|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
Toll road accountability: backgroundWhy should Houstonians expect to see more toll roads in the future?Currently there are four toll roads in operation in the Houston region: the Hardy, Sam Houston, Westpark, and Fort Bend Parkway Toll Roads. With their adoption of the 2025 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), our elected officials on the Transportation Policy Council gave a green light for many new toll-funded roads through Houston neighborhoods. Our regional toll road system is proposed to grow from approximately 470 lane miles now to 1,923 lane miles by 2025. Some of these projects will be built by TxDOT and others will be built by Harris County. In June 2005, Harris County identified the next 5-7 priority toll road corridors in their Capital Improvement Plan (1.8 mb PDF) for 2005/6 - 2009/10. (The Toll Road Authority's plans are detailed on pages 16-24.) The County currently has no plans to hold meetings in affected neighborhoods.
What's the problem with building new toll roads?While tolling some roads makes good sense for traffic management, there is a serious lack of accountabiity with the way Texas counties plan and construct new toll roads. Under Texas state law, Harris County and others are NOT required to hold public meetings to inform the public of toll road projects or gather input regarding their concerns and preferences. They are also NOT required to conduct environmental impact analyses comparable to those done for federally-funded projects. Further, new state laws passed in 2003 and 2005 allow toll revenue to be diverted away from the road where the money was collected to be used for the construction and maintenance of other roads. The 2025 RTP includes more new highway projects than most communities want (or are even aware of) and much more than our region can afford without extensive tolling.
What control does City Council have over toll-funded road plans for your neighborhood?The Harris County Toll Road Authority is not accountable to municipalities or local communities or you. A legal opinion from the Texas Legislative Counsel, written at the request of State Representative Jessica Farrar makes it clear: the City of Houston and other municipalities have NO legal power to veto or otherwise require any change to Harris County toll-funded projects within city borders.
Because the Harris County Toll Road Authority is not required to hold public meetings, many Houston residents are not even aware ofÊ current plans for toll roads in their own neighborhoods.
|
||||
|
Citizens' Transportation Coalition: advocacy information organization forums |
||||
