Posted on 05/27/2007 10:41:29 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
If anything has approximated unanimity in the 80th Texas Legislature, it is the desire to slow down on toll roads. This has left the state’s biggest proponent of toll roads, Gov. Rick Perry, the odd man out. But he’s still the man with the veto pen.
The House and Senate last week overwhelmingly approved a two-year moratorium on most toll roads, including the Trans-Texas Corridor.
Lawmakers earlier sent a bill to Perry with toll-road restrictions. He vetoed it, and threatened a special session if he didn’t get a bill he could sign.
The bill that emerged reportedly meets his terms. And well it should. It is a reasonable measure that has us, the taxpayers, back to manning the accelerator and brakes on toll roads. Up to now the citizens have been back-seat passengers, and the vehicle has been on cruise control.
The most important component of this bill, aside from the moratorium, is the creation of a legislative study to look at public-private partnerships, with the possibility of new laws next session to curb excesses.
The state was privy to no such legislative study when the Texas Department of Transportation, at Perry’s bidding, set off on this long-distance jaunt.
All the studies were after-the-fact: say, after the state reached an agreement with Spanish firm Cintra to be the main contractor for the Trans-Texas Corridor. Perry went to court to fight the release of information in the deal that Cintra didn’t want to share with the taxpayers.
One of those after-the-fact studies was done by the state auditor. It found that long-term contracts on major toll projects carried excessive costs and mouth-watering profits for the contractors.
One question that remains about toll roads in Texas, and which the next Legislature likely will have to address, concerns the tolls themselves.
Critics assert that the tolls planned for the TTC and other major state toll initiatives will be jacked up to subsidize other projects, rather than priced simply to pay for the pavement beneath the drivers’ wheels. This would make them more like taxes on drivers than tolls to pay for the road at hand.
Texas needs a broad-based way of paying for its highways, such as an inflation-indexed gasoline tax by which motorists who pass through Texas on public thoroughfares pay their fair share.
Whatever happens, the public needs to be more intimately involved in the enterprise than it has been thus far. No matter who builds and operates these highways, they are ours.
Lawmakers gave final approval to a compromise transportation bill that includes a two-year moratorium on most private-company toll roads in Texas. Senate Bill 792 was designed to satisfy Perry, who had vetoed an earlier transportation bill.
The moratorium prohibits private toll roads on Loop 1604 and U.S. 281 projects in San Antonio.
Anti-toll road groups urged legislators to kill the bill, contending that it lacked teeth and would not put enough brakes on the powerful Texas Department of Transportation.
But Rep. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, who pushed for the moratorium, told colleagues that she got assurances from the governor's office that no work would go forward on the Trans Texas Corridor except on Loop 9 in the Dallas area.
Trans-Texas Corridor PING!
BTTT
bump.
All one has to do is a history research on the NY State Thruway.IT was supposed to be a 20 year plan to pay for upkeep and maintenance,but it turned into such a moneymaker,the State disregarded the voters wishes.Once the politicians see how much money was generated,it never went away.It is a bill that will be like Herpes!It should be renamed the Herpes Trans Texas Corridor.It will be forever.Oh,and the voters in NY were suckered into voting for it.Serves them right.I hope Texas voters are not snookered into this mess.
One last comment.The added monies for the toll road forced many trucking companies to take detours.It added more headaches for the people in the detour areas,as the wear and tear on their roads added to their budget to maintain the roads not meant to handle the heavy traffic.No,the State did not share their money to help.It had a bad trickle down effect.
The same thing can be said for every other toll road in the united state that are over 20 years old. The toll authority bought extension after extension from corrupt democrats and repubs.
But everyone in the united sates also know that once Saudi money buys Perry he stays bought.
Does that explain why Perry came up to Plano to dedicate a new mosque?
It will be forever.
You mentioned cash flow to the state and in the case of the Texas private projects the state was to get a healthy return based upon fees collected by the private firm.
Texas and I’d guess a lot of the other states have got to address their transportation systems with regard to repair, upgrades and new construction. A lot of the Texas system is now overloaded especially in the metro areas and areas where exports/imports are conducted.
Very true, it was obsessive that perry sold out on the drug crap, it's just a matter of how and where the money was paid.
I think it is going to come back and haunt him.The backlash is just beginning.
Thanks for the ping!
Politicians just aren't held accountable for their lame brained ideations.
You’re welcome. :-)
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