Posted on 10/06/2009 4:39:58 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
The Texas Department of Transportation is pulling the last plug on the Trans-Texas Corridor, Gov. Rick Perry's embattled plan to build a toll-road network across the state.
The agency said earlier this year it was scaling down the project and dropping the name "Trans-Texas Corridor." Now, transportation officials say it's fully dead. Transportation Commissioner Bill Meadows told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram of the decision in a report posted online Tuesday.
The news comes a day after Perry's Republican primary opponent, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, secured the coveted endorsement of the powerful Texas Farm Bureau — a vocal opponent of the corridor and a group that has been at odds with Perry over eminent domain and private property rights. Farmers and ranchers did not like the corridor plan because of the private land it threatened to take.
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
Ditto.
Soooooo what are they working on on 183 from 71 to Lockhart (and beyond? They are widening 183 and going around (west ) of Lockhart.
I heard about this yesterday, but didn’t have time to look and see if it was on FR.
Just keep this in mind. Southern California built it’s sprawling freeway system, more complex than any other region of the nation, and it didn’t implement tolls to build any of it.
Our states take in revenues. They just overspend on a bunch of liberal feel good programs, things you and I wouldn’t approve of at all. And then they come to you and I and plead hard times to get us to fork over more of our income.
I’ll leave it at that. You’re not the first person I have run into here who thought tolls were a good idea.
Don't get me wrong -- I wasn't a supporter of the TTC. I think that we could use an upgrade of our existing corridors -- I-35 is getting really crowded, especially between Austin and Dallas. But, I don't see a reason to build a whole new highway.
Sections of I-35E between Hillsboro and Dallas are being rebuilt, but they aren't expanding them to 3 lanes. Maybe all the through traffic is going to Ft. Worth instead, but I don't drive that section.
As I noted in another reply, the banning of trucks from the left lane over an approximately 70-mile section of I-35 through Austin seems to really help the traffic flow. I've also driven the 130(?) bypass around Austin, and I'm not sure it was the right solution -- but at least they made it a toll road, instead of wasting gas tax revenue on it.
However, I'm really happy that they built the extension of MoPac to 45 (and connect to I-35), and I'm more than willing to pay the tolls to use it. I've been driving that section of road several times a year for the past decade, starting back when it was just two lanes. I don't have to do it very often, but the new road takes a half-hour or more off the time it takes me to get out of Austin on a Friday afternoon.
Thanks for the comments.
Sorry but the “Come and Take It” patriots were at Gonzales instead of Goliad on October 2, 1835. Some of them may have ended up at the Massacre at Goliad on March 27, 1836.
:-)
We have plenty of highways in Texas as well, and nearly all of them were built with gas taxes.
The toll-roads are being built within cities, or on the edge of cities, to handle the expansion of the surrounding suburbs. In the Dallas area, traffic was approaching gridlock levels during the rush hour.
Since the gas tax is used for the entire state, it was impossible to keep up with the growth and the resulting traffic. Building toll roads was the way to get them built in a reasonable amount of time.
I use a particular toll road to drive to the airport. The final section was finished about 2 years ago -- at least the one that I needed. It continues to be extended past the airport. If it hadn't been a toll road, construction wouldn't have even started by now.
Our states take in revenues. They just overspend on a bunch of liberal feel good programs, things you and I wouldn’t approve of at all.
I agree that the gas tax should be spent on road construction and maintenance. But, it's too tempting to raid it. It's a lot more difficult to raid the toll-road revenue, especially when bonds are outstanding.
And on top of that, the tolls are paid by the people that use it. I don't have to pay gas taxes to build a toll-road in Houston. I only pay tolls for those roads when I'm visiting Houston, and choose to drive on them.
Finishing the SH 130 toll road. That western route takes it right next to my Wife’s Uncle’s ranch.
I am happy for Texas residents if this is truly kaput.
I haven’t read the article yet but I suspect local toll roads are still in the mix for major metropolitian areas such as DFW, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, etc. I think they operate under a different guideline and are set up as regional toll roads authorities or some such thing.
Still, I'm quite satisfied the TTC is R.I.P. The NWO can KMA.
I wonder what they spent on this study, only to drop it.
“TxDOT will deliberately screw around with highway construction and traffic flow”
They did exactly that in the area where you get off northbound 183 to avoid the 183-A toll road.
They just recently made it some what better.
Where do you live?
In Austin there’s a drive to make all the *existing* major roads toll (except I35) and there’s really no new residential building in the city limits other than over-priced condos.
What’s that fantasy again?
BTW: if you hadn’t noticed, for the last 40 years they’ve been *slowly* widening I35. I suggest they take all the money they would otherwise spend on fiesibility and everonmental studies and FINISH THE DAMN JOB!
There’s a section of I-35 through Austin that bans trucks from the left lane. It makes a big difference.
Banning trucks in the left lane isn’t that unusual where there are three or more lanes. The section you speak of in Austin actually starts south of Austin and runs for some 70 miles before the ban ends. I don’t remember the start/stop points.
Trucks are banned along portions of I-45 and I-10 in Houston. I suspect banning is operative in many other areas as it should be where there are enough lanes.
BTW: if you hadn’t noticed, for the last 40 years they’ve been *slowly* widening I35. I suggest they take all the money they would otherwise spend on fiesibility and everonmental studies and FINISH THE DAMN JOB!
On I-45 north of Corsicana to Dallas they’ve been widening that section for 20 years or so now and still aren’t complete. They do a 6-8 miles stretch which takes 3 to 4 yrs and let another 6-8 miles. So for the last 20 yrs or so you’ve had a bottle neck along that roadway and it seems there is no end.
Almost 2 yrs ago I had to go over into NE LA around the Monroe area. I went up through east Texas but decided I’d come back along US165 south from Monroe to I-10 just east of Lake Charles, LA. That’s a stretch of some 175 miles. They had the entire thing under construction at one time with some parts completed. I normally don’t think much of LA Highways etc but at least they are doing that one correct, imo. They will have a major snarl for about 3 yrs and then they will have a roadway built, open and clear for some 175 miles. I’m not sure where all the funding came from, Federal/state and maybe bonds.
If it’s one thing I’ve learned, don’t trust Rick Perry. There are too many companies, too much money, especially foreign money,
Recently Guaranty Bank a fairly large system in Texas/California went under. The new owner is the Spanish Bank BBVA Compass bank. Spain was/is the source of the funding that Perry was trying to use for the TTC and which some portions of the toll roads are now operated by, I think.
I lived in Dallas back in the early 70’s. I35 south of there was a mess then.
TXDoT been messing with us.
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