Toll road accountability: what we want
Texas state law must be changed to make the Toll Road Authority
accountable to citizens.
The CTC has asked Representative Martha Wong and Senator Kyle Janek to
sponsor legislation that would ensure:
- All new toll road authority funded projects must have the approval of the
municipalities and county governments to be impacted.
- No new toll road authority funded project can proceed to the design and
engineering state unless local governments approve the specific project proposed
by the toll road authority or TxDOT through an affirmative vote. Inclusion of
the project in a Metropolitan Planning Organization's long range plans would
not constitute such an approval.
- The State of Texas must certify that a new toll road authority funded
project has gone through a robust public citizen review process. This would
include public meetings held at least 60 days after a public announcement
of the meeting and the public release of information and plans detailing
the proposal.
- Citizens can petition for the right to approve or disapprove a new toll
road authority funded project by ballot initiative.
- Existing highways or roads can not be converted to toll roads, including
the establishment of tolled lanes, without the same approval by local governments.
We are asking local elected representatives throughout the region for their help too.
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