay at the status quo level. Preventative maintenance is essential for upkeep of the roads and to ensure safety, which also saves money through the long run. For each $1 spent on preventative maintenance, the TxDOT estimates some $4 is saved over the life of the highway.
In finding ways to solve traffic congestion in Texas, careful consideration should be given to the social, legal, environmental, economic, and political costs and benefits. No one factor should dominate the process and no single approach is the answer.
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Dr. M. Ray Perryman is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Perryman Group (www.perrymangroup.com). He also serves as Institute Distinguished Professor of Economic Theory and Method at the International Institute for Advanced Studies.
Trans-Texas Corridor PING!
(I’m baaaaaaaaaa-aaaaaaaaaaaaack!)
IS no on else going to say it?
Then I WILL!
How about all that fuel tax money that, instead of going to roads, has been diverted to one so-called “Mass transit” program or another???
What could we have done with our highways if we hadn’t been p*ssing that money down a public-works rathole?
What you do is purchase those great big plastic air bags. You deliver them to the Congress of the United States of America. Then the staff should be required to fill them with at least 75% of the hot air that passes for reasoned logic.
Take the full bags and put them under bridge spans across the nation. This should extend the life of the bridges will into the 2400s.
I love softballs.
Just spend all the money collected in taxes and fees specifically for highway construction and maintenance, instead of diverting them to gay parades, welfare programs and other pork.
Just saying.
Due to torsion or twisting of the supports -- presumably from the river flow -- there was a tremendous sideways spring force on the road bed. I'm guessing the bolts or welds holding the two parts of the bridge together at the south end just popped due to this sideways force. The release may have been triggered by the the construction work or the unusual loading due to lane shutdowns, but it was going to happen at some point.
The question to me is why wasn't this kind of stress picked up during any of the inspections that were held during the last decade. I presume that the deformation was so gradual that the minor cracks that would show up on the roadbed each year would just be tarred or paved over. The inspections that I heard about were looking for microscropic stress fractures, but perhaps they were only looking for fractures in the direction of the roadbed and not laterally. But you'd think if any responsible engineer saw the satellite view they'd have some serious questions.
It seems to me that a GOOD investigator reporter could try to find out how much TOTAL gas taxes are collected each year. Fed., state, local, also how much sales tax is collected on gasoline. Assume it is part of the taxes which are included in the price of gas at the pump.
When the total amount from all branches of the government is found then do real research on the total amount spent on our highways, roads and bridges. As far as mass transit is concerned the fees from such should more than cover the cost. I strongly feel that user fees should cover all costs of all public use. Be it transportation, parks etc.
I never fly, I have never been to or used a national park,
and yet my taxes are spent on these and other . I do use the roads so hope my gas taxes or turnpike fees cover my share.
Have you ever been across the W.Va. turnpike?
I happen to believe that if a good audit was conducted on all spent on roads, bridges and other items needed we might see where much of our taxes go. The people that I have known that do road construction all seem to get very
well off”. As do many government contractors. I forgot, I am an elderly widow, age 84. So think I have some knowledge of what I am trying to say. Thanks for reading!
How?
Stop spending tax dollars on multi-billion dollar public transit projects instead of highways!
http://www.truthabouttraffic.org/
I’m surprised that no one has complained about NASA taking money away from the infrastructure....