Category Archives: funding

Harvard Kennedy School Fellow: Texas Wrong Path on Transportation Funding

After buttering Texas up by flattering its innovated use of public private partnerships in transportation, a Harvard Kennedy School fellow. He praises this method because roads are paid for by those who directly benefit from those roads.

Pivoting from flattery, he posits that opposition to tollroads and prublic private partnerships will:

  • reduce overall transportation funding over time
  • will harm public transit
  • harm transit funding in fast growing cit…

Transportation Funding $3 B or $2.5B per year to TXDOT

TXDOT is getting closer to additional funding. The House and Senate transportation proposal both relate to sales tax and here’s the differences:

  • House: $3 B of sales tax to TXDOT, the remainder to General Revenue sytarting in 2018
  • House: TXDOT will get 2% of the remaining slaes tax over $3 billion. (the sales tax brings in roughly $25 billion per year)
  • House plan supported by Chairman Otto according to the Posted byadminPosted infunding, legislative trend, roads, tollroad

Peak Toll Pricing: Does it Work?

Peak toll pricing helps pay for roads, but does not help reduce congestion according to the nternational Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association.  Two case studies:

  • Los Angeles County’s Metro uses peak toll pricing, which can cost $15 for 11 miles. Their peak toll priced lanes often become so congested, that the lanes are closed for periods of time. 
  • Atlanta uses peak toll pricing and is considering approaching the 270 drivers that use the peak pay toll lanes 5 days …

Funding Trend: Make Cities Pay the State Hundreds of Millions Annually

The Chair of a New York legislative committee is proposing the creation of a transportation finance authority that would fund transportation with:

  • “A 10-cent increase in the state gas tax would yield $500 million annually.
  • A half-percent income tax increase on New Yorkers earning between $500,000 and $2 million each year would raise their rate from 6.85 percent to 7.35 percent, bringing in $750 million annually.
  • A mandatory contribution from New York City, …

Dedicated Transportation Funding: The California 3 Step Approach from Republicans

  • In 2002, California passed a constitutional amendment that dedicates the sales tax on fuel for motor vehicles  for maintaining and expanding our roads, highways and bridges.
  • In 2010, California passed a constitutional amendment that prohibits transportation taxes from being borrowed for non-transportation purposes.
  • In 2015, California Legislature is moving its way through Senate Constitutional Amendment 7 (SCA 7) that closes a loophole allowing transportation taxes…

Trend: Transportation Funding Panels

Recommending a funding solution for transportation works best when the people recommending the solution aren’t elected officials.

Look at Georgia, they had a special committee recommend suggestions and now a new transportation solution is sittin gon the Governor’s Desk. Washington Times

Connecticut follows suit with Governor Malloy appointing a 10 member Council …

5 Point Transportation Funding Plan from a California Republican Legislator

  • Before adding new fees and taxes, look at how the current funding is used. Too much is used to build and not enough to maintain existing infrastructure.
  • Any new funding has to be protected so it can only be used for roads, bridges and highways
  • Reduce the nearly $60 billion in deferred transportation maintenance
  • Look at California’s revenue surplus and a rainy day reserve fund; some of which should be dedicated to our transportation system.
  • No ne…