Tom Warne Report, 1 June 2013
The Dallas News – May 27, 2013
AUSTIN – Texas lawmakers have concluded their session without giving any substantial consideration to the state’s highway needs, despite an effort to boost transportation funding. In northern parts of Texas, $16 billion worth of roadwork is underway so the effect won’t be immediately apparent to drivers in the region. However, future projects to cut congestion may not be possible.
The Texas Department of Transportation says it needs an additional $4 billion annually. Projects in jeopardy include long-planned upgrades to I-35E in Oak Cliff, the eastern part of the LBJ Freeway and other major road projects.
“If roads can’t be built, they’re just not going to be built,” said Bill Meadows, a Fort Worth businessman who recently served on the Texas Transportation Commission.
Part of the state’s funding concerns comes from the 20-cent-per-gallon gas tax that has not increased since 1991. Another challenge is that a fourth of all highway revenue is diverted to education, and another large chunk goes to other agencies.
Proposals to raise funding included dedicating a portion of vehicle sales tax revenue to transportation. Another option was to increase vehicle registration fees, from $15 to $50, as they have not been raised since 1985.
Lawmakers blame the failure of proposals that were popular early on because they could not settle on one favorite option, and because transportation issues were competing with water this session for infrastructure funds.