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Focusing on the Mission: TxDOT Divisions Used to Create New Department of Motor Vehicles
June 26, 2009
Last week we spoke with TxDOT’s Executive Director Amadeo Saenz about the department’s Sunset Review and its still-pending re-authorization. But there was some legislation passed during the legislative session that did affect TxDOT, calling for the creation of a Department of Motor Vehicles this fall. The creation of that new department will strip TxDOT of three divisions and part of a fourth as the legislature looked to streamline the department and refocus its attention on the state’s transportation infrastructure. For more on this change, I spoke with Ed Serna, TxDOT’s Assistant Executive Director for Support Operations. Listen
TxDOT Executive Director Amadeo Saenz on Sunset, the Legislature, and Transportation Funding
June 18, 2009
Between planning for the now defunct Trans-Texas Corridor, shrinking returns from the motor fuels taxes, a department-wide reorganization, and, of course, the recent Sunset review and subsequent legislative session that left the department in limbo, TxDOT’s Executive Director Amadeo Saenz has had his hands full since taking over in October 2007. With the regular legislative session over and a special session seemingly on the way, it seemed like a good time to find out where the executive director thought the department was, and where it was going, and what message was sent to the department by a need for a special session. Listen
NETRMA: Stimulus Money Spent Wisely on Toll 49
June 12, 2009
Loop 49, a proposed outer loop to Tyler, languished on the drawing board for more than 40 years from a lack of funding. While a lack of funding put Loop 49 in good company with thousands of other projects across the state, a local partnership between TxDOT’s Tyler District, local cities and counties and the newly formed North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority found a unique way to move the project from the drawing board to groundbreaking. The first segment of what is now known as Toll 49 opened to traffic in August 2006, and the second followed in Decemer 2008, but funding again slowed development of further sections to a crawl. But this past March, the Texas Transportation Commission, TxDOT’s governing body, closed the funding gap by approving nearly $39 million in stimulus funding to pay for the next segment. For more on TxDOT’s first fully automated rural toll road, I spoke with Jeff Austin III, chairman of the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority. For more information on the NETRMA and the plans for Toll 49, log on to www.netrma.org. Listen
The People's Plate: TxDOT Unveils New General Issue License Plate
June 05, 2009
Since the beginning of vehicle registration, license plates have been affixed to vehicles as a means to identify them from a sea of similar vehicles. A more recent trend in license plates has been the use of the plate as a marketing tool by the state that issues the plate. Last year, the state of Texas held an online contest to allow citizens to select the new background for the general issue license plate, allowing the choice from several designs. The response was overwhelming, and ultimately led to a new design, which TxDOT began issuing on June 1. For more on the new license plates, I spoke with Rebecca Davio, director of TxDOT’s Vehicle Title and Registration Division. To see the new Texas general issue license plate, log on to www.txdot.gov, and search key words: Lone Star. Listen
Texas Wildflowers: Ends Justifying The Means
May 29, 2009
Texas has always been known for its natural beauty. A good portion of that natural beauty centers on the state’s robust wildflower crops each spring that seem to pop up right next to the highways. Is that a coincidence? Not for a moment. In fact, wildflower crops are actually a by-product of a much larger and nearly anonymous area of TxDOT’s daily operations. To find out more, I spoke with Mike Reagan, the maintenance administrator for the Tyler District. To find out more about TxDOT’s wildflowers and where to find them, log on to www.txdot.gov, and search keyword: wildflowers. Listen
Getting Ready To Move? TxDOT's Motor Carrier Division Can Help
May 22, 2009
About this time each year, thousands of people and families in Texas make the decision to move. That decision can be life-changing, but the follow-up decision can be just as important: who do I hire to move everything I own? TxDOT’s Motor Carrier Division can help, and for more on that assistance, I spoke with Michael Dewbre, the public assistance branch supervisor. For more information on moving inside Texas, log on to www.txdot.gov and search keywords, “household goods,” or call 1-800-299-1700 and select Option 3. To help plan for a move into our out of Texas, log on to www.protectyourmove.gov. Listen
I-30 Expansion Brings Economic Opportunity To Arlington
May 15, 2009
Any project to expand the interstate in a heavily populated area such as the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is by its very nature going to be a massive undertaking. And while driving through such a project, especially on a daily commute, can be an inconvenience, such projects have an untold upside that can last for generations. In Arlington, where TxDOT is widening Interstate 30, one such benefit has been the billion dollar construction of Cowboy Stadium. For more on what expanding Interstate 30 has meant – and will mean – to the city of Arlington, the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, and the state of Texas, I spoke with Jay Burress, President and CEO of the Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau. For more information on the Interstate 30 expansion in Arlington, log on to www.keep30moving.com Listen
Best of the TxDOT Podcast: Bishop: "The Interstate Era Has Ended"
May 08, 2009
The last time we spoke with University of Houston’s Dr. Peter Bishop, he was telling us about life with 8 dollar per gallon gasoline, and what that would mean for transportation and the agencies that oversee transportation. We’ve invited the professor of future studies back to the podcast to talk about how future forecasting works, and how the transportation choices we make today could influence our future. Listen
Flying High: TxDOT's Role With Aviation In Texas
May 01, 2009
When you think of airports in Texas, what comes to mind? DFW? George Bush Intercontinental? Those are certainly the airports most Texans are likely to be familiar with, and for good reason. But there are over 300 airports in Texas, including 257 general aviation airports used by private pilots, small aviation firms, and other aviation enthusiasts. Those airports bring a combined $6 billion each year to the Texas economy, and it’s up to TxDOT, in cooperation with the local airport authorities, to make sure those airports continue to thrive. For more on TxDOT’s role with aviation in Texas, I spoke with David Fulton, director of TxDOT’s Aviation Division. For more information on TxDOT’s 2009 aviation conference, scheduled for May 12-13 at the Hilton Austin, log on to www.txdot.gov, and search keywords aviation conference. Listen
The Road To Recovery: TxDOT Helping To Get Galveston Island Ready For Summer Tourists
April 24, 2009
We all watched in horror last year as Hurricane Ike nearly wiped Galveston Island off the map. In the wake of the storm, photographs of boats resting on Interstate 45 caused many to wonder how long it would take to get the popular tourist destination back on its feet. With spring already here and summer on the way, the news from Galveston is good, including a recent announcement that Galveston State Park had partially re-opened. For more on TxDOT’s role in the still ongoing recovery effort in Galveston, I spoke with Bill Babbington, the Galveston Area Engineer. Listen
Drive Clean Across Texas: TxDOT's Award-Winning Clean Air Initiative
April 17, 2009
Just as TxDOT’s Click-It-Or-Ticket program has helped remind Texans to wear their seatbelts, TxDOT’s environmentally focused campaign, Drive Clean Across Texas, which was launched around the same time, has increased awareness of a need to reduce tailpipe emissions. Administered by joint effort between TxDOT’s Environmental Affairs Division and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Drive Clean Across Texas’s five simple steps have helped improve air quality across the state. One of the highlights of the program is an annual statewide drawing to give away a Ford Escape Hybrid vehicle. With Earth Day scheduled for April 22, I spoke with Richard Goldsmith, the public information officer for TxDOT’s Environmental Affairs Division, to find out more about how TxDOT looks out for the environment and encourages Texans to think green on the highway. For more information on the Drive Clean Across Texas campaign, and to register for the Ford Escape Hybrid drawing, log on to www.drivecleanacrosstexas.org. Listen
Time For A Change: TxDOT's Regionalization Plan
April 10, 2009
The German Poet Bertolt Brecht once said, “Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are.” While Mr. Brecht most likely wasn’t speaking about the Texas Department of Transportation, he could have been. Since its beginning in the early 20th century, TxDOT has changed its size, shape, functions, and even its name several times. Over the years, as more and more roadways were built in Texas, TxDOT has had to devote more and more time to maintaining its ever-growing system, and most recently, performing that maintenance, along with new construction, with fewer and fewer dollars. As a result, TxDOT’s leadership decided it was time for a change. For more on that change, I spoke with David Casteel, TxDOT’s Assistant Executive Director for District Operations. Listen
Texas Eagle Soaring: Improving Passenger Rail Service In East Texas
April 03, 2009
In 1970, President Richard Nixon authorized the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, which became known as AMTRAK, to begin managing the nation’s passenger rail system on the rails owned by the nation’s various railroad companies. Once plagued by chronic underfunding and poor on-time performance, AMTRAK has seen a resurgence in the past year thanks to legislation signed by both the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations, the latter including a special dispensation for AMTRAK in the recent stimulus bill. Created in 2003 to help identify opportunities for expansion of the passenger rail system in East Texas, the East Texas Corridor Council has been studying the expansion of AMTRAK’s Texas Eagle line, running east-to-west between Fort Worth and Marshall, and following US 59 between Marshall and Texarkana. For more on the East Texas Corridor Council’s role in improving passenger rail in East Texas, I spoke with its chairman, Tim Vaughn. Listen
Spring Cleaning: Don't Mess With Texas Trash-Off Scheduled For April 4
March 27, 2009
Each spring, as the flowers begin to bloom and the daytime temperatures begin to climb, most folks begin thinking about spring cleaning. TxDOT, and its litter control parter, Keep Texas Beautiful are no exceptions. Each year, the two organizations partner to renew Texans’ interest in the state’s anti-littering program, known as Don’t Mess With Texas. Through the combined efforts of the two organization, thousands of volunteers pick up millions of pounds of litter, saving Texas taxpayers nearly five million dollars. For more on this partnership, I spoke with Cathy Gail of Keep Texas Beautiful, and Brenda Flores-Dollar, of TxDOT’s Travel Information Division. To get involved in the April 4 Don’t Mess With Texas Trash-Off, log on to the Keep Texas Beautiful Web site, www.ktb.org, or call them toll free at 1-800-Clean-TX. To get involved in TxDOT’s Adopt-A-Highway program, log on to www.dontmesswithtexas.org. Listen
Wyer: "Everyone in a Work Zone is Important to Someone"
March 20, 2009
National Work Zone Awareness Week begins Monday, March 23. While safety in the work zone seems like a simple task, it can be anything but. And as TxDOT and transportation agencies across the country begin breaking ground on stimulus projects this spring – in addition to the projects each already had in the works - more construction sites mean more opportunities for work zone incidents. For more on what it takes for everyone, motorists and workers alike to be safe in work zones, I spoke with Jerral Wyer, director of TxDOT’s Safety Section. Listen
Welcome To Texas: Travel Information Centers help drive Texas economy
March 13, 2009
If you live in Texas, it’s entirely possible you’ve never stopped into one of TxDOT’s Travel Information Centers. Located on major highways around Texas’ border with other states, Travel Information Centers are often the first point of contact for motorists traveling into Texas. Once there, aside from a chance to stretch their legs, the visitors can get routing and highway conditions information, as well as literature describing the best that Texas has to offer. And with Spring Break well under way, the Travel Information Centers across the state are doing a booming business. For more on Travel Information Centers, I spoke with Cheryl Cash, supervisor of the Gainesville Travel Information Center. Listen
Discussing the Next Federal Transportation Re-Authorization Bill
March 06, 2009
While the federal government has made a splash recently in delivering nearly $100 billion in highway infrastructure money through the recent stimulus package, the legislation doesn’t answer any questions about the federal government’s role in future transportation funding. That discussion will be underway shortly in Washington, D.C., as Congress works to compose the next Federal Transportation Re-Authorization Bill. The conversation may include raising the federal motor fuels tax, and ultimately phasing out the motor fuels taxes in favor of a vehicle miles traveled tax, or VMT. For more on the next federal transportation reauthorization bill, I spoke with Kathy Ruffalo, a member of the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission. Listen
The 'New LBJ' is on the Way
February 27, 2009
The LBJ Freeway, also known as the 635 Loop in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, came one big step closer to a major facelift at last Thursday’s Texas Transportation Commission meeting in Austin. The overall facelift plan, which includes billions in private funding through a Comprehensive Development Agreement, or CDA, will add managed lanes to 635 bewteen the High Five Interchange and Loop 12 North, and on parts of I-35E in northern Dallas. For more on this project, I spoke with Mark Tomlinson, Director of the Texas Turnpike Authority. For more information on this project, log on to www.newlbj.com Listen
Economic Stimulus: Translating Legislation Into Construction Projects In Texas
February 20, 2009
Now that the economic stimulus bill has been signed into law, the work for transportation agencies around the country is only beginning. While the bill was in deliberation, TxDOT was meeting with its transportation partners around the state to establish what projects were both sorely needed and ready to begin construction quickly. I spoke two weeks ago with John Barton, TxDOT’s Assistant Executive Director for Engineering Operations, and now he’s back to discuss how TxDOT will approach translating the new legislation into construction projects throughout Texas. Listen
T. Boone Pickens: "We Don't Control Our Energy Destiny"
February 06, 2009
While the recent presidential campaign had some seeing red, energy tycoon T. Boone Pickens was trying to get Americans to think green. His campaign to convince America to solve its energy crisis with its own resources competed for airtime with candidates running for a wide variety of offices, and he agreed to carry his message to the Fourth Annual Transportation Forum, held earlier this month in Austin. At the forum, I had the opportunity to sit down with Mr. Pickens and ask him how his plan and the future of transportation are connected. Listen
