Texas Begins a Huge Highway Project; Not All Are Happy

The New York Times ^ | January 1, 2005 | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

AUSTIN, Tex., Dec. 31 (AP) - Texas has embarked on a project to build superhighways so large and so complex that they will make ordinary Interstates look like cowpaths.

As envisioned by Gov. Rick Perry, the project, the Trans-Texas Corridor, would be a 4,000-mile transportation network costing $175 billion over 50 years and financed mostly, if not entirely, with private money. The builders would then charge motorists tolls.

These would be megahighways: corridors up to a quarter-mile across, consisting of as many as six lanes for cars and four for trucks, plus railroad tracks, oil and gas pipelines, water and other utility lines, even broadband transmission cables.

Supporters say the corridors are needed to handle the expected Nafta-driven boom in the flow of goods to and from Mexico and to enable freight haulers to bypass urban centers on straight highways that cut across the countryside.

The number of corridors and exactly where they would run have yet to be worked out. But on Dec. 16 the Texas Transportation Commission opened negotiations with the Cintra consortium to start the first phase of the project, a $7.5 billion, 800-mile corridor from Oklahoma to Mexico that would parallel Interstate 35.

"Some thought the Trans-Texas Corridor was a pie-in-the-sky idea that would never see the light of day," said Governor Perry, a Republican who has compared his plan to the Interstate system. "We have seen the future, and it's here today."

But some have called the project a Texas-size boondoggle. Environmentalists say they worry about its effect on the countryside, and ranchers and farmers who stand to lose their land through eminent domain are mobilizing against it. Small towns and big cities alike fear a loss of business when traffic is diverted around them.

Even the governor's own party opposes the plan. The platform drafted at last summer's state Republican convention rejected it because of its effect on property rights.

The tolls would represent a sharp departure for Texas, which has traditionally relied on federal highway money from gasoline taxes to build roads. But supporters of the Trans-Texas Corridor say its combination of tolls and private money would allow Texas to lay concrete at a rate that would be impossible through gasoline taxes alone.

The corridors could generate about $135 billion for the state over the 50-year span and lure new industry by offering efficient shipping routes for goods and utilities, Ray Perryman, a Texas economist, said.

In addition, Robert Black, a spokesman for Mr. Perry said, the new rail lines could lower the risk of chemical spills in urban areas.

For the Oklahoma-Mexico corridor, Cintra plans to spend $6 billion for about 300 miles of four-lane highway from Dallas to San Antonio and give the state an additional $1.2 billion for improvements along the route. In return, Cintra, which is based in Spain, wants to maintain and operate the toll road for 50 years.

The Texas Farm Bureau, generally regarded as an ally of Mr. Perry, opposes the project, with the organization's president, Kenneth Dierschke, saying: "They're proposing going primarily through farm and ranch lands. If someone comes in and cuts your property in half, that's no good."

Officials promise that property owners will be fairly compensated for any land seized. And a special provision put in for the benefit of rural Texas would allow some property owners to negotiate for a share of the revenue generated by traffic on the corridor.

[deport]

The free roads will be allowed to deteriorate

---

Pretty much sop now......... so what's different?

[Paleo Conservative]

"Who's gonna pay for it?...... your taxes?"

One fact that few people know (or remember). 98% of the Interstate Highway system was built with taxes.

And quite a bit of your taxes went to buy votes in other states to elect 'RAT politicians like Ted Kennedy and John Kerry.

[BobL]

"Another thing is Congress should repeal the Davis-Bacon act that forces contractors to pay union wages for public construction."

Jackpot!! We agree. $30 per hour to hold a sign up, when a college kid would do it for $6. Maybe if we did that we could about double our productivity with the same tax dollars.


"Texas is lucky if it gets back 80% of the money Texans paid into federal highway taxes."

Back to disagreement. So, we blow off public road building and get back 0% of what we pay to the feds (taking this reasoning to its logical conclusion). I'm not sure that it's really such a great bargain.

[miliantnutcase]

Just wait until all those illegals get their liscenses! Muhahahaha

[Dog Gone]

I don't know whether toll roads help or hurt with this idea, but the idea itself is a brilliant one.

It probably won't become a reality during my lifetime unless I start living a lot more healthfully, but this is exactly what we need in order to continue our economic growth in future decades.

[Paleo Conservative]

As to the "free" roads - the governor could show some leadership, for once, and propose a reasonable increase in the gas tax - just to catch up with inflation. Heck, even the Republicans in the US House voted to increase the gas tax (last year). They had some courage (the dorks in the Senate shot it down, however).

And traditionally South Texas pays in taxes but gets less than its fair share of spending. Why shouldn't the people who actually benefit from a road be the ones that pay for it?

[BobL]

" And quite a bit of your taxes went to buy votes in other states to elect 'RAT politicians like Ted Kennedy and John Kerry."

No argument from me on that. The Big Dig was almost as bad as this sham is going to be. But again, we lose everything from the feds if we give up on publicly funded highways - which our governor apparently has decided for us. Yet we will still pay that $0.18 per gallon gas tax.

[narby]

I forget the details of that toll road that went north to 635. I wasn't around when they built it, but it was obviously back when there was nothing around. When I was there in the early 80's, there were houses right up against it, but no business activity at all.

That's probably a bad example.

A better one was the toll road from Ft Worth to Dallas. I lived there right after they took down the toll booths, and businesses were just beginning to start up. There still weren't that many, because the toll road didn't have many off ramps. While the other east-west freeways had all kinds of businesses already.

The funny example is the toll road along Memorial Rd south of Edmond Oklahoma. There are several large shopping areas and a mall along it. But the vast majority of the traffic is along the free side roads that parallel the toll road. The toll highway is practically empty, while the traffic shuttles from stoplight to stoplight right beside it.

Stupid.

[BobL]

"The free roads will be allowed to deteriorate

Pretty much sop now......... so what's different?"


The state, for the next 50 years will be contractually bound to REQUIRE that the free roads deteriorate if Cintra squeezes Perry the same way they squeezed Canada (and believe me, Perry will sign whatever Cintra wants, given his re-election problems - he just won't let us see the details until later).

In other words, we lose our control even over the roads that we built and paid for.

[FreeReign]

Texas has embarked on a project to build superhighways so large and so complex that they will make ordinary Interstates look like cowpaths.

Does Texas still have those nighttime 45mph speed limits on their wide-open interstates?

[Paleo Conservative]

The toll highway is practically empty, while the traffic shuttles from stoplight to stoplight right beside it.

They should retime the lights to slow down traffic on the frontage roads.

[G32]

"Does Texas still have those nighttime 45mph speed limits on their wide-open interstates?"

Usually it's like 70 Day/60 Night.

[narby]

Why shouldn't the people who actually benefit from a road be the ones that pay for it?

Everyone bennefits from free highways, even if you live many many miles away from it, and perhaps never even travel on it.

Add up the additional cost of groceries driven over stoplight to stoplight roads for starters. It's not a coincidence that food costs more in rural areas where travel costs are more.

Good cheap transportation is what keeps us in jobs. It's one of the few things I appreciate from government.

Check out Europe, that discurages cars by $4-5 dollar/gal fuel. Their economy has been slower than ours for decades, and this is one major reason.

[chief_bigfoot]

Be careful what you wish for...http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/search/s_288437.html
"Expensive projects inflate tolls, gas tax"-Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Jan. 2, 2005

[BobL]

"Why shouldn't the people who actually benefit from a road be the ones that pay for it?"

On a per vehicle basis, a freeway doesn't cost any more than a surface street (remember, there are a LOT more cars per day using a freeway).

Assuming that you don't argue that point too strongly, then shouldn't everyone pay the same amount per mile to drive on any road, rather than totally soaking the people who have to travel longer distances, just because it's much easier to dig into their pockets?

That's the bottom line here with toll roads - you're soaking the people that are easy to reach, rather than distributing the cost across the board evenly. On that note, I wouldn't object to a mileage tax, providing that met a few basic conditions:

1) All money collected has to go to roads
2) No congestion pricing
3) REAL privacy protection.

I don't have a problem with charging people to drive, I have a problem when it's applied grossly unevenly.


(btw, thanks for putting up with my ranting, toll roads really, really, get under my skin - I may need another hit of Prozac soon)

[FreeReign]

Usually it's like 70 Day/60 Night.

You're probably right. It just seemed like 45mph. Especially after getting my only speeding ticket on a wide open Texas Interstate -- at night.

[narby]

They should retime the lights to slow down traffic on the frontage roads.

So, how many shares of Cintra do you own?

This is the kind of heavy handed government control that I really wouldn't stand for.

[Paleo Conservative]

Everyone bennefits from free highways, even if you live many many miles away from it, and perhaps never even travel on it.

Like I really benefit from an improvement to bridges in Chappaquiddick.

[BobL]

"Be careful what you wish for...http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/search/s_288437.html
"Expensive projects inflate tolls, gas tax"-Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Jan. 2, 2005"

...also keep in mind that the State of Pennesylvania has been licking its chops over turning I-80 into a toll road. Federal law has prevented the conversion - but that may change real soon.

I-80 is presently a freeway running the length of the state, parallel to the PA Turnpike (but in the north). It is a rough road to drive (I've driven it many, many, times), but, for some reason, it is VERY popular with truckers. Anyone care to guess why?

[BobL]

"So, how many shares of Cintra do you own?"

In reality, I couldn't think of a better investment if Perry gets re-elected. We should get our piece of the action. You can bet his guys do. If we do real well, we may make enough to be able to afford to action drive on these elephants.

"This is the kind of heavy handed government control that I really wouldn't stand for."

If you think for a moment think that Cintra's non-compete clauses will allow functional frontage roads, you're in CATO-land. If the government builds this road (tolls or not), at least the possibility exists for functional frontage roads. If Cintra builds it - not a prayer.