Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst denied TxDOT’s claim that they are out of money. Now, Senators are trying to figure out the TxDOT riddle as well. The Senate Finance Committee and Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committee met this morning for three hours to tackle TxDot. Also today, Sen. Kirk Watson again called TxDOT untrustworthy.
“Texans today saw convincing evidence of a fact that many of us have known – they cannot trust the Texas Department of Transportation or the policies that are consigning Texas to inadequate roads and privatized toll ways,” said Watson in released statement.
We’ll have to see how TxDOT holds up under Watson’s wrath.
4 responses so far ↓
Susan Kishner // Feb 5th 2008 at 6:05 pm
I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you.
Susan Kishner
Jenny Hoff // Feb 5th 2008 at 6:10 pm
Thanks Susan…pass the word!
wallis p // Feb 5th 2008 at 11:32 pm
Since the repugs in this state set Texans up for troll roads back when old Phil Graham declared, TxDot got to much money, let suspend the gastax, I believe in 1985, the insult to Texas drivers and business’s continue. Now the cut all our road engineers, so……..Bet they are pushing for higher tolls and more tolls roads. have you Texans had enough now ! Wanna Bet !
sal costello // Feb 6th 2008 at 5:33 pm
The simple fact is freeways cost much less to build and maintain than toll ways. This includes the unaccountable Republican Gov. Perry scheme to toll the new express lanes on Austin highways - just to collect more revenue (These double tax tolls are paid for with $910 million tax dollars and tax funded right of way)..
Not only do the tolls cost more, but Billions of dollars will be paid by drivers over the next decades, AND MOST OF THE MONEY COLLECTED GOES TO TOLL ROAD SPECIAL INTERESTS.
For example, a TxDOT preliminary revenue analysis for the new 290E toll road shows the toll authority plans to take in $625 Million in the next 40 years.
And the revenue analysis states that 75% of that ($468 Million) is expected to go to collecting the tolls and other maintenance!
Sen. Kirk Watson is taking on TxDOT’s for it’s plans to privatize Austin freeway tolls - Watson is opposed to toll revenue going to private companies in spain.
But, Sen. Watson led the charge and voted for the Gov. Perry freeway toll scheme for Austin in October 2007. Apparently, it’s OK for those Billions of toll taxes to go to his special interest pals.
It doesn’t matter if it’s Spain taking our toll money or Sen. Kirk Watson’s special interest pals. Our families will still have to pay more if our public expressways are tolled.
The real question is, why is Dem. Sen. Watson helping to push a scheme created by Gov. Perry and Rep. Mike Krusee?
http://salcostello.blogspot.com/
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