"Plenty of posturing."
Commissioners reaffirm stance on toll roads
08/30/2005
Patrick Driscoll, Staff Writer
San Antonio Express-News
Copyright 2005
As the smoke cleared today from the latest salvo against toll-road plans in San Antonio, Bexar County commissioners ended up asking road planners to jump through a paper hoop.
Commissioners passed a resolution that asks the Texas Department of Transportation and the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority to certify what those agencies have already been saying – that state laws and county policies are being followed.
“That's what our mission is,” Julia Brown, TxDOT’s deputy engineer in San Antonio, told commissioners.
But there was plenty of posturing.
Commissioner Lyle Larson got his licks in about state officials abdicating their responsibilities by forcing toll roads onto local communities, and County Judge Nelson Wolff got a chance to bemoan how tolling is the best of several bad options to raise needed highway funds.
“That was a good, healthy discussion,” Wolff said.
Commissioner Tommy Adkisson threw the first stone by presenting a resolution that said TxDOT has proposed converting U.S. 281 north of Loop 1604 into a tollway.
The resolution pointed out that state law says the Commissioners Court must approve such an action and that commissioners passed a resolution in 2003 to oppose conversions.
But what exactly is a conversion?
TxDOT officials say that if a highway is designated as a toll road after construction starts, then it's a conversion. But work on the U.S. 281 toll lanes is set to begin early next year, they say, and the existing highway lanes would remain free.
Toll opponents say that's a crock.
The existing U.S. 281 lanes would actually cease to exist and be replaced with frontage roads, say members of San Antonio Toll Party. As a result, posted speed limits would drop from about 65 mph to 45 mph and more traffic signals could be added – hardly a comparison, they say.
Brown said there are three sets of traffic signals on U.S. 281 from Loop 1604 to Stone Oak Parkway and that overpasses will bypass one of them when the frontage roads are built.
TxDOT plans call for express toll lanes on U.S. 281 to eventually extend to Comal County.
Wolff, who says the court's 2003 resolution acknowledges that U.S. 281 toll plans wouldn't convert anything, offered a kinder, gentler proposal today that asks planners to simply certify that laws and the county's stance are being followed.
Commissioners went along.
“That's fine. I'm very open,” Adkisson said.
Adkisson explained that he's not really against toll roads – he just doesn't want to be bowled over by TxDOT.
pdriscoll@express-news.net
San Antonio Express-News: www.mysanantonio.com
08/30/2005
Patrick Driscoll, Staff Writer
San Antonio Express-News
Copyright 2005
As the smoke cleared today from the latest salvo against toll-road plans in San Antonio, Bexar County commissioners ended up asking road planners to jump through a paper hoop.
Commissioners passed a resolution that asks the Texas Department of Transportation and the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority to certify what those agencies have already been saying – that state laws and county policies are being followed.
“That's what our mission is,” Julia Brown, TxDOT’s deputy engineer in San Antonio, told commissioners.
But there was plenty of posturing.
Commissioner Lyle Larson got his licks in about state officials abdicating their responsibilities by forcing toll roads onto local communities, and County Judge Nelson Wolff got a chance to bemoan how tolling is the best of several bad options to raise needed highway funds.
“That was a good, healthy discussion,” Wolff said.
Commissioner Tommy Adkisson threw the first stone by presenting a resolution that said TxDOT has proposed converting U.S. 281 north of Loop 1604 into a tollway.
The resolution pointed out that state law says the Commissioners Court must approve such an action and that commissioners passed a resolution in 2003 to oppose conversions.
But what exactly is a conversion?
TxDOT officials say that if a highway is designated as a toll road after construction starts, then it's a conversion. But work on the U.S. 281 toll lanes is set to begin early next year, they say, and the existing highway lanes would remain free.
Toll opponents say that's a crock.
The existing U.S. 281 lanes would actually cease to exist and be replaced with frontage roads, say members of San Antonio Toll Party. As a result, posted speed limits would drop from about 65 mph to 45 mph and more traffic signals could be added – hardly a comparison, they say.
Brown said there are three sets of traffic signals on U.S. 281 from Loop 1604 to Stone Oak Parkway and that overpasses will bypass one of them when the frontage roads are built.
TxDOT plans call for express toll lanes on U.S. 281 to eventually extend to Comal County.
Wolff, who says the court's 2003 resolution acknowledges that U.S. 281 toll plans wouldn't convert anything, offered a kinder, gentler proposal today that asks planners to simply certify that laws and the county's stance are being followed.
Commissioners went along.
“That's fine. I'm very open,” Adkisson said.
Adkisson explained that he's not really against toll roads – he just doesn't want to be bowled over by TxDOT.
pdriscoll@express-news.net
San Antonio Express-News:
posted by Porkus Maximus Tex: at Tuesday, August 30, 2005
<< Home