Category Archives: TXDOT

TX Attorney General Opinion. Can TXDOT still contract under North Tarrant Express CDA?

Why wouldn’t TXDOT enter into an agreement under the North Tarrant CDA? The authority ceased on August 31, 2017 with SB 1730.

Why does this matter? TXDOT says they can amend an existing agreement that pre-dates the cut off deadline

Which members are asking for this? Chair Bob Hall & Chair Lois Kolkhorst

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Regulatory TREND. Autonomous Vehicle Task Force. 4 Goals in Texas.

Goal of Texas Department of Transportation Autonomous Vehicle Task Force:

  • one-stop resource for information & coordination
  • oversee all ongoing CAV projects, investments and initiatives in Texas
  • document public & private entity efforts
  • facilitate partnerships

Task Force Membership details being worked out.

Refreshing our recollection: the Texas AV Proving Grounds Partnership is a collaboration among:

  • the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI)
  • The University of Texas at Austin’s Center…

Lege TREND. Port Recommendations. Texas Interim Reports. 2019 Legislature. Speed Read.

House Committee on Transportation makes the following recommendations on ports:

  • Funding Ship Channel Improvement Revolving Fund should be funded
  • Underground Facility Notification. Railroad Commission, the General Land Office and the Port Authority Advisory Committee should work with stakeholders and the appropriate federal agencies to make a recommendation to the legislature regarding the inclusion of underwater infrastructure in the Texas Underground Facility Notification
  • Funding for roads…

Lege TREND. Transportation Interim Charge Recommendations. 2019 Texas Legislature. Speed Read.

House Committee on Transportation recommends:

  • TXDOT cooperation with local governments durin emergencies for evacuation routes, signage, and emergency management information systems
  • comprehensive development agreements for projects which are not included in TxDOT’s Uniform Transportation Program should be OK if local governing bodies approve them
  • If local governmental bodies have approved toll roads they should be able to have toll roads
  • Increase to 6, from 3, the number of design-build…

3 Proactive Transportation Planning Needs of Texas Rural Highways.

  • Producers guide transportation needs by forecasting the changing truck travel to match advances in energy development 
  • Creative engeinnering. 
    • converting an existing two-way frontage road to one-way traffic
    • temporary use of bypass lanes until an overpass is built
  • Data TxDOT and TTI experts study accident data to reduce accidents

Trib Talks | William R. Stockton | Texas A&M Transportation Institute | Rural Texas highways give us a reliable path to the pump

Regulatory TREND. LEGE TREND. Procurement TREND. Switching to a 5 Step Contracting Process that Shifts Liability.

State: Arkansas

New transportation construction contract process: construction manager/general contractor (CMGC) form of contracting

Why the switch? liability and risks of cost overruns move to the contractor

What parameters did the Legislature put around the new contracting method?

  • 3 projects only
  • totaling no more than $200 million

How does it work?

  • Design Phase: contractors submit requests for proposals

  • After the design phase: contractor submits its cost estimate to build the…

TX Attorney General Opinion. What you Need to Know about the Constitution & Tollroad Funding. The 2019 legislative fix.

The question the Texas Attorney General Answered: whether the Texas Transportation Commission may use Proposition 1 and Proposition 7 funds on toll projects.

What complicated the question & answer: That roads in Texas are often mixed, partially free and partially tolled. 

Why do roads that have tolled and free lanes make the answer more complicated? There is no guidance in statute and no guidance in case law for whether a “toll road” and “toll project” are the same and thus the constitutional…

New Kid on th block. Quickly Get to Know the new TXDOT Commissioner.

Governor Abbott appointed Alvin New to the Texas Transportation Commission.

Term exprires:  February 1, 2021

About Alvin New:

  • Christoval, TX
  • owner of 4N Ranches
  •  former CEO of Town & Country Food Stores
  • former mayor of San Angelo
  • former member of the San Angelo Chamber of Commerce Board & the Concho Valley Center for Economic Development Board
  • Texas Tech University Foundation Board member
  • Goodfellow Air Force Base Advisory Council
  • former state board member of the Texas Restaurant…

TEXAS INTERIM CHARGES. 10 Transportation Charges. Energy. Trade. Tech.

House Committee on International Trade & Intergovernmental Affairs 

#2 Transportation Barriers to Trade.  Review the current state of infrastructure at Texas’ international shipping ports and border ports of entry in Texas. Identify transportation-related impediments to international trade and estimate the impact of those challenges, including border wait times, on the state’s economy. Make recommendations for improvements to facilitate international trade and economic growth. (Joint charge…