Category: Toll Roads
Texas Leaders Ask Trump to ‘Nix’ Tolls in His Infrastructure Plan
While some have called the Trump proposal DOA on Capitol Hill, Texans are taking nothing for granted and made the trip to D.C. to deliver it to the White House personally to ensure the President got the message from a … Continue reading
Texas Lawmakers Clash with State Toll Bureaucracies Over Cap on Toll Fines
Governor Greg Abbott decidedly departed from Perry’s policies and tapped the brakes on toll roads, most notably killing 15 new toll projects last fall. The majority of lawmakers have feverishly responded to constituents’ complaints about the costs to drive toll … Continue reading
Texas Freedom Caucus Stands Tall Against Toll Roads — Big Wins for Anti-toll Candidates in State Primaries
All told, anti-toll candidates had an impressive showing with 15 wins and 6 making it into run-offs, sending a message not only to state leaders but all the way to Washington DC, where the recently released Trump infrastructure proposal is … Continue reading
The Growing War on Cars and Continued Misuse of Gasoline Taxes
Several developments compound the frustration of motorists who can’t seem to cut a break. Many cities across America tilt left, politically, and they’ve declared war on cars and use gasoline taxes collected from motorists in order to erect impediments to … Continue reading
Virginia I-66 Tolls Out of Control: Commuters Clobbered with $44 One Way in Tolls
Despite managed lanes’ popularity with politicians driven by dollar signs and the ability to outsource this tax decision to unelected bureaucrats and even private, global corporations, tolls are not only becoming increasingly unpopular with the public, they’re financially unsustainable. The … Continue reading
TX Governor: “No More Tolls”
Sen. Bob Hall issued a scathing statement on TxDOT’s proposed toll plan that equates the typical $10/day toll to a $25 per gallon gasoline tax that, over a lifetime, would mushroom into an eye-popping $135,000 in toll taxes. “This is … Continue reading
Tolls That Top $1 a Mile on Newly Opened Toll Lanes in Austin Are Coming Soon to a Commuter Highway Near You
If congestion tolls are starting out at over $1/mile in peak hours, imagine what they’ll be next year or in 10 years. There is no legal requirement to remove tolls from these highways, even when there’s no debt owed. Expect … Continue reading
Will Highways Become Obsolete?
Technology’s rapidly changing landscape will transform the way we travel in the next decade, much less the next half century. Sure as the sun rises, private innovators like Elon Musk will ensure outmoded travel will be obsolete in the near … Continue reading
Trump Pulls the Plug on Private Toll Roads, Centerpiece of Infrastructure Plan
Trump’s reversal on public-private partnerships (P3s) came suddenly to most folks, even inside the beltway, given that Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao was still pushing tax incentives to attract private investment as the core of the Trump infrastructure plan as of … Continue reading
RELIEF: Ending the Horror of Exorbitant Toll Fines and Fees May be Decided by Texas Attorney General
Relief may be on the horizon as Paxton considers issuing a legal opinion that could change course. The Attorney General has six months to render his opinion. SB 312’s cap on fines and fees officially takes effect on state operated … Continue reading
Hurricane Harvey’s Impact on Infrastructure Could be Texas-sized Problem
Fast forward to a post-Harvey world and lawmakers face a tremendous struggle of how to keep those projects on track and still mount the massive resources necessary, even with federal aid, to rebuild the critical infrastructure lost due to Harvey. … Continue reading
Precedent Set as Tolls Come off Two Texas Highways
No one should be charged a toll to use a road that’s paid for, otherwise it’s double taxation. The move to remove tolls once a road’s debt is retired is one of several recommendations that came out of the interim … Continue reading
Double Crossed
Many consider Texas the cradle of liberty and a bastion of limited government conservatism. But who lets a State agency abuse taxpayers and deliberately thumb their noses at a state law they know is coming online that was passed by … Continue reading
A Track Record of Toll Road Failures at Taxpayers Expense: Putting Wall Street Over Main Street
The Build America Bureau, an arm of the federal government, is also a 34 percent owner in the new deal, as a move to placate the expected taxpayer backlash for having the taxpayers’ original federal loan wiped out by the … Continue reading
Anti-toll Reforms Finally Pass Texas Legislature, But Not Without a Hitch
Taxpayers pushed for over a decade to get these reforms in place and finally got them in SB 312. While there’s still much work to be done to completely reform toll policy in Texas, the majority of the heavy lifting … Continue reading
Trump Floats Gas Tax Increase After Cold Reception to Privatized Toll Roads
Whether Trump will be successful in raising the federal gasoline tax may depend on his connection to his voters. Polls indicate his base of support remains strong despite the relentless attacks on Trump by the press. If Trump can demonstrate … Continue reading
Texas Revolt Over Cibolo Private Toll Road Reveals Bridge to NAFTA Trade
Much of the U.S. portion of the NAFTA Superhighway, consisting of intercontinental infrastructure connecting Mexico, the U.S. and Canada, is already built, quietly financed by successive congressional appropriations over the years and there is no doubt the establishment is anxious … Continue reading
Secret Agreement Handed Private Toll Firm Control of Texas Public Roads
While the politicians argued that eminent domain would only be used as a last resort, that’s just the club the Texas Turnpike Corporation’s CEO John Crew needs to beat landowners into submission to sign over their land in so-called negotiated … Continue reading
Texans Reject Editorial Stating, ‘Tolls are Necessary, Deal with It’
Taxpayers should not stand for targeted, discriminatory toll taxes to be imposed against their will. This problem certainly isn’t unique to Texas. With the installation of public-private partnership (P3) guru and former government affairs official for Macquarie Capital, David Gribbin, as … Continue reading
Report: TxDOT not ready to handle influx of new road funds
Texans deserve better than they’ve been getting for their multi-billion dollar investments in TxDOT. The legislature and Sunset must engage in constant oversight and a shorter review timeframe. While some progress has been made, TxDOT has a long way to … Continue reading
Trump take heed: Toll roads a factor in Florida, North Carolina, and Texas elections
Trump’s anti-free trade message resonated because it hurt the American worker. Tolls likewise, hurt the American working class — and hard. Considering these three must-win states for a Republican president just tossed incumbents over toll projects, we trust Mr. Trump … Continue reading
McAuliffe to increase pain for solo drivers thru I-66 toll plan
Increasing taxes and increasing the cost to transport people and goods hurts the economy, not helps it. Charging motorists a premium to get to work will only encourage drivers to avoid the roadway to seek a free route. After 40 years of HOV social engineering and trying to manipulate drivers into ditching their cars to use transit, it has been a colossal failure. So, the policy intentionally inflicts economic pain on drivers through tolls in order to use that money to benefit those who are traveling in politically correct modes of travel. The government picks the winners and losers. Continue reading
Sparks fly as Texas senators discover numerous toll roads with no debt, prompts call to remove tolls
Many Texans are paying upwards of $300 a month in tolls just to drive to work. Since the privatized toll road projects opened, one has gone bankrupt, SH 130 (segments 5 & 6), and two in the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex use dynamic or ‘congestion pricing’ (where the toll is based on the level of congestion) to soak the traveling public, charging up to $50 a day in tolls. Over a dozen Texas toll road projects were built with state and federal funds, no debt is owed, and yet officials charge tolls simply to profit off of congestion and use it as a means to control people and traffic. Continue reading
