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Check here for the most talked-about news and discussion items in Texas transportation. Click on the links below ‘News’ for recent news articles, and on the links below ‘Hot Issues’ for informative discussions of the most pressing concerns.
News
Delisi and Meadows Appointed to Commission
Gov. Rick Perry announced two new members of the Texas Transportation Commission today. Read More...
Construction Begins on SH 161 After TxDOT, NTTA Agree on Negotiated Value
Construction began April 21 on State Highway 161 Read More...
A Notice of Rescissions issued by Federal Highway Administration Read More...
TxDOT Seeks Detailed Proposals for the DFW Connector SH 114/SH 121
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has issued a request for detailed financial and development proposals for the DFW Connector SH 114/SH 121 project from the three competing consortia. Read More...
Citizens’ Advisory Committees Selected for Trans-Texas Corridor
The Texas Transportation Commission today selected members to serve on two citizens’ Advisory Committees for the Trans-Texas Corridor. Read More...
TxDOT Announces Extended Comment Period for I-69/TTC
30-Day Extension Adds to Unprecedented Public Involvement Process Read More...
Study Raises Concerns Over Congestion Pricing
The Volpe National Transportation Systems Center explores attitudes about congestion pricing. Read More...
TxDOT Requests Detailed Proposals for the North Tarrant Express
The Texas Department of Transportation has received federal approvals to proceed with the next step in selecting a private sector partner Read More...
Commission Report: Transportation System in “Physical and Financial Crisis”
According to a report issued February 1 by the National Surface Transportation Infastructure Financing Commission, the nation’s surface transportation system is in a physical and financial crisis because current revenue is insufficient to maintain and improve this country’s highways, public transportation systems and intermodal connectors. Read More...
Congestion Takes Toll on Trucking Industry
According to a recent survey of trucking executives conducted by The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) on behalf of the American Trucking Associations Federation, without a long-term solution congestion will have a “deleterious” effect on the trucking industry. Read More...
Hope Andrade Named Interim Chair of Transportation Commission
On January 29th, Governor Rick Perry named Esperanza “Hope” Andrade of San Antonio the interim chair of the Texas Transportation Commission. Andrade has served on the commission since 2003. Read More...
I-69/TTC Public Hearings Begin
The Texas Department of Transportation will hold 47 public hearings to provide citizens an opportunity to comment on the I-69/TTC draft environmental impact statement (DEIS). Read More...
Recommendations made for the Future of Transportation Funding
The National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Commission, which is charged with looking at the future of transportation funding, issued its long awaited report on January 15. Read More...
TxDOT seeking planning partner for I-69/TTC
Texas Department of Transportation issued an request for proposals to two private developer teams for detailed plans on how to finance, design, construct, operate and maintain I-69/TTC. Read More...
TxDOT Seeks to Identify Optimal Use for Limited Resources
Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) outlined changes in agency spending aimed at optimizing transportation funds in light of depleting resources for new projects. Read More...
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the proposed I-69/Trans-Texas Corridor project announced today. Read More...
Some Answers for Rural Texans About the Trans-Texas Corridor
Texans are engaged in an ongoing conversation about toll roads and the Trans-Texas Corridor system (TTC). The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is listening and working to solve the long-term mobility issues facing our state. Rural communities and agricultural interests are actively participating in this conversation and have raised many thoughtful questions. Read More...
Annual Study Shows Urban Traffic Congestion Worsening
Traffic congestion continues to worsen in American cities of all sizes, creating a $78 billion annual drain on the U.S. economy in the form of 4.2 billion lost hours and 2.9 billion gallons of wasted fuel. To put it another way, that’s 105 million weeks of vacation and 58 fully-loaded supertankers. Read More...
GAO Study Encourages National Transportation Goals and Multiple Financing Options
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently convened a forum of government, academic, and transportation experts from around the country to discuss the need to transform transportation policies, and released a report of their findings. The report cites the need to address transportation funding immediately by redefining federal goals to produce accountable outcomes, and by enacting a variety of funding mechanisms to address transportation shortfalls. Read More...
Increased Cost of Construction, Maintenance Appear Permanent
In a report released September 26, the U.S. DOT’s Office of Inspector General concluded that the recent growth of highway construction and maintenance costs “reflect structural, not transitory, economic changes,” thereby significantly reducing the purchasing power of current highway funding well into the foreseeable future. Read More...
TxDOT Running Out of Funds for New Mobility Projects as Maintenance Needs Grow
At the September 27 meeting of the Texas Transportation Commission, agency officials presented a grim picture: the state is fast running out of money for new capacity projects. Read More...
State Ready to Develop Finance Plan for Ports-to-Plains Corridor
Texas transportation officials say it is time to come up with a plan to pay for the Ports-to-Plains Corridor, which many local officials predict will create new jobs and economic opportunity for West Texas. Read More...
I-69, I-10 named Corridors of the Future by Feds
Texas has had two interstate highway segments—out of only six routes—selected for a new federal program to reduce congestion through the development of multi-state corridors. Read More...
El Paso Spur 601 Project Accelerated with Private Funding
El Paso is the location of the state’s first ever private-sector pass-through financing agreement to accelerate transportation improvements. Read More...
Airline Delays Renew Interest in Passenger Rail
According to the latest statistics released by the U.S. DOT’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics, airline on-time performance slipped by nearly four percentage points compared to the same period last year. The overall on-time arrival rate for July 2007 was 69.8 percent, as compared to July 2006’s 73.7 percent. Read More...
Latest Section of SH 130 Opens
The new segment of State Highway 130 opened September 6, making travel around Central Texas easier and providing motorists’ quicker access to major regional roadways and destinations. Read More...
Hurricane Dean Spares Texas, but TxDOT Ready for Worst
Though Texas escaped Hurricane Dean’s effects, the storm provided TxDOT and other state agencies an opportunity to put their hurricane readiness plan into action. TxDOT began monitoring the storm early and began preparations to facilitate safety and mobility in the event of an evacuation. Read More...
Hidalgo County Local Leaders Approve Fee to Improve Mobility
In an example of local leaders working to solve local transportation and mobility problems, Hidalgo County recently approved surcharges to their annual motor vehicle registration fees. Read More...
One of the most consistent messages coming out of the Texas Department of Transportation is the strain Texas’ surging population will place on the state’s existing infrastructure. That message was reinforced recently by the U.S. Census Bureau report on the country's most populous cities, which stated that between 2005 and 2006, Texas has undergone the biggest increase in population, with Florida and California second and third, respectively. Read More...
Governor Perry Responds to Letter Threatening to ‘Undo’ PPPs
Governor Perry, a longtime advocate for involving the private sector in infrastructure development, recently sent a letter on July 2 to Representatives Oberstar and DeFazio, and copied to President Bush, U.S. DOT Secretary Mary Peters, and all U.S. governors, among others. Read More...
State Works to Accelerate Transportation Projects
At a special meeting in Austin, the commission authorized the Texas Department of Transportation to work with local toll entities, such as regional tollway authorities, regional mobility authorities and counties, to begin moving forward on 87 projects that are currently years away from being fully funded. Read More...
TxDOT's First Toll Roads Now Open to Travelers
Dallas and Tyler are the first beneficiaries of recent legislation permitting innovative financing. Toll roads built by the Texas Department of Transportation are now open in both cities, giving drivers additional transportation options. Read More...
State Highway 130: A Model For Public–Private Partnerships
The State of Texas' efforts to use private sector investment to close the transportation funding gap took a giant step forward in June with the Texas Transportation Commission's approval of a $1.3 billion concession agreement to build the remaining 40 miles of State Highway 130 (aka "Segments 5 & 6"). Read More...
Private Sector Interested in Developing TTC-69
Companies with Texas, U.S. and international experience are competing to develop the Trans-Texas Corridor-69 – one of the state’s priority transportation projects. Read More...
TxDOT Approved for $1.8 Billion in Private Activity Bonds
On October 19, Texas transportation officials announced they were first to receive approval for the $1.86 billion in tax-exempt private activity bonds (PABs) applied for under the $15 billion demonstration program authorized by the most recent federal transportation reauthorization bill. The funds will go toward improving mobility in the Dallas area by accelerating development of SH 121. Read More...
Texas' Prosperity Continues with TTC
Based on the conclusion of an independent economic impact study commissioned by the Texas Department of Transportation and conducted by the Perryman Group, the Trans–Texas Corridor will have a significant positive effect on the Texas economy and improve the competitive position of the state in the national and international marketplace. Read More...
Ribbon-cutting Ceremony Opens 27 miles of the Central Texas Turnpike System
On Wednesday, November 1, local and state officials opened nearly 27 miles of the Central Texas Turnpike System in a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Read More...
New Study Looks at Panama Canal Expansion’s Effect on Texas Transportation
This $5.25 billion expansion of the Panama Canal will have a major impact on all aspects of transportation in Texas, according to a study released by the Texas Department of Transportation. Read More...
Nationwide AAA Survey Shows Public Support for Tolls
After years of public reluctance to invest in transportation infrastructure, this year’s AAA survey shows a marked turnaround: Nearly 70 percent of Americans agree that more money is needed to improve transportation. Read More...
Tolling starts January 6. Cash customers will need to stop at toll booths to pay, but TxTag customers get another month of free tolls. However, for customers with a TxTag®, the tolls will remain free until January 31, becoming half price during the month of February, and then switching to the permanent rate in March, which will be 10 percent less than the cash toll rate. Read More...
New Master Development Plan for TTC-35 Unveiled
Acknowledging that Texans and ultimately the Federal Highway Administration will have the final say, the Texas Department of Transportation released on September 28th a plan proposing the first phase of Trans-Texas Corridor 35 (TTC-35) include a connection to Interstate 35 south of San Antonio and a long-sought loop for the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Read More...
College Station Requests Inclusion in TTC-69 Study Area
In recognition of the potential benefits Trans-Texas Corridor could bring to the region, the City of College Station has passed a resolution formally requesting that the TTC-69 study area be expanded to include Brazos County. Read More...
New TTC Advisory Committee Members Named
At their March 29 meeting, the Texas Transportation Commission approved four new members of the Trans-Texas Advisory Committee. Read More...
Brunch with the Transportation Commission
At the August monthly meeting of the Texas Transportation Commission, commissioners and North Texas transportation leaders sat down to a public discussion on several topics, including the proposed loop around the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Read More...
Trans-Texas Corridor 35 received a lot of attention in the last several weeks as the Texas Department of Transportation completed a round of 54 public hearings along the corridor. Read More...
Hot Items
When discussing the plans for Trans-Texas Corridor 35 (TTC-35), we are often asked this question: “Why not just expand I-35?” Read More...
In Keeping with Public Wishes, SH 121 Private Procurement Formally Canceled
At their August 23rd meeting, the Texas Transportation Commission canceled a procurement in which the private sector company Cintra had agreed to finance, construct, operate and maintain the SH 121 improvements. The commission also authorized TxDOT to continue finalizing an agreement with the North Texas Tollway Authority for the SH 121 project. Read More...
Private Property Rights and the Trans-Texas Corridor
For decades, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has purchased private land necessary for the establishment of a modern state highway system. One of our first missions as a state agency was to “get the farmer out of the mud,” which of course required that privately owned property be purchased for such purposes. We are extremely sensitive to the fact that private property owners can be considerably affected by acquisitions. Read More...
Fact Check: Trans-Texas Corridor and Community Access
There are many concerns people have about the Trans-Texas Corridor, many of them based on information that has been distorted or misrepresented. One such issue deals with the notion that the Trans-Texas Corridor will squeeze out small communities and farms through lack of access or through the division of land. Read More...
A major feature in the public debate about toll roads has been the issue of when or whether a road has been “paid for.” To better understand this discussion, it is helpful to ask two questions
Read More...
Get the Facts: Will Existing Infrastructure be Neglected?
Absolutely not!
One of the things people talk about when a new, privately managed toll facility opens is whether the surrounding roads will still get the improvements and maintenance they need. Some folks have mentioned the notion that these contracts to build tolled facilities contain “non-compete clauses,” which prevent TxDOT from improving or building on existing roadways. Read More...
Issue Brief: The Future of Motor Vehicle Fuel Efficiency
Imagine owning a vehicle that gets 112 miles per gallon (mpg).
According to current industry estimates, the average automobile fleet fuel efficiency in the United States could soar from today's 22 mpg to 112 mpg by 2030. At that pace, the revenues derived from the motor fuels tax will continue to shrink. As a result, every department of transportation in the country is re-evaluating its funding methods. It is very likely that revenues from fuel taxes will simply disappear unless dramatically increased. Read More...
