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Texas toll-road debate still has miles to go
Dallas Morning News ^ | March 11, 2007 | Tony Hartzel

Posted on 03/11/2007 6:00:35 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks

AUSTIN – Four years of simmering frustration boiled over at a recent Texas Senate committee hearing with just one thing on the agenda: toll roads.

An overflow crowd bashed and booed the Texas Transportation Commission in front of mostly like-minded senators. For eight hours, lawmakers and audience members alike questioned the state's increasing reliance on tolls.

"We can't simply build roads at any cost," Sen. John Carona said to cheers. "We've got to build them smarter."

Some argue that toll roads are the only smart play in a state where the Legislature has refused to raise the tax on gasoline, which pays for roads. In Texas and beyond, officials have turned to private companies like Cintra, which on Feb. 27 won a 50-year contract to operate State Highway 121 in Collin and Denton counties as a toll road. The companies build the roads, and motorists pay them back a trip at a time – for decades.

A growing number of lawmakers are mobilizing against Texas' toll road policy. But barring a legislative roadblock, tolls are coming to plenty of other North Texas roads, and they will be central to the mammoth Trans-Texas Corridor project. Privatization of roads is happening across the nation and, indeed, around the world.

Proponents, who include Texas' governor and Transportation Commission chairman, say it's the only way new roads will be there for motorists who want them. Critics say the deals to build toll roads are too generous – handing over valuable highways in exchange for quick cash – an easy way out for politicians unwilling to raise taxes. Critics also say that motorists will be stuck paying higher-than-necessary tolls.

(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Extended News; Government; News/Current Events; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: audit; centralexpressway; cintra; congestion; cuespookymusic; dennisenright; dfwconnector; foreigners; fueltax; furriners; gasolinetax; gastax; grapevinefunnel; hb2772; i30; jerethompson; joegiglio; johncarona; lbjfreeway; legislation; legislature; loiskolkhorst; loop12; loop9; mikekrusee; mileagetax; normanmineta; northtarrantexpress; northtexas; ntta; opposition; p3; population; ppp; privatefunding; privateinvestment; privatesector; privatization; rickperry; ricwilliamson; robertnichols; sao; sb1267; sh121; sh161; sh183; taxes; texas; texas121; texas161; texas183; texashouse; texassenate; tollroads; tolls; tollways; traffic; transportation; transtexascorridor; trinityparkway; ttc; ttc35; tx; txdot; us75

1 posted on 03/11/2007 6:00:41 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
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To: TxDOT; 1066AD; 185JHP; Abcdefg; Adrastus; Alamo-Girl; antivenom; AprilfromTexas; B4Ranch; B-Chan; ..
Trans-Texas Corridor PING!

Cintra becoming king of the toll roads

Pitts backs TTC limits

2 posted on 03/11/2007 6:04:17 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (The Republican primary field SUCKS!!!)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Group calls for increase in US gas tax
3 posted on 03/11/2007 6:13:50 PM PDT by Ben Ficklin
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To: Ben Ficklin

Rick Perry former Texas A&M cheerleader ping!

Gotta love the biggest RINO in Texas!

Perry is available to be VP if anyone should ask.

and he has nice hair.


4 posted on 03/11/2007 6:23:04 PM PDT by hadaclueonce (shoot low, they are riding Shetlands.....)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
I have no particular objection to toll roads. I don't even have any objection to foreign investors paying for toll roads, and then charging us for them. After all, if they don't like us, what are they going to do? Pick up their road and go home?

The problem here is the NAFTA HIGHWAY. That issue should be kept separate from the issue of toll roads. It's a bad idea no matter how it's paid for.

5 posted on 03/11/2007 6:27:04 PM PDT by JoeFromSidney
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To: hadaclueonce
Private capital could save highway system

"In 2009, Peters says, the highway trust fund, largely filled by the federal gas tax(18.4 cents per gallon), will go into deficit."

6 posted on 03/11/2007 6:29:30 PM PDT by Ben Ficklin
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To: Ben Ficklin

"largely filled by the federal gas tax(18.4 cents per gallon), will go into deficit."

How about the 2 billion that our heros in Austin stole from the fuel tax the last time the met in 2007? They used that to balance their budget and go home proud.

OOPS! Now they want to get a double payday. Raise the tax on a "voodo" formula, and get their "booze and whores" paid for by a company from Spain.

Damn they miss Enron!


7 posted on 03/11/2007 6:45:26 PM PDT by hadaclueonce (shoot low, they are riding Shetlands.....)
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To: hadaclueonce

Yeppir, create the crisis, then propose the solution that makes Rick rich.


8 posted on 03/11/2007 6:49:24 PM PDT by Richard Kimball (Why yes, I do have a stupid picture for any occasion)
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To: hadaclueonce

The solution to that is don't give them anymore gas tax money.


9 posted on 03/11/2007 6:56:09 PM PDT by Ben Ficklin
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To: JoeFromSidney

Toll Roads are an excellent idea.

You drive on the road, you pay for it.
You don't drive on the road, you don't pay for it.
Government maintains road with money from tolls.


So simple, its obvious that our idiotic public and legislators will screw it up somewhere.


10 posted on 03/11/2007 9:26:33 PM PDT by zendari
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Thanks for the ping!


11 posted on 03/11/2007 10:11:48 PM PDT by Alamo-Girl
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To: Alamo-Girl

You're welcome. :-)


12 posted on 03/11/2007 11:15:00 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (The Republican primary field SUCKS!!!)
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To: zendari

The people and roads of Texas won't get a red cent from these tolls - the tolls will be owned in full by a private foreign corporation, Cintra Zachary. Once the initial payment is gone, no more money will go into the public coffers.

The roads of Texas will no longer belong to Texas; they will belong to a FOREIGN CORPORATION. How about them apples?


13 posted on 03/11/2007 11:45:51 PM PDT by dandelion
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

BTTT


14 posted on 03/12/2007 2:56:44 AM PDT by E.G.C.
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To: Ben Ficklin

"the highway trust fund,"


Trust Fund? Anytime they start talking *trust fund*, you know they're lying. (25% to education or to balance the state budget)


15 posted on 03/12/2007 4:33:45 AM PDT by wolfcreek (Semi-Conservatism Won't Cut It)
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To: wolfcreek
If you read the article you would see that it is about the feds, not the state.

So, instead of talking about state road tax money being converted to education, it is about federal road tax money being used to build bridges to nowhere.

16 posted on 03/12/2007 11:06:06 AM PDT by Ben Ficklin
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To: Ben Ficklin

"it is about the feds, not the state."

Whichever.......trust funds are lies in general.


17 posted on 03/12/2007 12:49:16 PM PDT by wolfcreek (Semi-Conservatism Won't Cut It)
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To: E.G.C.

bump.


18 posted on 03/12/2007 1:28:14 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (The Republican primary field SUCKS!!!)
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