Tag Archives: TxDOT

It’s our own fault we missed out on SUPERTRAIN funds

Posted on February 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

So says Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “If Texas had had its act together, it would have gotten some high-speed rail money,” the Obama administration Cabinet official told reporters. Thirty-one states shared $8 billion in rail grants from the 2009 economic … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The vehicle miles tax

Posted on January 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

For all the talk about the need to raise the gas tax in Texas to meet our transportation needs, there is another possible way to do it, which is now under study: The vehicle miles tax. The Texas Transportation Commission … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Public meeting for proposed IH-10 frontage roads on January 6

Posted on January 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The following is from the most recent Citizens’ Transportation Coalition (CTC) email newsletter. Recognition that segment E of the proposed Grand Parkway is not “shovel ready” freed up more than $180 million of federal stimulus funding for other mobility projects. … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

KBH’s transportation plan

Posted on December 31, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day seems like an odd time to be rolling out policy initiatives, especially in a campaign that’s been going on for months, so I’ll be brief with this. U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on KBH’s transportation plan

Emmett on commuter rail

Posted on October 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

County Judge Ed Emmett’s op ed piece is one part an argument for commuter rail, and one part an argument for who should be in charge of it. I suppose the fact that he’s making that case is a good … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Emmett on commuter rail

The Grand Parkway ain’t dead yet

Posted on October 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It may not receive stimulus funds, but don’t go presiding over Last Rites for the Grand Parkway. Commissioners Court on Tuesday delayed a planned request to reallocate $181 million in federal stimulus funds for part of the 180-mile Grand Parkway … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on The Grand Parkway ain’t dead yet

Grand Parkway will not get stimulus funds

Posted on October 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As the Chron story headline says, it wasn’t so shovel-ready after all. Harris County officials will request that $181 million in federal stimulus funding for portions of the county’s controversial Grand Parkway tollroad project be shifted to other projects, citing … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

We have traffic, yes we do

Posted on September 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Yeah, no surprise. Surprise, surprise. The No. 1 road for traffic congestion in the entire state is — drumroll, please — the stretch of Interstate 45 between the North Loop and Beltway 8. In fact, Harris County was home to … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Litter bags for litter bugs

Posted on July 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Ever see someone throw trash from their car window and want to do something about it? Well, now you can. It’s not quite a citizen’s arrest, but an average of 1,025 Texans every month open their mailboxes to find a … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Texas applies for SUPERTRAIN funds

Posted on July 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Continuing my series of SUPERTRAIN-funding-request posts, here’s the DMN transportation blog on the status of Texas’ request. It took longer than I expected, but the Texas Department of Transportation has shared its preliminary application for its share of the $8 … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Stimulus funds and road projects

Posted on July 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Stimulus funds are coming to a road that may be near you. Texas received $2.25 billion from the stimulus for transportation. That’s on top of the $3 billion it got in federal highway funds this year. The regular federal allotment … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Stimulus funds and road projects

That’s a wrap for the special session

Posted on July 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know if it’s a record, but a little more than 30 hours after they gaveled in yesterday, both chambers adjourned sine die today, bringing the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it special session to a close. As noted yesterday, the two bills deemed … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Two out of three ain’t bad

Posted on July 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

So of the three items on the call for this special session, two of them are sailing along. SB2, the Senate bill to keep state agencies like TxDOT alive, has already passed the full Senate by unanimous vote and will … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Special session starts tomorrow

Posted on June 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The special session everyone knew was coming to address the disposition of several state agencies begins tomorrow. So far, at least, the agenda hasn’t changed from the original call. Gov. Rick Perry is being pressed to add issues ranging from … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

More on the special session

Posted on June 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Governor Perry speaks about the upcoming special session. All were left unaddressed when the Legislature adjourned June 1. Perry told reporters he expects lawmakers to finish their work in “72 to 96 hours. I think that’s three to four days, … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Special session for July 1

Posted on June 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We knew it was coming, and here it is. NOW, THEREFORE, I, RICK PERRY, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF TEXAS, by the authority vested in me by Article IV, Section 8, of the Texas Constitution, do hereby call an extraordinary … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

It’s only a negative when it’s for something I don’t like

Posted on June 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Matt Yglesias writes about one of my favorite people. Randall O’Toole is a relentless advocate for highways and automobile dependency in the United States. Consequently, I don’t agree with him about very much. But the thing I consistently find most … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Special session coming

Posted on June 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. Speaking to reporters this afternoon at a roundtable on national energy legislation, Gov. Rick Perry said there will definitely be a special legislative session. But he declined to say when, or how many issues it will include. “We’re in … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A high-speed rail to-do list for Texas

Posted on June 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Catching up on some stuff now that the Lege is (I hope) gone from Austin till 2011, Christof noted a meeting in town of the Federal Railroad Administration last week, and put together a list of things that will need … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on A high-speed rail to-do list for Texas

Special session speculation

Posted on June 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We all know that the Lege adjourned without finishing all its business. A lot of people are speculating there will need to be a special session to deal with it. At this time, Governor Perry is not one of those … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Special session speculation

So what happens now?

Posted on June 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Hell if I know. In a last-minute legislative meltdown, the Texas Senate adjourned Monday night without passing key measures to avert a shutdown of the Texas Department of Transportation and other state agencies, raising the specter of a special session … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

TxDOT lives, Lege adjourns

Posted on June 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The threat of a special session has been averted…we think. The House just voted to work the Legislature out of a jam by keeping open the Texas Department of Transportation and other state agencies at risk of closing. Members needed … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on TxDOT lives, Lege adjourns

One threat of a special session averted, another arises

Posted on June 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Gah. In a surprise ending to the second-to-last day of the legislative session, the House failed to pass the so-called sunset safety net bill, HB1959, before the midnight deadline tonight for the chamber to approve bills. The bill would allow … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The lack of leadership

Posted on May 31, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

State Sen. John Carona gets medieval on his party’s leadership. Tempers flared Saturday on the Legislature’s last weekend with a key GOP senator declaring that the session’s central theme is “lack of leadership” by top members of his own party. … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The lack of leadership

Red light camera ban appears dead

Posted on May 31, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

So says the Star-Telegram, which has been the go-to source for these stories. A final version of legislation restructuring the Texas Department of Transportation is not expected to include a ban on red-light cameras or a local option provision allowing … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Red light camera ban appears dead

Budget heads to the Governor

Posted on May 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

In the end, thanks in large part to the stimulus package and its infusion of funds that prevented the need to dip into the Rainy Day Fund, the budget process was relatively uncontroversial. Yesterday, it was passed by the House, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Houston extends red light camera contract

Posted on May 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll have red light cameras to kick around for at least a few more years. The City Council extended the contract of the company that administers its red-light camera program for three more years Wednesday, aiming to thwart legislation pending … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Houston extends red light camera contract

Senate passes TxDOT sunset bill, red light cameras not dead yet

Posted on May 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Senate approved its version of HB300, the TxDOT sunset bill, and as expected it has some major differences from the House version. Plans to raise hundreds of millions of dollars for transportation projects in North Texas progressed Monday night … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Senate passes TxDOT sunset bill, red light cameras not dead yet

Perry’s salvage job

Posted on May 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

How can you tell that sine die is approaching? Governor Perry starts getting involved in the legislative process. Perhaps state lawmakers are fatigued by Gov. Rick Perry’s long tenure or maybe they’re just balking at his leadership, but the Republican-led … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Skinning a cat: Alternate methods

Posted on May 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, the TxDOT sunset bill HB300 included among its many House amendments a couple that were aimed at killing off red light cameras in Texas’ cities, by putting them under the authority of DPS and by forbidding the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

RIP, statewide smoking ban

Posted on May 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I thought it still had a chance after it finally passed out of committee in the Senate, but the statewide smoking ban is officially dead. [State Sen. Rodney] Ellis held a press conference to announce the death of the statewide … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Senate TxDOT sunset bill is not the House TxDOT sunset bill

Posted on May 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, the massive House sunset bill for TxDOT, HB300, contained a boatload of amendments that greatly altered the original bill, including one that would make TxDOT a 15-member elected commission and one that would have outlawed red light … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Senate TxDOT sunset bill is not the House TxDOT sunset bill

More on the House attempt to kill red light cameras

Posted on May 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Grits notes with some pleasure a couple of amendments in HB300, the massive TxDOT sunset bill that passed yesterday, which would limit and ultimately end cities’ use of red light cameras. While I’ve never understood the fear and loathing these … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

More on the House attempt to kill red light cameras

Posted on May 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Grits notes with some pleasure a couple of amendments in HB300, the massive TxDOT sunset bill that passed yesterday, which would limit and ultimately end cities’ use of red light cameras. While I’ve never understood the fear and loathing these … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on More on the House attempt to kill red light cameras