Category Archives: roads

Comptroller Highlights Road Funding. The Intel:

The May issue of Fiscal Notes from the Office of the Comptroller concerning greater transportation infrastructure by the numbers:

  • 38% of Texas  major roads are poor or fair condition 
  • 800 million daily vehicle miles by 2040
    • 455 million daily vehicle miles in 2014
  • 19% of Texas bridges are deemed “structurally deficient” or “functionally obsolete” in 2015
  • $2.5 billion of net revenue from the sales tax will be moved to the State Highway Fund beginning in Fiscal Year 2018 (Prop. 7)
  • …

Attorney General Opinion: Design-Build. TXDOT Options. Appropriations Rider Fail.

In Attorney General Opinion KP-0077, the question being answered is: Does TXDOT have authority to neter into design-build contracts for 2016-2017?

How did the question arise? A conflict between the appropriations bill & Section 223.242, Transportation Code.

The Attorney General’s conclusion: Yes, TXDOT can enter into design build contracts, with limits.

What limits does the Attorney General note on TXDOT’s design-build authority?

  • Design Build only OK for contracts over $150…

Why 1 State will Stop Giving Cities Transportation Funding

Which state has been divying up federal transportation dollars with cities? Missouri

Which federal funds will stop being handed over to cities?

  •  a small urban surface transportation program for Missouri’s smaller cities
  • a bridge replacement and improvement program aimed at larger urban areas

Why will Missouri tighten the reigns on these federal funds? Missouri is under no legal obligation to divy up the federal funds to cities

Governing | Missouri May Hold On to Transportation Money…

Lege Trend: Increase Transportation Funding. Increase Economic Input for State. 3 Points. New Study.

Which state is looking at economic gains from a $10 Billion transportation investment? Georgia

What economic gain is estimated from the transportation funding investment? $2 billion

What transportation gain is estimated from the new funding? 5% reduction in congestion.

Governing | Study: Georgia’s $10B Traffic Plan Could Reduce Delays

Transportation Project. Land Speculation. Indictments in North Texas. 3 Key Informed Intel.

What law enforcement agency was investigating land deals in North Texas? U.S. Department of Justice

What transportation project is involved? I-35 E expansion in Denton County

What crimes are alleged to be involved in these land deals?  conspiracy to commit mail fraud

What makes people believe real estate development was land speculation?

  • accused of deceiving the Texas Department of Transportation by
  • buying frontage land low
  • asserting that the land was under development
  • and…

Transportation Funding Allocation in a Southern State. 4 Key Informed Intel.

Which state passed a new trasnportation funding formula? Alabama

How will Alabama be alocating tranportation dollars?

  • New tax revenues will be allocated equally to all counties
  • The first $500,000 per county is specifically designated as bridge and road dollars

What is the goal?

  • Spread transportation dollars more equally throughout the state
  • Not only allocate trasnportation funding to large projects

What new funding is involved? A 6 cent increase in the gas & diesel taxes

Alabama SB…

5 Ways Houston Port Growth Impacts Texas infrastructure

Does increased Port of Houston traffic only translate to more cargo ships?  No, it also means:

  • strains on local roads with large trucks transporting cargo goods
  • strains on railroad infrastructure as railroads transport cargo goods
  • port channel dredging
  • maintaining sturdy docks
  • Port Infrastructure

What part of the country does the Port of Houston serve? The goal is to make the Port of Houston  “the distribution hub for the central U.S., from the Rocky Mountains to the Mississippi…

Lege Overrides Veto on Transportation Scoring Project. 3 Keys Informed Intel.

Which Legislature overrode a Governor veto on a transportation project prioritization bill? Maryland

What was the objection to the transportation prioritization bill? 

  • More bureaucracy
  • Harms Local Governments by quashing its input in transportation prioritization
  • Harms hardworking taxpayers

Why did legislators override the veto? Transparency. The bill would require disclosure as to why a lower scored bill gets priority over a higher scored transportation project

AP via WTOP…

Business Trend. Drones. Transportation Aerial Mapping. Inspections. Property Rights. Data Collection & Security.

Which texas companies were certified under the new drone certification system in Texas? HUVRdata (Austin) & Aviation Unmanned (Addison)

What entity does the drone certification? Texas A&M University System via its Corpus Christi campus and its engineering extension service

How is industry using drones?  wind-power, oil and gas and transportation industries to provide aerial inspections and mapping, and for port and border security and coastline monitoring

Data security and drone…