TxDOT Approves 85 MPH Limit for Stretch of Toll Road
UPDATED: The Texas Department of Transportation has approved an 85 mph speed limit, the fastest in the country, for a toll road stretch under construction from Austin to Seguin. Full Story
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Phil Wilson: The TT Interview
Ten months into his tenure, the executive director of the Texas Department of Transportation on funding the state's transportation needs, the prospects for high-speed rail and what the expansion of the Panama Canal means for Texas ports. Full Story
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TxDOT Releases First Rural Transportation Plan
TxDOT released the state’s first transportation plan for rural areas last week, intending it as a “blueprint” for future transportation projects and services in rural areas through 2035. Full Story
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![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]()
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For TxDOT, a $2 Billion "Perception Problem"
The Texas Department of Transportation announced this year that it had an extra $2 billion in funding. And that could hurt the agency's attempts at getting extra funding next session. Full Story
![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 -
At Port of Houston, Jobs Debate Centers on Trucking Limits
At the Port of Houston, which supports hundreds of thousands of Texas jobs, business leaders say outdated trucking regulations hurt their business. But as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, changing those rules would require legislative action. Full Story
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Memo to Voters: There's No Free Lunch
Voters clearly want good schools and nice roads and low taxes. It's a political and policy question straight out of a business textbook: What's the right balance of price and quality? Full Story
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How Do TxDOT's New Salaries Compare to Other State Agencies?
TxDOT's plan to hire five new executives — each paid up to at least $250,000 annually — has received heavy criticism. How do the salaries compare to those at other public entities? We checked our government salary database to find out. Full Story
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Credit: Jacob Villanueva -
Delisi Leaves Transportation Post for Perry Campaign
Texas Transportation Commissioner Deirdre Delisi submitted her resignation to Gov. Rick Perry today. Now she will have more time to devote to his campaign. Full Story
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Phil Wilson's War
Phil Wilson, a former Texas secretary of state and aide to Gov. Rick Perry, on Thursday was named executive director of the Texas Department of Transportation. For Wilson, the new job comes with a big salary — and even bigger challenges. Full Story
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![Traffic congestion on Interstate 35 in Austin. The freeway through central Austin is among the state's most congested road segments, according to a TxDOT study.]()
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Texas Airport Furloughs Delay Construction, but Not Operations
A weeklong partial shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration has delayed airport construction projects in Houston and Abilene. Full Story
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This Will Be on the Test
This week, Secretary of State Hope Andrade conducted a lottery that determined the order of the 10 new proposals on the November ballot. Each amendment already won approval from two-thirds of the House and Senate and now needs a nod from a majority of the voters. Here's the rundown... Full Story
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Credit: Jacob Villanueva -
Video: Alex Jones Storms the Capitol
Notorious radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones led a raucous protest at the Capitol Wednesday over the Legislature's failure to pass a bill criminalizing invasive airport pat downs. "Every one of [those senators] is an enemy of the Republic and the Republic of Texas!" he bellowed. Full Story
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House Gives Early OK to "Choose Life" License Plate
A bill directing the Department of Motor Vehicles to create an anti-abortion license plate to raise money for crisis pregnancy centers got an early OK from the House — and staved off a flurry of amendments from Democrats. Full Story
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House Gives Early OK to TxDOT Sunset Bill
Consider it a do-over. The House today tentatively approved the Texas Department of Transportation Sunset bill, the measure that last year sent lawmakers into a surprise special session. Full Story
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![State Rep. Linda Harper-Brown (l), R-Irving, discusses TXDOT sunset legislation with State Rep. Yvonne Davis, D-Dallas, at the Texas House on April 29, 2011.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
David Dewhurst: The TT Interview
With less than five weeks left to go in the session, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst sat down with the Tribune to talk about his future political plans, the status of the budget in the Senate and in the biennial parley between the Senate and the House, redistricting and the tug-of-war over the Rainy Day Fund. Full Story
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Senate Votes for "Transparent" TxDOT
The Texas Department of Transportation Sunset bill that got caught up in the backlog of legislation last session passed the Senate today. Full Story
![Traffic congestion on Interstate 35 in Austin. The freeway through central Austin is among the state's most congested road segments, according to a TxDOT study.]()
Credit: Illustration by Charles Stricklin/Todd Wiseman -
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Tan on the budget standoff between the House and Senate, Ramsey on budget cuts that cost us money, Philpott on Hispanics and redistricting, Stiles visualizes speed limits by state, Grissom on a liberal social justice organizer who became a conservative hero, M. Smith on even more student social security numbers at risk, Ramshaw on whether family planning equals abortion, Aguilar on what circumcision has to do with citizenship, Murphy on how much Texas university adminstrators are paid, Hamilton on the latest in the higher ed reform saga and Galbraith on Texas energy lessons from the 1970s: The best of our best content from April 4 to 8, 2011. Full Story
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On the Records: Mapping Highway Speeds by State
The Texas House today passed a bill allowing Texas Department of Transportation to study whether to increase the speed limit on certain highways to 85 miles per hour. See how the state compares with this interactive map. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Matt Stiles -
Interactive: U.S. Speed Limits by State
The Texas House today passed a bill allowing TxDOT to increase the speed limit on certain highways to 85 miles per hour. These interactive maps visualize the vehicle speed limits set by states on rural interstates, with darker shades representing higher speeds. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Matt Stiles -
Cross-Border Trucking Program Gains New Life
The U.S. and Mexican governments announced today that they have reached a tentative agreement to re-start the cross-border, long-haul, trucking program. Full Story
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