Helping Texas' economy and its infrastructure Print E-mail
Thursday, 03 April 2008
Recently, the Texas Department of  Transportation (TxDOT) projected a $3.6 billion shortfall by the year 2015 adding that increased maintenance costs could cause further reductions in new construction contracts in the future. 

TxDOT is now canceling numerous projects because it cannot afford new construction. This could cause companies to lay off  workers and sell equipment. The  public will continue to be stuck in traffic, desperate for more roads. This is an unnecessary and inexcusable situation.

In 2003, the state realized its infrastructure was strained while experiencing exponential growth. The legislature responded by authorizing $5 billion in highway construction bonds. Over the last few years, TxDOT has periodically issued bonds to keep up with the state's infrastructure needs.

On February 28, 2008,   Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst, Senate Finance Chairman Steve Ogden, House Appropriations Chairman Warren Chisum and I sent a letter asking Texas Transportation Commission Chairman Hope Andrade and the other members of the Texas Transportation Commission to release an additional $1.5 billion in Proposition 14 bonds. If issued, these will help fund canceled projects, alleviate the congestion problem, and put an end to the layoffs in the industry.

As joint-chairs of the Legislative Audit Committee, Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst and I also requested that the entire financial process of TxDOT undergo a comprehensive review by the State Auditor.

In addition, the House Appropriations Committee has been issued an interim charge to analyze the current financial condition of the agency. The study will review all TxDOT' expenditures, use of bond capacity, and projected needs for various funds allocated to the agency for major projects over the last five years.

This state’s finances for highway construction will not address all of the long-term needs of the state. However, before the legislature can tackle this issue next session, both the highway industry and the traveling public need construction to return to its normal levels. This is the right time for state government to do what it can to prevent job losses and promote a healthy infrastructure.

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