Category Archives: funding

TXDOT Studying Elimination of Tolls.

Did TXDOT come up with eliminating tolls on their own? No, it is a legisltive mandate from HB 2612 by Pickett

How do tolls and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute estimate, that Texas needs of $5 Billion more per year in transportation funding, correlate? The $5 billion per year funding shortage assumed that Texas would receive toll revenue.

El Paso Times | TxDOT begins look at axing tolls

More Public Private Partnerships for Airports? The Impact in Texas. 4 Bits Informed Intel.

How does this impact Texas? Austin Bergstrom is in on the trend with a proposed 30 acre lease to Highstar Capital

Is the U.S. behdin the global trend of private investment in airports? Yes, P3s are slowly taking off for US airports, while globally 40% of the top 100 international airports have private sector involvement

What do investors look for in P3 airport deals?

  • “vibrant regional economic environment”
  • growing population and employment base
  • large and stable amount of “origin and…

Local Leader Trend: TX Transportation Funding Should Shift. 5 Bits Informed Intel.

Who is proposing a shift in state transportation funding? Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner

What is the impetus for his transportation funding proposal? Mayor Turner asserts that widening highways adds to more congestion. “These types of projects are not creating the kind of vibrant, economically strong cities that we all desire”

Under Mayor Turner’s transportation funding proposal, what should be the focus of transportation funding? Shift from automobiles and toward alternatives

What…

6 Points from Sen. Konnie Burton Op Ed on TEX Rail

  • 27 miles of rail has an enormous price tag of $998.78 million
  • local officials are aggressively pushing it & have not secured funding
  • “our community” hasn’t signaled a “desire” for mass transit, even Travis County voted before they approved rail & we haven’t
  • local officials are  entering into a deal with the” irrational and fiscally irresponsible federal government”
  • it won’t have an impact on traffic congestion based on the environmental impact study
  • rail projects attract high earners…

State Guts Mass Transportation Funding. 3 Bits of Informed Intel.

What state is gutting its mass transit budget? Colorado is moving a bill that would remove mass transit funding

What impact would this have on local government mass transit projects? 

  • There would be no state grants to local transit agencies
  • Transportation officials also say it means “lost funding opportunities for organizations that provide transportation services for the elderly and people with disabilities”

Which party is pushing this? Republican

The Gazette | Bill would gut…

Another Southern Republican State Moves to Raise the Gas Tax. 3 Bits of Informed Intel.

Loyal subscribers will recall thge luck Georgia had when it increased its gas tax when gas prices were low and taxpayers offered little objection.

Now, Alabama wants to follow suit with this proposal to raise the gas tax:

  • 5 cent increase in the gas tax
  • with the seal of approval from the Alabama Legislature’s Permanent Joint Transportation Committee
  • American Petroleum Institute says the total Alabama gas tax will be 44 cents, that is including 18.4 cents of federal gas tax

The Hill…

TX Road Funding Trend: Lower Revenues. 3 Points to Know Now.

  • Lower oil prices have resulted in less revenue for transportation.
  • In FY16 Texas severance taxes led to $1.1 billion in transportation funding
    • FY 17 is estimated to be $594 million
    • FY 18 is estimated to be $740 million
  • As for other deposits into the State Highway Fund
    • Sales and use a $2.5B deposit is estimated in 2018
    • Motor vehicle sales and rental taxes is estimated to be $375 million transfer in 2020

Texas Tribune | Falling Oil Prices Leading to Drop in Texas Road Funding

Midwest Trend: Republican House Leaders Propose $500 Million in Funding for Roads. Key Points from the Plan.

Republican House Members in Indiana have a plan, a transportation funding plan to:

  • Raise fuel taxes by 4 cents a gallon to 22 cents
  • Raise cigarette taxes by $1
  • Raise sales tax on fuel by 4 cents a gallon (about $24 per year per motorist)
  • Charge electric car owners a $100 yearly registration fee
  • Allow cities to charge a “wheel tax,” which is a charge of up to $25 on car registrations to help fund local projects.
  • Study turning freeways into tollways

Republican leaders say:

  • this…