CATC Mobility Headlines

Transportation Secretary Mary Peters announced Friday that the federal highway trust fund will be bankrupt as of October.   Funded by the 18.4 cent/gallon gas tax and 24.4 cent/gallon diesel tax, the fund has been headed in this direction for quite some time, but its faster demise is attributed to Americans’ driving habits in reaction to high gas prices - the number of miles traveled has dropped more than 50 billion over the past eight months.   The DOT has been warning Congress about the dire situation for three years.

Peters said that beginning in October, expenditures will outstrip revenues by about $8 billion.  Peters asked Congress to provide up to $8 billion so that planned highway and bridge projects could continue.   Peters also implored Congress not to pork up highway legislation bill with earmarks - that last transportation bill approved by Congress contained 6,000 earmarks totaling $24 billion.

DOT press release

Highway shortfall may halt highway projects - New York Times

Bush Ends Oppostion to Highway Fund Boost - Wall Street Journal

Highway Trust Fund nearly out of gas - Washington Post

Beginning August 24, CapMetro’s Dillo routes will change.   Reduced from five routes to two,Austin’s replicas of historic trolleys will run every five minutes on weekdays and every 11 minutes on weekends on the Congress and 6th Street routes, and down S.Congress Avenue every 10 minutes for “First Thursday” shopping.

Monday – Friday 7 AM - 7 PM every 5 minutes
Saturday – Sunday 10 AM - 6PM every 11 minutes
“First Thursday” 7 PM - 11 PM every 10 minutes

Dillo Service Schedule and Map

TXDOT is hosting an open house and present plans for safety improvements on SH 71 in western Travis County tonight from 5:00 - 8:00 PM tonight.

TXDOT representatives will be available to answer questions regarding current safety and highway plans. All citizens are invited to attend and share their comments regarding the proposed projects on Hwy 71.

Location:Bee Cave Elementary @ 14300 Hamilton Pool Road in Austin

TXDOT Austin District Public Hearing Schedule  

The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) Board of Directors has voted to eliminate the cash toll booths on US 183A before the end of the year - perhaps as early as November 2008. As 80% of US 183A users are toll tag users, the agency was spending a disproportionate share of operating expenses to collect cash tolls. The CTRMA expects to save $1 million a year in operating costs.

Drivers without a TxTag, Tolltag or EZ-Tag will be able to use the new “Pay-By-Mail” program, which will use a snapshot of the vehicle license to send a bill to the registered owner. Customers choosing to use the “Pay-By-Mail” program can
expect their vehicle’s license plate to be photographed.

The strategy is not unprecedented - US 183A will be the fourth cashless toll road in Texas. Houston’s Westpark Tollway was the first in 2004 (access is limited to vehicles with toll tags) followed by Loop 49 in Tyler and SH 121 in Dallas (which have their own pay by mail programs). CTRMA’s future toll roads are also expected to be cashless.

US 183A toll tags customers save 25% off the “Pay-By-Mail” rate so it’s the best deal for regular users. Get a TxTag at all mainline toll plazas in Central Texas, online at www.TxTag.org or via phone at 1-888-Go-TxTag.

US 183A to go cashless - CTRMA press release

Toll booths will be eliminated on US 183A - Austin Business Journal

Central Texas 183A to go cashless - KEYE

Texas 183A tollroad in Austin going cashless before year’s end - Toll Road News

Austin American-Statesman transportation columnist Ben Wear considers the impact of losing Rep. Mike Krusee and Sen. Steve Ogden, who chaired the transportation committees in the their respective chambers. During their tenures, Krusee and Ogden carried the omnibus transportation bill, HB 3588, that enabled expedited Texas road construction via innovative toll revenue financing and TXDOT allocated billions for construction and maintenance of various Austin toll roads.

However, Krusee leaves the Legislature at the end of year and Ogden moved up to the Senate Finance Committee chairmanship in 2005. As none of the plausible House Transportation chair contenders represent the region, the Capital Area’s hopes rest on Sen. Kirk Watson, vice-chair of the Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committee, to bring transportation dollars to Central Texas.

Krusee, Ogden brought Central Texas transportation money - Austin American-Statesman

The SH 130 flyover near the Austin Bergrstrom International Airport (ABIA) opened this morning, giving drivers headed to the airport a faster route. The ramp now connects Ben White Boulevard just east of ABIA to the Austin segment of SH 130.

Construction on this piece was delayed while electric lines were buried just west of the tollway. The completion of the bridge marks the end of almost five years of construction on the 49-mile Austin section of SH 130.

The last 40 miles of SH 130 from Mustang Ridge to Seguin will be built by a consortium led by Cintra, a Spanish tollroad operator.

More information in the news articles linked below:

Final piece of Texas 130 tollway opens Austin American-Statesman

SH 130 flyover opens near ABIA - KVUE

TXDOT opens SH 130 flyover - Austin Business Journal

According to Inrix, a traffic information company that analyzes congestion in the nation’s largest metro areas, two IH-35 exits in Austin are the worst-congested spots in the state and also made the top 100 traffic bottlenecks in the country.

Inrix ranked the nation’s 100 most congested cities and 100 worst traffic bottlenecks. Austin ranks 35th in population and 26th in congestion. Austin’s trouble spots were the only two Texas bottlenecks in the top 100:

IH-35 Exit 235 to Martin Luther King Boulevard and 19th Street is the #1 worst in Texas and ranks 62nd nationwide

Just a few miles away, Exit 233 to Riverside Drive, was the state’s second-worst and 75th worst in the nation

Overall, the Austin-Round Rock metropolitan statistical area was the country’s 26th worst, just behind San Antonio at 25th. Dallas came in 5th and Houston 7th.

The best time to drive in Austin is on a Monday from 9 - 10 AM, but avoid Thursdays from 5 - 6 PM.

Austin offramps two of the worst bottlenecks in the country - Austin Business Journal

INRIX National Traffic Scorecard

INRIX 100 Worst Bottlenecks

Austin Metropolitan Area Traffic Scorecard

Austin-American Statesman transportation columnist Ben Wear follows up on the initial test-drive of SH 130 versus IH-35 during morning rush hour traffic. With toll-road supporters noting several factors weighing against SH 130 in the initial trial, Wear and Statesman columnist Andrea Ball performed a second test under different conditions. In an admittedly unscientific experiment, Wear concludes that despite being a slightly longer route, SH 130 can save substantial time for afternoon rush-hour commuters.

In Texas 130/I-35 rematch, the winner is . . . Austin American-Statesman

After considering the record number of public comments regarding the I-69/TransTexas Corridor in east Texas, the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) announced plans to reduce the project’s footprint by using using existing highway facilities wherever possible.

TXDOT expects to submit the final draft environmental impact statement late this year or in early 2009.

TxDOT Recommends Narrowing Study Area for Texas Portion of I-69 - TXDOT press release

Map of TXDOT recommendation

TXDOT Executive Director Amadeo Saenz’s letter to FHWA

Texas Transportation Commissioner Ted Houghton’s editorial

TXDOT to consider existing roads for I-69 project - Austin American-Statesman

The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization has completed the first phase of a Freight Movement Study of the Austin area, which finds freight firms believe inadequate roadway capacity, poor light synchronization, accident delay, and congestion are the greatest obstacles to freight movement through Austin corridors. The report delineates a number of roads that should be included in the CAMPO 2035 Plan which would reduce fright mileage and hours drive while increasing freight speed.

The next phase of the report will consider economic impact of freight improvements, hazardous material movement, and peer analysis as well as scope and cost of the proposed road projects. CAMPO Chair Senator Kirk Watson has suggested the freight study results be integrated into the decision tree matrix.

CAMPO Freight Study Executive Summary