State officials steamroll toll lanes out of I-35 plans in Austin

[TexasTowelie]

AUSTIN -- The Texas Transportation Commission drove the Capital Express into a bar ditch on Thursday morning.

Despite a full-court, bipartisan press from local political and business leaders, the commission voted unanimously to strip from the Texas Department of Transportation’s 10-year construction program the recently debuted plans for four tolled express lanes on Interstate 35 in Austin.

Just before motioning to approve the 2018 Unified Transportation Program, an exhaustive list of mobility projects to be funded within the next decade, without the toll lanes for I-35, Commissioner Jeff Austin declared, “Our leaders, our governor and our lieutenant governor, have spoken and they’re the ones that we take guidance from. We listen to them and they’re the ones that help dictate and guide transportation policy.”

Austin was referring to the abrupt offensive against toll lanes mounted by Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick last month. Both men maintain that two constitutional amendments that redirect money from the state gas and sales tax back into TxDOT’s coffers preclude the spending of those funds on toll projects.

Read more: https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2017/12/state-officials-steamroll-toll-lanes-35-plans/

[aka-chmeee]

1. Was just in Dallas last month

And see the HOV lanes on I35 through Dallas have been converted to a three lane "Express" Toll Road which changes direction depending on time of day. Now normal traffic has less room so those able/willing to pay motorists can drive at elevated speeds.