Speed Incentives, Toll Lanes Get Senate Attention
The Senate Transportation Committee heard testimony Wednesday on two bills addressing criticisms stemming from the proliferation of toll roads and toll lane projects around the state. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/1b71f25958d52c2b6033bab65913e7c5/BD%20INC%20SH130%2085%2001%202012)
-
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
GOP Senator Challenging His Party on Debt, Taxes
State Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, is engaged in a long-term campaign to convince his fellow legislators that the state's bond debt is an urgent problem and that tax increases are part of a conservative solution. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/03/14/TxTrib-Eltife-004.jpg)
![Kevin Eltife in his office in 2013, when he was a state senator. Eltife now serves as a member of the University of Texas System Board of Regents.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa -
Texas Lawmaker Files Bill to Regulate Self-Driving Cars
Under a bill filed by state Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, self-driving cars like the one Google drove around Texas last month would have to have a licensed driver behind the wheel and meet minimum insurance requirements. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Republican Senator Proposes Tax Hike for Transportation
State Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, wants Texas voters to approve a constitutional amendment to temporarily increase the state sales tax to pay off the Texas Department of Transportation's debt. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
In Hunt for Roads Funds, Texas Won't Model Va.
Texas lawmakers hope to follow in Virginia's footsteps this session and revamp the way they fund transportation. While Virginia opted to cut gas taxes and raise sales taxes, Texas is looking at other options. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/02/27/Virginia-Texas-RoadFunding.jpg)
![Both Texas and Virginia have amassed billions of dollars in debt over the last decade in order to fund transportation. In February 2013, Virginia lawmakers overhauled how the state funds transportation by cutting gas taxes and raising sales taxes.]()
Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
Self-Driving Car is Miles Ahead of Texas Laws
A Google self-driving car drove itself around Austin and across Texas over the last week. State laws don't yet appear to address the futuristic technology. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Group Launches PR Effort for Transportation Needs
A new advocacy group is hoping to get lawmakers and the public as worked up about transportation funding this session as they are about water. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Truck-Night.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Elektra Noelani Grey -
Perry Calls for More Funds for I-69 Project
A planned interstate highway stretching from South Texas to Michigan remains decades away, but Gov. Rick Perry said Wednesday that lawmakers should find more money for the project and ones like it. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/TxDot-Trucks-2.jpg)
![Traffic along US 77 between Driscoll and Kingsville, Texas. A 10-mile stretch of this road from Kingsville to Driscoll is right now a simple state highway with cross-traffic and stop lights. About $50 million is going to be used to upgrade it to interstate highway standards. 6/4/12]()
Credit: Eddie Seal -
TxDOT Tells Lawmakers Funding Crisis Around the Corner
The Texas Department of Transportation is two years away from a severe drop in funding unless lawmakers find more cash, agency officials said at a budget hearing Monday. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/MoneyPavedRoad_1.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman / Corey Leopold -
TxDOT Considers Outsourcing IT
The Texas Department of Transportation is taking proposals for privatizing its information technology system, part of a larger movement by the agency toward outsourcing many of its functions. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/TXDOT.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Illustration by Matthew Rutledge / Todd Wiseman -
Lawmakers Seek Cash to Fix Roads Hit by Drilling
As lawmakers look for a way to fix infrastructure crumbling under the weight of a drilling boom, talk of reducing the tax money that feeds the state's Rainy Day Fund is drawing attention. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/NaturalGas-RoadDamage.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman / KUT -
Panama Canal Expansion Will Be Boon for Texas Exports, Report Says
An upcoming expansion of the Panama Canal will boost Texas exports but not do as much for imports, according to a report commissioned by the Texas Department of Transportation. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Panama-Canal_1.jpg)
![La Boca, Panama]()
Credit: Katie Shrieves -
Feds May Offer New Credit Line for Texas Toll Projects
TIFIA, a popular transportation-focused federal loan program, has $17 billion ready to dole out and Texas is jumping at the chance to tap billions of dollars in credit. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/022410TxDOTCredit.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Jacob Villanueva -
Tolling Texans: Impact of Trans-Texas Corridor Seen in Road Projects
Though the controversial proposal to build a 4,000-mile network of highways and rail lines across Texas never came to fruition, the Trans-Texas Corridor proposal helped usher a change in how the state builds roads. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/TollingTexans-Day-4.jpg)
![Caleb Ging and Libby Fischer stand near the Ging family's home in Coupland in front of signs protesting the Trans-Texas Corridor in 2007. The signs were made by Caleb and his parents, Scott and JoAnn Ging.]()
Credit: Dawn Fischer -
Tolling Texans: Toll Projects Proliferate as State Coffers Fall Short
Amid a lack of public financing to meet the state's transportation needs, Texas officials are increasingly looking to toll projects, some boosted by investments by private firms. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/TollingTexans-First-1.jpg)
![Cars passing through the toll turnstiles at the Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike, which is now Interstate 30.]()
Credit: NTTA / Todd Wiseman -
Defining the Transportation Debate
Before anything can be done on transportation funding, What constitutes a budget diversion? Is a fee increase the same thing as a tax hike? The debate over transportation funding next session could hinge on how Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/BudgetTexas.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
A Trip Down the Fastest Highway in America
The newly opened stretch of State Highway 130 from Austin to Seguin has an 85 mph speed limit, the fastest in the country. Beyond the debate over whether it's safe, what's it like to drive? Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Texas Highways, Heavy Trucks, and the Panama Canal
A possible boost in imports to Texas has prompted state officials to consider allowing heavier trucks on some of the state's interstate highways. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Truck-Yard.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Commission for Environmental Cooperation -
Faster Speed Limit May Drive Trucks Away From New Texas Toll Road
The 85 mph speed limit assigned to a new toll road opening in Central Texas is drawing plenty of interest, but it may not draw many truck drivers, according to an official with the Texas Motor Transportation Association. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/LoneTruck-Highway.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Max Ually -
Liveblog: Trade & Transportation at The Texas Tribune Festival
We're liveblogging this weekend from The Texas Tribune Festival's Trade & Transportation track, which includes panels on light rail in Texas, the future of trade and the upcoming legislative session. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Tracks_trade-art2012.png)
![Article thumbnail]()
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/44e5a92f4fe2e85e93daf5782b8f8cd7/BD%20INC%20Google%20Car%2001%202013)
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/6d0a0d652c23005fdf28c90c27ad4dcf/BD%20INC%20CPRIT%20Senate%2078%202009)
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/1b71f25958d52c2b6033bab65913e7c5/BD%20Inc%20SH%20130%2085%2000%202012)