Posted on 10/16/2006 6:45:49 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Do you remember voting on the Trans-Texas Corridor?
Me neither. But I think I might have. Sort of.
Toll road proponents have said over the past couple of years that Texans had voted to authorize what has turned out to be a very aggressive push for toll roads. Gov. Rick Perry said as much in the Oct. 6 gubernatorial election debate.
One of the moderators relayed a question from a McKinney woman asking why Texans haven't gotten to vote on the "Trans-Texas Corridor and related toll highways."
The corridor is Perry's 4,000-mile plan of tollways, railroads and utility lines.
The governor's response was deft.
"First and foremost, the people of Texas had the opportunity to vote on a substantial amount of that in a constitutional amendment," he began, going on to say that the Legislature had debated and passed toll laws in several sessions. The voters, he said, "sent a clear message of how we're going to build infrastructure."
What actually happened is that in a September 2003 election, 810,855 Texans said yes to ballot language that only the most wonkish among them could have known authorized wholesale borrowing for toll roads. The 45 words on the ballot, in fact, do not include the words "toll" or "turnpike."
Here's what Proposition 14 proposed:
"The constitutional amendment providing for authorization of the issuing of notes or the borrowing of money on a short-term basis by a state transportation agency for transportation-related projects, and the issuance of bonds and other public securities secured by the state highway fund."
I was told at the time that the purpose of this was to allow the agency to borrow here and there against future gas-tax revenue to address cash-flow problems. And that, in fact, is what the first part of the language refers to.
But then there's a comma, and some more words. Some technical but powerful words that amounted, apparently, to the electorate saying, "Whoo-eee, slap some toll roads on us, baby!"
Now, Texans did approve another constitutional amendment, this one in 2001, that created the Texas Mobility Fund, and it actually said the money could go to "state highways, turnpikes, toll roads, toll bridges, and other mobility projects." A total of 543,759 Texans said yes to that one.
In 2003, lawmakers dedicated some fees allowing that fund to borrow $4 billion or more.
And as the governor said, that same year the Legislature approved a huge bill allowing the creation of the Trans-Texas Corridor. That bill, passed in a session marked by Democrats fleeing to Ardmore, Okla., and a $10 billion budget gap, got little press coverage.
Did Texans vote on the Trans-Texas Corridor? Not in any real sense.
Did we vote on a "substantial amount" of the toll road revolution? Yes, technically, in a special September 2003 election with predictably poor turnout and all the focus on other amendments, we gave the Texas Department of Transportation carte blanche to borrow for roads and charge tolls.
Who knew? Almost no one.
Zachry has lots of experience building interstate type highways, but I think they wanted to not have to take on the whole risk of the project by themselves. This is a huge project. Lots of buisinesses take on partners to spread risk. It's done in the oil and gas business all the time. Cintra also has experience running toll roads which I don't think Zachry has.
So, if all of our roadways will be paid for by tolls, when do the gas and registration taxes get rolled back?
Surely you jest...and I know...don't call you Shirley.
The gas tax that you pay will continue to be used as it is being used now. It will definately be raised because there will be new roads built, the existing roads will get older, and there will be more cars using them, meaning higher maintanance costs. Additionally, as cars get better and better milage, the gas tax collected shrinks.
You said there were no competitors. I proved you wrong.
And more people paying the gas tax as well. But don't let that slow you down.
So, now we have the gas tax AND a toll rate that is 4 times what other States have theirs set at?
Me, I think you want a free ride that someone else will have to pay for.
If you think that there is opposition to the toll road, try raising the gas tax to pay for these new roads and you will see real opposition.
There are only two options, a PPP toll road or a public sector toll road.
Sorry but the ink is already dry on the contract with Cintra...don't try to pull the wool over my eyes.
Wrong. But thanks for playing. I've quite clearly stated that I would PREFER toll roads, but NOT BOTH toll roads and the current taxes.
If you've got problems with that, then tough cookies. Don't be an asshat.
Looks as if the Texas politicians have learned a few tricks from their Massachusetts counterparts.
It is that old Austin to Boston Connection.
There is more where that came from.
More mis-info. Cintra is the apparent winner, but they don't have a contract yet. You should hope that they do get the contract because Cintra is the most qualified.
You are paying for the Big Dig, whether you use it or not. Unless you ride on it, you won't have to pay for the TTC.
Stay off the toll road and all you will have to pay is the gas tax. Pretty good deal.
Pay to play. Or stay off
Riiiight, like I believe that. And you never did answer...what group are you with?
I agree that 1/3rd of the gas tax shouldn't be diverted to education, but that diversion was put in place more than a decade ago and even if it were removed there would still be a major funding shortfall between gas tax receipts and needed road projects. Some roads are facing a 15+ year wait for funds under the traditional system.
Yes, private companies, any can bid, it just so happens that a consortium with a Spanish firm as one of the partners (along with an American firm Zachry, out of San Antonio) had the highest bid. Cadbury Schweppes and Nestle are foreign-owned firms, should we boycott chewing gum and chocolate? What are you afraid of, that Cintra will pick up the road and move it to Spain?
Did you know that Dick Cheney used to work for Halliburton? SCANDAL!
The contract has been made public and there was nothing nefarious in it, so much for that scare tactic, except for fooling some of the people who aren't aware of the facts.
The gig is up dude. We all know the score, that company had it from the word go.
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