Toll Roads are a very hot issue in Texas. Part of the danger is that there were plans to add toll lanes to or convert every major highway in the Austin Area into a tollway- not just one or two, every one!
Fortunately Governor Perry signed into law a moratorium on this planning for two years in June:
http://www.kxan.com/Global/story.asp?S=6643863
Some of the projects that were formerly labeled as “tollways” are now listed as “controlled access highways” (a politically correct term for tollway) because of the moratorium. See the list of projects here:
http://www.ctrma.org/future_projects.php
Part of the issue is that establishing tollways on every major highway in the Austin area would be a first in the nation and could set a dangerous precedent.
Another part of this issue is the CAMPO board has been under scrutiny for violating state mandated term limits for planning boards (their charter specified terms twice as long as allowed by law) and there has been some dirty deals behind closed doors- e.g. some of the CAMPO members are in conflict of interest anbd in bed with contractors etc.
Kirk Watson, a notoriously dirty dealing Dummocrat that used to be the Mayor of Austin (gee, dirty democrats in Austin, say it ain’t so!) somehow became a Texas Senator for district 14 and got his mitts into the CAMPO board and spearheaded this fiasco.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirk_Watson
I wish I was brave enough to post my opinion of Kirk Watson, but it would be the filthiest tirade you have ever read, would get this post deleted and me banned from FR.
That is what really bothered me about Texas and CAMPO getting involved with the silly idea of "buying" existing roads and converting them to tool roads. They were trying to find a way to get deeper into our pockets.
Kirk Watson, a notoriously dirty dealing Dummocrat that used to be the Mayor of Austin (gee, dirty democrats in Austin, say it ain’t so!)
I really dislike the politics here in the Austin/Travis county area. Toby Futrell is one of the worst politicians in this area. She got a raise for doing such a good job, she decided to retire. I'd bet she comes back as and "adviser" to the next city manager.
Every one of the local politicians are so crooked, they can hide behind a corkscrew. They won't be buried when they die, they will be screwed into the ground.
Just like the current Capital Metro fiasco. Raise the fares so they can spend more and more. Heck, most of their funds come from the taxes collected in the Metro tax base.
I wish I was brave enough to post my opinion of Kirk Watson, but it would be the filthiest tirade you have ever read, would get this post deleted and me banned from FR.
Dittos from me on that reply.