Texas Pushing Through Special Interest 130 and MoPac Toll Roads and More
Toll roads in general are simply ridiculous. They create long term debt and
80 percent off the top of toll collections go to the company that builds and
operates the road. They usually create other unforeseen issues, e.g., on 130
motorists are hitting feral hogs at 85 mph.
The 130 toll way is almost as
absurd as the proposed MoPac (LOOP 1) "managed care lanes" that are being pushed
upon motorists. The problems inherent on MoPac are not being resolved. Instead,
TxDOT and toll authorities continue to push for toll roads to make revenue
instead of figuring out what will really move traffic along congested
areas.
Private road companies like CINTRA will pay states $1 or $2
million or even more up front to ensure that it is considered to build and
operate future toll roads. Then, where does that money go to? We don't see a
paper trail. Where do TxDOT and legislators put those big dollars? TxDOT "found"
$130 MILLION to put into the MoPac managed care lanes while still crying that it
has no money to repair roadways, build new ones or build an overpass, say for
MoPac and Slaughter Lane or to resolve the decade-long congestion crisis at the
Oak Hill ‘Y’ intersection and many other road area issues throughout
Texas.
Texans are being scammed all the time and they should be plenty
angry at officials. Tweaking lights at intersections at different times of the
day would help the flow of traffic, but TxDOT and/or the Department of Safety
don't do that. Capital of Texas Highway (360) needs authorities to close the
side roads at various lengths of the highway to permit the reasonable flow of
traffic; however, they won’t. Instead, they opt to make drivers more angry and
frustrated so that they will go along with endless toll road projects Governor
Perry and his special interests want.
