TXDOT preparing high speed rail plans
From the Chronicle:
Texas Department of Transportation Executive Director Amadeo Saenz said the state is working on a plan in order to meet the federal government’s September 2009 deadline for proposals. He said high-speed rail needs to be a part of the state’s transportation mix.
“We need the flexibility to solve our transportation problems with the right solution,” Saenz said in a story in The Dallas Morning News. “We have studies that say we need 18 or 19 new lanes on I-35 through Dallas to solve our congestion problems.”
State Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, is working on a bill amending the state constitution so that high-speed passenger rail facilities could be exempted from property taxes, another sign that the momentum is rolling in passenger rail’s favor.
Those are remarkable quotes from a transportation planning apparatus that has historically seen nothing but highways. One odd thing: the federally designated corridors (the ones TxDOT is preparing plans for) connect Houston with New Orleans — but not with Dallas, Austin, or San Antonio. And Texas’ congressional delegation has so far done nothing to remedy that.
Here’s my take on high speed rail from last year. And here are the forums for your take.