Quote from: ZLoth on Today at 07:35:25 PMWith all of those Interstate miles, Texas has only one North-South interstate, I-35, that stretches the entire state. The other significant North-South Interstate, I-45, only goes between Houston and Dallas before it becomes hidden I-345, then US-75.
Quote from: JayhawkCO on Today at 05:39:04 PMFor bolding and such, I find it just as easy to just type the tags. Smilies are nice though.
Quote from: MaxConcrete on Today at 07:15:09 PMQuote from: Chris on Today at 05:24:29 PMThe high tolls are indicative of a high usage, they wouldn't price it this high if there was no demand for it.That might be true at peak periods, but the rest of the time there is abundant capacity. For example, when I drove through the interchange at the Sam Houston Tollway, where using a ramp costs $2.96, I saw very few vehicles on the ramps.
I think profit is maximized by high tolls. Even if they lose many or most customers, the customers who pay generate high revenue to increase profit.Quote from: Chris on Today at 05:24:29 PMIs this the only highway P3 project in the Houston area?
YesQuote from: Chris on Today at 05:24:29 PMIt wouldn't be a great message to such developers that your lease can be terminated. Texas may have a lot of cash lying around to do so, but in many other areas it seems impossible to fund large projects without tolls (for example I-10 in Lake Charles).
I'm aware of the Reason Foundation stance on it, they say that American pension funds have huge amounts capital laying around to invest in roads, but as P3s are opposed (or in many cases, no legislation in place to implement P3 projects), that money will be going overseas. American pension funds invest in toll roads in the Faroe Islands but not in Texas...?
The Reason Foundation representative said funds available for toll road investment will prefer to go to other states which have authorized P3s, like North Carolina and Georgia.
The transportation commission has a directive from the governor to minimize the amount of tolling done by TxDOT. So the commissioners are not concerned if investment funds go elsewhere. Also, the local toll agencies in Texas (NTTA, CTRMA, HCTRA, FBCTRA, etc) will continue to build new toll roads. Most or all of them issue traditional bonds and don't use P3s.
We don't know how TxDOT will handle tolling if it buys the facility. Tolls will almost surely remain, but hopefully they will be much lower.
Quote from: thenetwork on Today at 12:04:14 PMor with reflective plating.Quote from: Scott5114 on March 26, 2024, 06:09:58 PMThis default theme we're stuck with. I'm gonna have to do something about it...
It's like replacing a state-named interstate shield with a neutered shield...
Quote from: Chris on Today at 05:24:29 PMThe high tolls are indicative of a high usage, they wouldn't price it this high if there was no demand for it.That might be true at peak periods, but the rest of the time there is abundant capacity. For example, when I drove through the interchange at the Sam Houston Tollway, where using a ramp costs $2.96, I saw very few vehicles on the ramps.
Quote from: Chris on Today at 05:24:29 PMIs this the only highway P3 project in the Houston area?
Quote from: Chris on Today at 05:24:29 PMIt wouldn't be a great message to such developers that your lease can be terminated. Texas may have a lot of cash lying around to do so, but in many other areas it seems impossible to fund large projects without tolls (for example I-10 in Lake Charles).
I'm aware of the Reason Foundation stance on it, they say that American pension funds have huge amounts capital laying around to invest in roads, but as P3s are opposed (or in many cases, no legislation in place to implement P3 projects), that money will be going overseas. American pension funds invest in toll roads in the Faroe Islands but not in Texas...?