Issues arising during the testing of CapMetro’s MetroRail system may require the planned March 30, 2009 opening to be delayed. A CapMetro spokesman said is still aiming for March 30 and any delay or period of limited service would be only one-to-two weeks.
Yesterday, the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission announced the release of its report Paying Our Way: A New Framework for Transportation Finance (press release attached). Congress created the commission for the purpose of analyzing future highway and transit needs and the finances of the Highway Trust Fund and making recommendations regarding alternative approaches to financing transportation infrastructure. Former Central Texas State Representative and House Transportation Chair Mike Krusee is a member of commission.
Culminating nearly two years of study and deliberation, the report concludes that current highway financing is unsustainable and offers specific recommendations for addressing the widening gap between federal investment and the nation’s transportation infrastructure needs.
The commission said that the country must shift from the gas tax to a mileage-based fee by 2020 and make it easier for state and local governments to raise additional revenues via tolling and congestion pricing. To support the transition from the gas tax to a mileage-based charge, the Commission advocates a 10-cent/gallon increase in the federal gas tax (15 cents / gallon for diesel) and indexing the tax to inflation going forward. The gas tax was last raised in 1993 and has since lost a third of its purchasing power to inflation, in addition to a trend of eroding revenues due to increased fuel efficiency. The interim gas tax increase of 10 cents / gallon would cost the average household about $9 more per month.
National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission
Overshadowed by the stimulus discussion in last Thursday’s Commission meeting was the award of $600M in Prop 14 Safety Bonds.
The Austin District share was $41.5 million, or almost 7%, which equals the region’s per capita share of the funds. This is in addition to the proposed $175M in stimulus funding.
http://apps.dot.state.tx.us/apps/project_tracker/prop14projects.htm
TXDOT sent the feds a list of stimulus fund projects, but has pulled back on the selection schedule after pushback from state legislators.
On Feb 23, TXDOT reported to the House Select Committee on Federal Economic Stabilization Funding on the agency’s efforts to allocate American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). TXDOT’s list of road and bridge construction projects totals $2.2 billion, which will have to be whittled down to $1.2 billion. Central Texas projects under consideration for the stimulus money include:
TXDOT must spend the money and then request reimbursement, and this is a limited time offer - TxDOT must obligate 50 percent of the funds within 120 days and the second half within 12 months. Allocation to MPOs must be obligated in 12 months.
The Texas Transportation Commission meets today and tomorrow to begin work on the selection process, but has promised to delay the initial schedule by about a week after Texas legislators balked at the rushed decisionmaking. Instead, TTC will approve $600 million for safety improvements by leveraging future gas tax receipts, and $508 million in maintenance from the stimulus funds at this week’s meetings. TTC will hold a specially-called meeting after legislators and the public have had a chance to digest the list of proposed projects to determine allocation of $1.2 billion in construction projects.Central Texas projects in the maintenance list include re-surfacing segments MoPac, RM 1431, and SH 71. Central Texas safety improvements include enhancements to SH 71 in Bee Cave, SH 21 and SH 95 in Bastrop County, and US 281 in Blanco County.
LINKS
TXDOT offers early plan for stimulus money
TXDOT sends stimulus project list to Congress
In the wake of the CAMPO peer review and performance audit of CapMetro, CAMPO Chair Sen. Kirk Watson has outlined a proposal to make changes to transit provider Capital Metro. In an e-mail to transit stakeholders, Watson said, “… I’ve done what I hope is a little creative thinking of my own regarding Capital Metro’s history, unique statutory requirements (some arcane, others asinine) and potential for improved transparency, credibility and regionalism, utilizing the Peer Review as a foundation,” and asked for comments by Friday to determine whether he would introduce a bill to enact the following proposed changes:
CAMPO is holding a series of workshops on the 2035 Plan to introduce people to the processes and themes of the new Comprehensive Transportation Plan. Attend one of the meetings below and/or fill out the online survey.
CAMPO 2035 Open House Schedule
Mon, Feb 23
6:30 PM - 8:45 PM
Education Service Center Region XIII
5701 Springdale Road, Austin
Sat, Feb 28
9:30 AM - 11:45 AM
Round Rock Library, Room C
216 East Main Avenue, Round Rock
Mon, Mar 2
6:30 PM - 8:45 PM
Bastrop High School Cafeteria
1614 Chambers Street, Bastrop
Thu, Mar 5
6:30 PM - 8:45PM
San Marcos High School Cafeteria
2601 E. McCarty Lane, San Marcos
Gov. Rick Perry reappointed Texas Transportation Commissioners Ted Houghton and Fred Underwood. Pending confirmation by the Texas Senate, their six-year terms would expire in February 2015.
Underwood, president and CEO of Trinity Co., a cotton bale storage facility, has been a Commissioner since January 2007, when he was appointed for the remainder of Robert Nichols’ term after Nichols was elected to the Texas Senate. Houghton, has served on the commission since December 2003, when the Legislature expanded the Commission from three to five members.
Houghton, Underwood reappointed to transportation commission
Federal Stimulus Bill (as reported by Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance)
Summary of Authorized Transportation Funding
On February 17th President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, otherwise known as the Stimulus Bill.
As part of the unprecedented $787 billion package, $47.9 billion (6%) will be used for transportation investments around the country.
Funding Breakdown:
The funding will be issued to individual states with considerable federal oversight and multiple layers of stipulations/requirements.
Highway funding
Will be allocated through the following formula:
Further Federal details and stimulations are summarized in the attached PowerPoint courtesy of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
TxDOT Plans for Stimulus Funding
TXDOT has provided a handout with their estimated calculations on stimulus funding coming to Texas. The handout has been attached. TxDOT breaks funding into three groups: highways, transit, and aviation.
Highways: Funding distribution - Half will be allocated through the Surface Transportation Program and the other half will be based on a share of FY 2007/2008 appropriations.
Allocations:
TxDOT will need to obligate the first half of the funds within 120 days and the second half of the funding within 12 months or the funds will be redistributed. MPO’s will need to obligate all of their funding within 12 months. There is $1.5 billion available for a discretionary grant program and there has been a 3 percent set aside for enhancements.
Transit:
Allocations:
Again the first half of the funding will need to be obligated but within 180 days, and the second half of the funding will need to be obligated in 12 months or be redistributed.
During a recent House Appropriations hearing many members of the committee spoke up requesting information on local project selection and criteria. Amadeo Saenz, Executive Director of TxDOT, stated that over $8 billion in projects have already been submitted by MPO’s but he estimates that of the $2.25 billion coming to TxDOT- $675 million will be apportioned to MPO’s. TxDOT Commissioners will select the projects moving forward. Saenz says some of the criteria used in selecting the projects will be improving safety, leveraging ability, reducing congestion, increasing economic development, and helping economically distressed areas.
CAMPO process:
A quick check with CAMPO, TxDOT and CTRMA gives me the impression that as you might expect considering the rushed timelines, process is being created on the fly. Local jurisdictions priorities are due Friday and the process for selection will be discussed at the March 9th Board meeting. No one is sure of anything.
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
TXDOT ready to obligate much of stimulus money – Austin American-Statesman
Capital Metro has responded via letter to the CAMPO peer review of the agency. Capital Metro volunteered in 2007 to be the first agency to undergo a CAMPO peer review, which was combined with a state-mandated quadrennial performance review. CAMPO’s final report was released December 31, 2008.
Capital Metro is holding a public hearing regarding the findings of the performance audit on Feb 25 at 5:00 PM at the CapMetro offices at 2910 East Fifth Street in Austin.
CAMPO Peer Review and Performance Audit of Capital Metro
Capital Metro Peer Review response
CapMetro Feb 25 Quadrennial Performance Audit Public Hearing
Cashless system on 183A isn’t slowing down growth
With two months of all-electronic tolling data to analyze, the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) reports that ending cash toll collection on 183A hasn’t impacted traffic or revenues. January 2009 traffic increased 16% over January 2008 and December 2008 traffic was up 12.2% over December 2007, demonstrating increases consistent with previous month’s trends. The tollroad recorded its most heavily transacted day to date on December 19, 2008 with nearly 76,000 transactions.
Revenues are also increasing at slightly slower pace - 11.8% and 11% up for December 2008 and January 2009 respectively over the same month in the previous year (revenues necessarily lag traffic in a growth period with a billing system). Since the cash booths closed Decmeber 1, 2008, customers now have the option of using TxTAG or Pay-By-Mail. About 5% of tollroad transactions are unpaid, and as the Statesman’s transportation columnist Ben Wear reported last week, the first ten super-violaters (having racked up 600+ toll violations each) have been turned over to county attorneys for prosecution.
Toll Road News reports that the CTRMA is considering another payment option, in which drivers would use an off-road cash facility to pay the toll and provide their license number and car make and model so they will not be billed by mail, but no decisions have been made about this proposal.
The CTRMA implements annual traffic surveys to continual measure the effectiveness of the 183A project as the region continues to develop and grow. The most recent survey is the December 2008 183A Traffic Study.
183A Northern Extension plans underway
In other 183A news, traffic on the tollroad has exceeded projections so greatly that the CTRMA has started survey work in anticipation of constructing a 4.5 mile northern extension of 183A seven years earlier than anticipated. The extension will be built in the median of existing frontage roads froM 1431 to RM 2243. Construction could begin by the end of 2009.
Expressway News - Feb 9, 2009 - Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority
Conversion to cashless produces no drop in traffic or revenue on 183 TR in Austin - Toll Road News