Question

What challenges does Texas currently face concerning transportation? What solutions are proposed to deal with these challenges? Describe political constraints faced by policy makers when trying to address transportation needs in Texas.

Answer 1

In the world Texas has the 10th largest economy and is among the most desirable places to work, live and do business. In U.S. as the second-most populous state it today grows on average with nearly 1,100 people per day. The transportation system in Texas has not kept pace with the requirements of a rapidly increasing population. Moreover every day there are more vehicles on our roadways and those lining up bumper to bumper and inching their route toward several destinations. Consequently the number of hours lost per commuter due to the delay in traffic delay has almost tripled, increasing to 54 hours a year. It increased the annual cost of that delay per commuter to almost double; and the countrywide gridlock cost has risen more than tenfold, to $179 billion a year. Consequently the state transportation leaders have taken unprecedented steps to address the challenges of connectivity, safety, congestion, and the preservation of existing roads. Highway projects costing more than $1 billion and projects of expensive transit are part of proposed solutions.

Currently Congress is transferring nearly 13% of every Texas federal gas tax dollar to other states. For the sufficient cash to expand the transportation system as required, those transfers need to end. Moreover Texas needs to receive transfers from other states for essentially a 180% return on our federal gas tax payments or nearly 80% of the federal gas tax payments over the next 25 years. It excludes maintenance and other costs. However

Congress would not be participating to take away the funds of federal transportation from 49 other states for helping Texas. Thus the policy makers are not going to solve our problem