The Toll Roads Boondoggle
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References are below (references under construction)
References (under construction):
Slide 1 - Title page
Note:
This slide show is about the Trans Texas Corridor. It is not about other road projects of Williamson County.
Slide 2 - No Alternative Roads
Within the Comptroller's Special Report, there is a contract attached to the bond issue that stipulates that the maintenance of existing roadways, the construction of new roadways, which the TOLLING AUTHORITIES {who are appointed} consider to be in competition with the toll roads, (i.e.: any through road! {my words}) is strictly forbidden. This was attached to the bond issuance to "protect" investor commitments.
Barbara Samuelson
You should include the TXDOT slide which
encourages RMAs to build discontinuous feeders and to limit free
alternatives in order to increase toll revenue. This is from a TXDOT
internal powerpoint presentation. Sal Costello got ahold of it somehow,
it's probably on the austin toll party WWW page, or linked from Sal's
blog.
Steve Ravet, Libertarian TX DOT internal presentation See subtitle Looters' false promises CTRMA Comptroller's Special Report Map of Service Roads
Slide 14 - Gas Tax
If the toll is $.15/mile then some multiplication and unit cancellation
gives you the equivalent gas tax:
$.15 | 15 miles $2.25
-------|------------ = ---------
mile | gallon gallon
This shows $.15/mile toll multiplied by a car that gets 15 miles/gallon.
The miles units cancel, leaving you with $ per gallon. Basically
multiply the toll rate per mile by the mileage to find the equivalent
gas tax.
The intent isn't to tax fuel efficient vehicles, that's just the way it
works out when everyone pays the same toll, but uses different amounts
of gas. A gas hog pays the same toll, but spreads that toll out over
more gallons consumed leading to a lower equivalent gas tax.
The cost per mile is in the material CAMPO posted on their WWW page.
SH-130 and SH-45SE were both projected to cost around $30M/mile. I
don't know if they are coming in over or under that figure now. SH290W,
at the Y in Oak Hill, was projected to cost around $70M/mile, due to the
large amount of elevated roadway.
--Steve Ravet, Libertarian
...I'm relying on the reputations of Vince, Steve Ravet, and Art DiBianca based on their prior successful work to make sure enough of the details (about the toll roads) are correct ....
--Wes Benedict, Executive Director, Libertarian Party of Texas
Slide 15 - Pass through financing
Both Hays and Williamson
counties are taking advantage of pass through financing (for their county roads).
Steve Ravet, Libertarian
Slide 16 - Other Roads
I got that number (the $30M/mile) from some PDF files on the CAMPO WWW page that showed
toll revenue projections, roadway schematics, and construction and
maintenance costs. I don't know if they're still up there, though, and
they are pretty dated numbers now, especially since construction is well
underway.
Steve Ravet, Libertarian
Slide 18 - The End
For more information about the toll road boondoggle: Austin Toll Party
Lillian Simmons
