Dig Deeper Texas

So we should allow states more flexibility in building toll roads to meet our transportation needs.
Hike in federal gas tax floated | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas-Fort Worth Transportation News | Dallas-Fort Worth News

Like Mr. Perry, Ms. Peters believes the federal government should reduce the role it plays in building […]

Filed under: George Bush, Rick Perry, TTC, Toll Roads, Trans-Texas Corridor, local control, regulations | 1 Comment »

So would this prevent TxDOT from refusing to disclose locations because of “competitive” reasons?
80(R) HB 1857 - Introduced version - Bill Text
Sec. 201.620. COOPERATIVE PLANNING WITH COUNTIES. (a) The department and a county with a population of 750,000 or less may enter into an agreement for the purpose of identifying future transportation corridors within […]

Filed under: HB 1987, Jim Murphy, Texas Department of Transportation, Trans-Texas Corridor, TxDOT, transportation planning | No Comments »

It can be interesting to read about the same story from more than one news paper. The San Antonio Express News reports about problems the state auditor found with Trans-Texas Corridor plan.
MySA.com: Politics
Although the state could receive $3 billion in concession payments from developers, such payments could be reduced if inflation, interest rates and other […]

Filed under: Cintra, Kirk Watson, Rick Perry, State Auditor, TTC-35, Texas Department of Transportation, Trans-Texas Corridor, Zachry, texas | 1 Comment »

Long article in the Texas Observer worth reading. Some highlights follow.
I’m sure this is standard practice in the private sector. After, all we’re going with toll roads to take advantage of the efficiencies of the private sector, right?
The Highwaymen by Eileen Welsome - The Texas Observer
Yet even the chairman is perplexed by some details of […]

Filed under: Cintra, Dead captial, Eileen Welsome, Macquarie, Mike Krusee, Ric Williamson, Rick Perry, Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Mobility Fund, Texas Observer, Toll Roads, Trans-Texas Corridor, Uncategorized, texas | No Comments »

MySA.com: Metro | State
A new study throws cold water on a long-cherished claim of toll road advocates, surprising some of them, and could redefine a debate over if and how Texas should toll its highways.
If anyone would report on it. So far, I’ve only seen references by the San Antonio Express News and the East […]

Filed under: Charles McMahen, Governor's Business Council, Micael Stevens, Rick Perry, Toll Roads, Trans-Texas Corridor, TxDOT, texas, texas politics | No Comments »

I’ve been talking with Dig ad veritas about the Trans-Texas Corridor and she has pointed out that other states, such as New York, have an extensive network of toll roads across the state and it’s not considered a big deal. So what’s different about Texas?
Thinking about it, toll roads aren’t necessarily bad in of themselves. […]

Filed under: Toll Roads, Trans-Texas Corridor, texas, texas politics | No Comments »

I didn’t know this part about the Trans-Texas Corridor:
MySA.com: Commentary:
Yet today, amid the discussions about farmland, foreign involvement and NAFTA, I hear little about the subject of one small paragraph near the end of this article. The paragraph reads, “Traffic levels on I-35 will help determine toll rates and limits on building competing public roads. […]

Filed under: Corporate Welfare, Donna Council, Toll Roads, Trans-Texas Corridor, texas, texas politics | No Comments »

Can’t say I find this surprising.
MySA.com: Metro | State
AUSTIN — Charles Lawrence has donated nearly a quarter of a million dollars to Gov. Rick Perry over the past six years, by far the largest amount of anyone with a vested interest in the governor’s controversial Trans-Texas Corridor.
Lawrence is chairman of Kirby Corp., a Houston-based transportation […]

Filed under: 2006 general election, Charles Lawrence, Kirby Corporation, Rick Perry, Toll Roads, Trans-Texas Corridor, texas, texas politics | No Comments »