Free Republic

It's not often that an individual makes such a significant and undoubtedly lasting impact on a state as big as Texas, but my long-time friend and Chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission, Ric Williamson, certainly did. As most of you know, Ric died suddenly last month at age 55. It is true that as the state's transportation policymaker, he was a controversial figure. But, it has been my experience that people with visionary instincts and those who prefer to think outside the box are often considered different and unconventional. The world has a long legacy of resisting new ideas, even...

The continuing political parlor game of "What price tolls?" took an interesting turn Nov. 7. The Big Toller himself — Gov. Rick Perry — seemed to suffer little damage from what was a sustained battering on the issue, losing only three of the dozens of counties in the paths of the two proposed Trans-Texas Corridor routes. But voters in Texas House District 52 alongside the new Texas 45 North tollway put something of a scare into state Rep. Mike Krusee. The Williamson County Republican is the chairman of the House Transportation Committee, stage-managed the birth of the controversial Phase 2...

The ability to move people and things in an efficient manner is essential to competing in a global environment. Economic and population growth have strained many aspects of Texas' transportation infrastructure, particularly in urban areas. Congestion not only decreases safety, it also reduces economic efficiency, raises transportation costs and otherwise hampers the competitiveness of the state economy. With the growing population and expanding economy of Texas, transportation constraints and congestion will only worsen over the coming decades. In fact, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) projects that road use will rise by 214 percent during the next 25 years. Although...

(October 30, 2006)—The multi-billion-dollar Trans Texas Corridor will pump billions of dollars into the state’s economy and will create millions of jobs according to a new study by Waco-based economist Ray Perryman. Click Here To Read The Full Report In “Moving Into Prosperity: The Potential Impact of the Trans-Texas Corridor on Business Activity in Texas,” Perryman says the project will make the state’s economy more competitive. “Because the TTC enhances efficiency, improves logistics, and reduces transportation time and costs, it increases the ability of companies within the region to expand intrastate trade and operations, and, thus, increase market size and...