Posted on 03/07/2007 4:19:33 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
FORT WORTH -- Interstate 35W, Loop 820 and Airport Freeway would not be expanded until 2015 at the earliest if a two-year ban on toll roads is approved by the state Legislature, area leaders say.
A bill calling for a two-year ban was filed Tuesday and has strong support in the Senate.
North Richland Hills Mayor Oscar Trevino says it’s time to hold the Metroplex’s lawmakers accountable for jumping on the anti-toll road bandwagon and endangering Metroplex road projects.
The bill was filed by state Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, and cosigned by 25 of 31 Senate members, including Jane Nelson, R-Lewisville, Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, John Carona, R-Dallas and Royce West, D-Dallas.
“Any senator or state representative who gets on the bandwagon should be told we don’t appreciate it. It goes against the region’s mobility plan. We’re gridlocked,” Trevino, chairman of the Tarrant Regional Transportation Coalition, said Wednesday morning.
Noting that Shapiro walked out of a Senate committee meeting last week while Metroplex leaders were making a presentation in Austin, Trevino added: “If they don’t want to hear from the region, what are they doing down there?”
While anti-toll road sentiment has swirled statewide, particularly on the proposed Trans-Texas Corridor, Metroplex leaders have sought toll financing for projects that aren’t scheduled to receive sufficient gas-tax funding.
Texas Department of Transportation officials have already mapped out how to spend their gas-tax money through 2015 and the Tarrant County projects aren’t fully funded.
But the agency is currently seeking private bidders to come forward with investment money, and in exchange collect tolls on express lanes on I-35W, Loop 820 and Airport Freeway for up to 50 years.
Privately run toll lanes also have been proposed for the Texas 114/121 DFW Connector project in Grapevine, scheduled to be under construction early next year.
But Nichols’ bill could halt much, if not all, of that work.
“We must closely evaluate private toll contracts before we sign away half a century of control of our transportation system. Many provisions in recent toll contracts are alarming,” Nichols said in a statement. “These roads were built with public money for public use. Converting existing roads to toll roads would break a promise to taxpayers. No one should have to worry that the roads they drive on today will be tolled tomorrow. Tolling provides a valuable tool for expansion but should be reserved to add new capacity.”
Ironically, Nichols was a champion of toll roads and privatization during his term as a member of the Texas Transportation Commission from 1997-2006, when he resigned to run for the state Senate.
Hillwood executive Russell Laughlin said Metroplex leaders should ask senators to at least exempt the region’s plans from a two-year ban.
Roads are considered by many to be essential. The problem is nto money it is that fact that over 10 billion dollars over teh past ten years of gas tax money that was supposed to pay for roads has bee redirected to other projects in the state budget.
Don't play semantics with me. Roads are not an essential function of government. Pointing out that they are essential to get from point A to point B is childish.
And that's different from a private company building/leasing/operating an airport or a sewage-treatment plant, how?
If I have to look it up, it didn't happen. BTW, since you were BSing about the PPPs, your probably BSing about this too.
"None of those roads are PPPs"
Google: CTTS
They say they are or at least that's how they're financed.
To me it is.
Central Texas Turnpike systems:
The 2002 Project is providing 65 miles of new roadway to Central Texas. Total project financing is $3.6 billion, including design, construction, right of way acquisition, and other financing costs (insurance, debt service, interest, etc). The 2002 Project will be completed almost 25 years sooner than conventional transportation construction projects due to the innovative financing (a combination of public, private, bond financing) and, in the case of SH 130, a new contractual arrangement referred to as a Comprehensive Development Agreement (CDA). Under the CDA, a single contractor or consortium of contractors is retained for design, construction, right of way, permitting and other aspects of project completion.
(SH 130, SH 45N, Loop 1) are Central Texas Turnpike Systems
183A is Central Texas Regional Mobility Auth.
Your #28 confirms #17
Was that suppose to be a question?
(a combination of public, private, bond financing) is this NOT a PPP?
Let me answer that for you.
"the term “public-private-partnership” is used for any scenario under which the private sector assumes a greater role in the planning, financing, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of a transportation facility compared to traditional procurement methods."
road=gas
Well, it appears to say that some private funding was involved. Whether that counts as a PPP in the eyes of modern-day journalists is something else entirely...
TSR tells you, in #17, that 130 is different from the others
Your own cut and paste post #28 refers to 130 as a "new contractual arrangement", indicating that it is different from the others.
Given this, isn't your curiosity aroused?
Allow me to disagree with you, friend. I consider roads an essential function of government, and Ike did too, as another link in national defense.
Eisenhower favored the Interstate System being paid for by tolling, but was overruled by Congress.
Today, in retrospect, we know that the "free" IS System was a failure because it was "free".
First, there was never the political will or ability to tax at the level needed to maintain, replace, rebuild, reconfigure, expand. The system is worn out and inadequate. Today, the cost of just patching consumes huge amounts of money.
Second, the "free" roads promoted urban development that was detrimental to the condition and the capacity of the system.
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