Category Archives: TXDOT

5 Bipartisan Texas State Reps. Interim Study Request on Toll Roads

Texas State Representatives Minajarez, Pickett, Dale, Oliverson & Goldman

are requesting the following interim charges:

  • Study how toll road operators, or authorities calculate toll rates in Texas, and ensure there is transparency in the process.
  • Study the Minajarez amendment to S.B. 312 85(R) to see if it applies to all toll roads in the state, or to just the TxDOT operated toll roads and toll lanes.
  • Study the possibility of the consolidation of Texas Toll Pay by Mail into a single back…

8 Ways to Stop Red Light Cameras from TX Sen. Huffines letter to TXDOT

Huffines points to a KXAn investigation revealing 3 of thr 50 cities using red light cameras are doing so lawfully.
 
How is he defining lawfully? Compliant with Transportation Code Section 707.003 requiring a traffic engineering study of red light camera ingtersections before installation.
 
What 8 things does he want TXDOT to do?
  • he wants TXDOT to confirm whether they review the Trasnportation Code 707.003 study
  • review all the red light cameras to see if they comply with…

Having Problems with a Transportation agency or a Department of Motor Vehicles? Utah has 3 Examples of Legislative Restructuring.

Utah Tranportation Authority is a thorn in the side of Utah elected officials. They’ve been studying the issue, and trying to craft a solutions to remove the obstacles they see in the agency.

For those of you in Texas, think of an agency that is a mix of 2017 TABC, 2013 HHSC and 2011 TXDOT when it lost a billion dollars.

3 solutions from Utah’s elected officials to reign in a rogue agency:

  • Follow Maryland. Create a Transportation Secretary who oversees all transit, rail, ports  and…

Procurement Trend. State Department of Transportation Wants to Connect All Cars in a Work Zone

Where is this happening? Michigan

What company is the private partner with Michigan? 3M

What’s the collaborative goal?  “To implement connected vehicle technology on a stretch of work zone on Interstate 75 that is more than 3 miles long”

What is 3M bringing to the table in this partnership?

♦  Advanced all-weather lane markings

♦  Retroreflective signs with smart sign technology

♦  Dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) devices for vehicle-to-infrastructure communications

♦…

Business Trend. Company Sponsors State Department of Transportation Road Side Assistance Program

State: Connecticut

Company: State Farm

What does the partnership entail?

  • Renaming the agency’s Connecticut Highway Assistance Motorist Patrol (CHAMP) to the CTDOT State Farm Safety Patrol

Is this new for State Farm?  No, it has Partnerships in 15 other states, including:Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania

Benefit to the state: State can continue providing the same…

Legal Trend. High Speed Rail. Open Records. Eminent Domain.

Opponent to Texas Central rail are seeking disclosure of Texas Central Railway’s feasibility study held by TXDOT.

What arguments do the opponents make for disclosure?

  • Disclosure should occur because the rail is using eminent domain
  • Disclosure should occur because the rail is going after taxpayer dollars

What are the arguments to protect the information from disclosure?

Texas Central Rail shouldbe granted the same privacy protections that a business would be granted.

KBTX | Texans Against…

Regulatory TREND. Procurement Opportunity. Digital Pothole Tracking. 3 Pieces Info to be Informed.

Massachusetts is using technology to fix potholes: MassDOT Potholes Dashboard

Can the public participate? Yes

Benefits of the public input technology:

  •  quicker response and repair times
  •  safer, more efficient travel
  • helps the Department of Transportation to make capital investments that focus resources on roads and “areas that require consistent pothole repair”
  • helps the Department of Transportation to manage its assets in a “cost-effective manner that prevents emergency pothole repairs.”

    • …

5 Points to Know. County Lawsuit v. Texas High Speed Rail.

Which county filed suit? Waller County Sub-Regional Planning Commission

The suit is against: Texas Department of Transportation

Where did it file suit? Travis District Court

What claims are made? The County opposes a state law that requires it to coordinate planning on the high-speed rail, but TXDOT refused to work with the County claiming that it was ordered not to by the  Federal Rail Authority

What does the county want? Proper participation/coordination under the law

Click2…

Texas Transportation Shortfalls Hamstringing Texas Ports.

Texas Ports need transportation infrastructure. The transportation woes of the Port of Houston hing on these details:

  • From 2010 to 2015 truck traffic went from 10,000/day to near 30,000 trucks per day
  • Truck traffic is set to grow by 2X again
  • the problem isn’t funding- port operators would likely chip in
  • the problem is—-TXDOT

Houston Business Journal | Congestion could stifle Port of Houston growth, CEO says