CTroyMathis
23 August 2003, 08:23 PM
Here's one article, of several, that I've seen out there:
Travel demand exceeds road capacity in North Texas
By: K. SHELBY CLARK , STAFF WRITER 08/20/2003
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10042061&BRD=1436&PAG=461&dept_id=184990&rfi=6
More than 1,100 local, state and federal officials met in Las Colinas to discuss what they describe as a growing transportation crisis in Texas - how to pay for the growing number of needed roads with less funding.
"Now travel demand exceeds road capacity," said John W. Johnson, chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission, who spoke as the Texas 2003 Transportation Summit's keynote speaker Friday. "And traffic congestion is getting worse."
"In Houston for example, you see a figure here to expand the Katy Freeway, but that number would barely cover the cost of sidewalks," Johnson said. "I bet if I stopped here, the picture would seem pretty gloomy."
But Johnson, as others had pointed out throughout the weeklong conference, said that managed lanes, or adding toll lanes to existing freeways, may be Texas' solution to dwindling transportation funds.
HB 3588, recently signed by Gov. Rick Perry on June 22, and new federal legislation, both allow tolls on an interstate highway.
"We must expand our tolling options to address issues of congestion, safety and funding," Johnson said.
In hand with HB 3588, local U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Lewisville, proposed federal HR 2864, also known as the RAPID act.
RAPID stands for reforming, accelerating and protecting interstate design.
During a joint press conference Friday morning with Johnson, Burgess explained the bill would give the federal OK to private investment in roads.
"This is a way to unravel the red tape," Burgess said.
Unraveling such red tape would mean faster completion of major transportation projects by using a rolling process - building roads in usable segments concurrently instead of waiting for clearance and funds for large highway stretches of road.
"For example, 183 here in Irving needs to be expanded, but the state wouldn't have funds available until 2040 and cost $274 million," Burgess said. "But with RAPID act, we could move up production seven years and save a significant amount.
"It's clear and build. You build and clear a segment one at a time," said Burgess.
Another segment of the RAPID act would allow selective use of tolls on interstate highways and funnel those funds into additional transportation projects.
"With managed lanes, you buy a Tolltag and have the option to pay to get across town at 5 o'clock at a faster rate," said Burgess. "For some, that's worth it."
But Burgess emphasized the most dynamic part of his bill would maximize the return of federal funding to Texas.
Likened to Robin Hood school funding reallocation, the Highway Trust Fund takes dollars from donor states like Texas and sends the money to smaller states which need subsidies for building major interstate highway systems.
However, Texas only receives $.86 back for every dollar that it pays in - tied with Georgia and Florida for the worst return rate among the states. Only Maine breaks even with $1 returned for every dollar spent. Alaska receives $6.60 for every dollar paid.
"This bill will deliver greater flexibility and innovative financing options to donor states to pay for transportation," said Burgess. "For a state like Texas that doesn't get its fair share of highway funds, this bill is critical in moving us out of traffic jams and into 21st Century transportation systems."
Frank Turner, executive director of business development for the city of Plano, shared insight on Plano's experience with DART light rail for a panel discussion Friday.
Turner and other development experts shared how light rail can spur economic development in a sector.
Already, Plano's three DART light rail stations boast an average daily ridership of 4,200 passengers a day, commuting south from Plano into Richardson, Dallas, Garland, and Oak Cliff.
Feasibility studies continue for the extension of DART light rail from Parker Road in Plano through Allen to Virginia Parkway in McKinney.
Apart from roadways, a prominent topic in transportation circles is air quality.
Collin County Judge Ron Harris, representing McKinney, Allen, and Plano joined other state transportation officials in a panel discussion Friday on North Texas' rising levels of ozone.
Harris and others told audience members that its not heavy industry that is causing the Metroplex's air quality problems - it's commuters.
"Getting the public to understand that their mobile transportation is the source of the problem and can be part of the solution is critical," said Howard Gilberg, chairman of the North Texas Clean Air Coalition.
The North Texas Clean Air Coalition consists of Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Fort Worth Transportation Authority, North Central Texas Council of Governments, North Texas Commission, and the Dallas and Fort Worth chambers of commerce.
Dallas and Houston, which have small industrial bases, are especially heavy smog producers from automobile traffic.
"In Dallas, it's much more a transportation source of ozone," said David Schanbacker of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
It is such air quality problems that prompted an EPA-mandated so-called 8 hour standard for North Texas.
Texas is transitioning from one hour to the more protective eight-hour standard, something counties such as Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, Denton and Collin counties are working for attainment by the required April 15, 2004, deadline.
EPA first proposed implementation for the eight-hour standard in response to escalating critical pollutants in high automobile traffic areas such as Dallas, Houston, Beaumont, and San Antonio. Such critical pollutants include ozone, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide.
Austin, Longview, and College Station are now under surveillance for ozone non-attainment.
If D/FW and other non-attainment areas fail to meet their EPA request, loss of federal transportation dollars may be the result.
While legislators and local government officials scramble to meet the EPA's request, County Judge Harris, who chairs the North Texas Clean Air Steering Committee, gave a broader picture.
"I challenge anyone to say they enjoy seeing what I refer to as ring around the tub," he said. "It's that smog and haze you see on the sky. I'd like to see Dallas get back to seeing blue skies again."
Travel demand exceeds road capacity in North Texas
By: K. SHELBY CLARK , STAFF WRITER 08/20/2003
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10042061&BRD=1436&PAG=461&dept_id=184990&rfi=6
More than 1,100 local, state and federal officials met in Las Colinas to discuss what they describe as a growing transportation crisis in Texas - how to pay for the growing number of needed roads with less funding.
"Now travel demand exceeds road capacity," said John W. Johnson, chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission, who spoke as the Texas 2003 Transportation Summit's keynote speaker Friday. "And traffic congestion is getting worse."
"In Houston for example, you see a figure here to expand the Katy Freeway, but that number would barely cover the cost of sidewalks," Johnson said. "I bet if I stopped here, the picture would seem pretty gloomy."
But Johnson, as others had pointed out throughout the weeklong conference, said that managed lanes, or adding toll lanes to existing freeways, may be Texas' solution to dwindling transportation funds.
HB 3588, recently signed by Gov. Rick Perry on June 22, and new federal legislation, both allow tolls on an interstate highway.
"We must expand our tolling options to address issues of congestion, safety and funding," Johnson said.
In hand with HB 3588, local U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Lewisville, proposed federal HR 2864, also known as the RAPID act.
RAPID stands for reforming, accelerating and protecting interstate design.
During a joint press conference Friday morning with Johnson, Burgess explained the bill would give the federal OK to private investment in roads.
"This is a way to unravel the red tape," Burgess said.
Unraveling such red tape would mean faster completion of major transportation projects by using a rolling process - building roads in usable segments concurrently instead of waiting for clearance and funds for large highway stretches of road.
"For example, 183 here in Irving needs to be expanded, but the state wouldn't have funds available until 2040 and cost $274 million," Burgess said. "But with RAPID act, we could move up production seven years and save a significant amount.
"It's clear and build. You build and clear a segment one at a time," said Burgess.
Another segment of the RAPID act would allow selective use of tolls on interstate highways and funnel those funds into additional transportation projects.
"With managed lanes, you buy a Tolltag and have the option to pay to get across town at 5 o'clock at a faster rate," said Burgess. "For some, that's worth it."
But Burgess emphasized the most dynamic part of his bill would maximize the return of federal funding to Texas.
Likened to Robin Hood school funding reallocation, the Highway Trust Fund takes dollars from donor states like Texas and sends the money to smaller states which need subsidies for building major interstate highway systems.
However, Texas only receives $.86 back for every dollar that it pays in - tied with Georgia and Florida for the worst return rate among the states. Only Maine breaks even with $1 returned for every dollar spent. Alaska receives $6.60 for every dollar paid.
"This bill will deliver greater flexibility and innovative financing options to donor states to pay for transportation," said Burgess. "For a state like Texas that doesn't get its fair share of highway funds, this bill is critical in moving us out of traffic jams and into 21st Century transportation systems."
Frank Turner, executive director of business development for the city of Plano, shared insight on Plano's experience with DART light rail for a panel discussion Friday.
Turner and other development experts shared how light rail can spur economic development in a sector.
Already, Plano's three DART light rail stations boast an average daily ridership of 4,200 passengers a day, commuting south from Plano into Richardson, Dallas, Garland, and Oak Cliff.
Feasibility studies continue for the extension of DART light rail from Parker Road in Plano through Allen to Virginia Parkway in McKinney.
Apart from roadways, a prominent topic in transportation circles is air quality.
Collin County Judge Ron Harris, representing McKinney, Allen, and Plano joined other state transportation officials in a panel discussion Friday on North Texas' rising levels of ozone.
Harris and others told audience members that its not heavy industry that is causing the Metroplex's air quality problems - it's commuters.
"Getting the public to understand that their mobile transportation is the source of the problem and can be part of the solution is critical," said Howard Gilberg, chairman of the North Texas Clean Air Coalition.
The North Texas Clean Air Coalition consists of Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Fort Worth Transportation Authority, North Central Texas Council of Governments, North Texas Commission, and the Dallas and Fort Worth chambers of commerce.
Dallas and Houston, which have small industrial bases, are especially heavy smog producers from automobile traffic.
"In Dallas, it's much more a transportation source of ozone," said David Schanbacker of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
It is such air quality problems that prompted an EPA-mandated so-called 8 hour standard for North Texas.
Texas is transitioning from one hour to the more protective eight-hour standard, something counties such as Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, Denton and Collin counties are working for attainment by the required April 15, 2004, deadline.
EPA first proposed implementation for the eight-hour standard in response to escalating critical pollutants in high automobile traffic areas such as Dallas, Houston, Beaumont, and San Antonio. Such critical pollutants include ozone, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide.
Austin, Longview, and College Station are now under surveillance for ozone non-attainment.
If D/FW and other non-attainment areas fail to meet their EPA request, loss of federal transportation dollars may be the result.
While legislators and local government officials scramble to meet the EPA's request, County Judge Harris, who chairs the North Texas Clean Air Steering Committee, gave a broader picture.
"I challenge anyone to say they enjoy seeing what I refer to as ring around the tub," he said. "It's that smog and haze you see on the sky. I'd like to see Dallas get back to seeing blue skies again."