"The people of San Antonio should tell the state government how we feel by voting against Proposition 9."
Comment: Toll road backers' math doesn't add up
10/28/2005
Robert McKechnie
Consulting Engineer, MTC Technologies
San Antonio Express-News
Copyright 2005
In his comment " Toll roads will keep Texas on right path " (Saturday), Joseph Krier claims toll roads are the best way to go and then makes an unverified statement that the alternative is a very substantial increase in state gasoline taxes — a statement that no one has quantified.
The people asked for an independent review of the U.S. 281 toll effort, which might have answered this question, but elected officials on the San Antonio Metropolitan Planning Organization, or MPO, voted against it (City Councilmen Richard Perez, Chip Haass and Art Hall and County Commissioner Sergio Rodriguez), with only County Commissioners Lyle Larson and Tommy Adkisson voting for it.
Krier is incorrect, as there is plenty of money — more than $5 billion per year, based on state comptroller reports — for roads. San Antonio doesn't get its fair share, as we get only $100 million per year.
The problem is that it is not correctly prioritized by the Texas Department of Transportation and Texas Transportation Commission. People should contact their state representatives and state senators. The governor's office is also at fault.
Another incorrect statement is being made by the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority, or RMA, and Krier. They both claim the tolls will pay for the roads and provide more money for other local projects. What they haven't said is that the Texas Department of Transportation plans to award the work to a foreign group, Cintra, and its local partner Zachry American Infrastructure, which would keep the tolls for the next 50 years. So if Zachry-Cintra gets the award, why do we need the Alamo RMA, which is funded at $1 million per year with tax funds?
The math just doesn't add up. How can a 10-mile stretch of U.S. 281 fund itself with a toll and provide money for other projects even if the Department of Transportation awards the contract to someone other than Zachry-Cintra? Remember the Comal County commissioners refused to support tolling their part of U.S. 281 because they looked at the math.
The voters need to get control of this process by dumping the RMAs and making the San Antonio Metropolitan Planning Organization have only elected officials as voting members so it is responsible to us. If Gov. Rick Perry really cared, he would get a constitutional amendment on the ballot where the voters could vote on any toll road projects and not have these non-elected groups place a tax on us by asking us to pay a toll on a road already paid for.
With state law saying no existing road can be tolled, the Alamo RMA has come up with its own definition to allow for tolling U.S. 281 by saying if there are as many non-tolled lanes as tolled lanes, it doesn't violate state law. Since the RMA is not a court, its definition of a state law isn't binding, should be ignored and should be challenged in court.
The people of San Antonio should tell the state government how we feel by voting against Proposition 9, which would change the state constitution to allow for longer terms for appointed members of the RMA, further removing them from our control.
We need to force the state to step back and look at this toll road mess that it created. This can be done by voters getting their state legislators to put a hold on any toll roads until the voters get their say.
Robert McKechnie, a consulting engineer for MTC Technologies, has more than 46 years of government and industrial experience.
San Antonio Express-News: www.mysanantonio.com
10/28/2005
Robert McKechnie
Consulting Engineer, MTC Technologies
San Antonio Express-News
Copyright 2005
In his comment " Toll roads will keep Texas on right path " (Saturday), Joseph Krier claims toll roads are the best way to go and then makes an unverified statement that the alternative is a very substantial increase in state gasoline taxes — a statement that no one has quantified.
The people asked for an independent review of the U.S. 281 toll effort, which might have answered this question, but elected officials on the San Antonio Metropolitan Planning Organization, or MPO, voted against it (City Councilmen Richard Perez, Chip Haass and Art Hall and County Commissioner Sergio Rodriguez), with only County Commissioners Lyle Larson and Tommy Adkisson voting for it.
Krier is incorrect, as there is plenty of money — more than $5 billion per year, based on state comptroller reports — for roads. San Antonio doesn't get its fair share, as we get only $100 million per year.
The problem is that it is not correctly prioritized by the Texas Department of Transportation and Texas Transportation Commission. People should contact their state representatives and state senators. The governor's office is also at fault.
Another incorrect statement is being made by the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority, or RMA, and Krier. They both claim the tolls will pay for the roads and provide more money for other local projects. What they haven't said is that the Texas Department of Transportation plans to award the work to a foreign group, Cintra, and its local partner Zachry American Infrastructure, which would keep the tolls for the next 50 years. So if Zachry-Cintra gets the award, why do we need the Alamo RMA, which is funded at $1 million per year with tax funds?
The math just doesn't add up. How can a 10-mile stretch of U.S. 281 fund itself with a toll and provide money for other projects even if the Department of Transportation awards the contract to someone other than Zachry-Cintra? Remember the Comal County commissioners refused to support tolling their part of U.S. 281 because they looked at the math.
The voters need to get control of this process by dumping the RMAs and making the San Antonio Metropolitan Planning Organization have only elected officials as voting members so it is responsible to us. If Gov. Rick Perry really cared, he would get a constitutional amendment on the ballot where the voters could vote on any toll road projects and not have these non-elected groups place a tax on us by asking us to pay a toll on a road already paid for.
With state law saying no existing road can be tolled, the Alamo RMA has come up with its own definition to allow for tolling U.S. 281 by saying if there are as many non-tolled lanes as tolled lanes, it doesn't violate state law. Since the RMA is not a court, its definition of a state law isn't binding, should be ignored and should be challenged in court.
The people of San Antonio should tell the state government how we feel by voting against Proposition 9, which would change the state constitution to allow for longer terms for appointed members of the RMA, further removing them from our control.
We need to force the state to step back and look at this toll road mess that it created. This can be done by voters getting their state legislators to put a hold on any toll roads until the voters get their say.
Robert McKechnie, a consulting engineer for MTC Technologies, has more than 46 years of government and industrial experience.
San Antonio Express-News:
posted by Porkus Maximus Tex: at Friday, October 28, 2005
<< Home