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TxDOT to receive an additional $1.1 billion in funding in the upcoming year

Started by MaxConcrete, July 16, 2018, 04:59:58 PM

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MaxConcrete

This is good news, and with oil production surging in the Permian Basin, hopefully the proposition 1 windfall can be sustained.

I'm assuming the funding will apply mainly to fiscal year 2019, which starts in September 2018. Proposition 1 and 7 funds can only be used for non-toll projects.

https://www.mystatesman.com/news/transportation/txdot-receive-billion-boost-from-surging-oil-business-economy/1Lfi3w8Ds0WVYK3AlokRuJ/

Quote
TxDOT to receive $1.1 billion boost from surging oil business, economy

According to the Texas comptroller's revenue update for fiscal 2018 and 2019, released Wednesday, TxDOT in November should receive $1.37 billion under Proposition 1. That constitutional amendment, approved by voters in 2014, directs a portion of oil and gas severance taxes to TxDOT's highway fund, money that otherwise would have gone to the state's rainy day fund.

Combined with the $734 million that TxDOT received last November, the agency will have received about $2.1 billion as a result of Proposition 1 during this two-year budget cycle. Under the two-year budget approved by the Legislature last year, TxDOT had been projected to get $1.3 billion in Proposition 1 funds.

Then there's Proposition 7, the 2015 constitutional amendment that annually brings TxDOT up to $2.5 billion of Texas sales tax revenue, money that previously went to the state's general fund for other programs. TxDOT receives the maximum of $2.5 billion only if the state's annual sales tax revenue reaches $30.5 million.

The Legislature in its 2018-19 budget had projected TxDOT would receive $4.7 billion from Proposition 7 over those two years. The comptroller now estimates that the agency will get the full $5 billion, Ragland said.

That amounts to an additional $800 million from Proposition 1 and $300 million from Proposition 7 over the next year. Added together, that would represent at least an 8 percent increase in TxDOT's annual budget, which is supported primarily by the gas tax and vehicle registration fees. Since much of TxDOT's budget goes toward maintenance of the existing highway system and other ongoing costs, the added money would have a much greater impact on highway expansion.

www.DFWFreeways.com
www.HoustonFreeways.com


GreenLanternCorps

So, do we know what projects Texas DOT has in mind for the additional funding?

sparker

Quote from: GreenLanternCorps on July 16, 2018, 06:18:35 PM
So, do we know what projects Texas DOT has in mind for the additional funding?

Chances are that the Alliance for I-69/Texas will have already put in calls and emails to TXDOT to place their projects atop the priority list.  After that, I'd anticipate that most of the remainder will go to the various urban areas (possibly the first phase of the downtown Houston revamping) and upgrades of existing facilities (I-20 could use a lot more work!).  Newer Interstate concepts (14, the P-to-P corridor) probably won't get more than a few study dollars with this outlay; their plans just aren't far enough along for anything concrete (pun not intended!).  And, of course, US 287 Fort Worth>Amarillo probably won't receive more than a spot fix or two -- to the consternation of more than one poster here!     

Stephane Dumas

Quote from: sparker on July 16, 2018, 06:41:06 PM

Chances are that the Alliance for I-69/Texas will have already put in calls and emails to TXDOT to place their projects atop the priority list.  After that, I'd anticipate that most of the remainder will go to the various urban areas (possibly the first phase of the downtown Houston revamping) and upgrades of existing facilities (I-20 could use a lot more work!).  Newer Interstate concepts (14, the P-to-P corridor) probably won't get more than a few study dollars with this outlay; their plans just aren't far enough along for anything concrete (pun not intended!).  And, of course, US 287 Fort Worth>Amarillo probably won't receive more than a spot fix or two -- to the consternation of more than one poster here!     

With the growth of San Antonio metro area.  I guess the upgrade of Loop 1604 south of San Antonio from a 2-lane road to a 4-lanes divided highway will accelerate with this additional funding.
http://www.texashighwayman.com/lp1604s_projects.shtml

Chris

A public hearing was held earlier this year to expand some portions of Loop 1604 to a four lane divided highway, but evidently not a full freeway: https://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/get-involved/about/hearings-meetings/san-antonio/040818.html

Bobby5280

Obviously some parts of Loop 1604 will be difficult to upgrade to a full freeway. The Western segment from US-90 down to I-35 has quite a bit of encroachment along the ROW from homes and even a school (Southwest High School). The Loop 1604 intersection with I-35 has commercial properties closely bordering 3 of the four corners. Some homes are along the 4th corner. Farther down and along the South edge of the loop it looks like property line set backs were better enforced. However, it doesn't look like quite enough room was preserved for the traditional Texas-style arrangement of freeway main lanes and frontage roads. Much of the South half Loop 1604 might have to be built as a standard divided expressway with lots of at grade crossings and driveways. They're going to have to buy out and demolish a bunch of property to make Loop 1604 a complete freeway loop.

The upgrade of Loop 1604 down to US-90 on the West side is well underway. On the East side I think it's do-able to extend the Loop 1604 freeway down to the intersections with I-10, US-87 and then US-181. A freeway to freeway interchange with I-10 might be tricky due to existing properties (and one that looks like it's under construction on Google Earth). The intersection with I-37 and Loop 1604 is a mess. It looks like a volleyball exit is about as good as that could get. No room for flyover ramps.

Regarding the original headline about an additional $1.1 billion going to TX DOT, I think it's great. But at the same time a billion dollars doesn't go very far with today's road building and maintenance costs. A modern urban freeway expansion project in one location can eat up that kind of money and then some.

sparker

Quote from: Bobby5280 on July 17, 2018, 02:41:53 PM
Regarding the original headline about an additional $1.1 billion going to TX DOT, I think it's great. But at the same time a billion dollars doesn't go very far with today's road building and maintenance costs. A modern urban freeway expansion project in one location can eat up that kind of money and then some.

IIRC, the central Houston revisions on I-10,45, and 69 will come with a bill several times that $1.1B tab; full teardown of the I-45 viaduct alone would probably drain that extra funding pool.  But some of it will probably be used to fund preliminary phases of that project; the rest will likely be dispersed according to (a) political pull and (b) TXDOT backlog. 



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