Texas Transportation Commission promotes "pass through" (shadow) tolls
Transportation Commission to hold meeting in Conroe
01/25/2006
By: Howard Roden
The Courier
Copyright 2006
The Texas Transportation Commission will be in Conroe today and Thursday to bestow its blessing on Montgomery County for becoming the first county to embrace the state's "pass-through" funding for road projects.
The four-person commission will hold its monthly business meeting at 9 a.m. Thursday in the Bluebonnet Room of Lone Star Convention Center. A private reception for the commission members, hosted by local civic and business dignitaries, will be held today at the convention center.
The TTC is the civilian governing board for the Texas Department of Transportation, one of the state's largest departments. The commission is responsible for establishing policy and the rules necessary to carry out the planning, design, construction, maintenance and operation of the state's highway system.
The commission also issues the final approval on the funding of all construction contracts within TxDOT's realm.
Although the TTC is based in Austin, it periodically holds its meeting - usually on the fourth Thursday of each month - around the state to "make it easier" for Texans to participate in state transportation decision-making, said commission spokesman Mark Cross. Montgomery County was selected because of its "new partnership" with TxDOT, said Gary K. Trietsch, district engineer for TxDOT's Houston District.
Montgomery County voters approved $160 million in road bonds last September that, as part of the state's new "pass-through" funding, is supposed to allow the county to construct more than $300 million in transportation projects. Among the projects are the expansion and reconstruction of Farm-to-Market roads 1314, 1484, 1485 and 1488. The newly-named Montgomery County Transportation Program also includes construction of flyovers at the intersection of Interstate 45 and Texas 242.
"TxDOT and Montgomery County have initiated a new partnership that will be a statewide model for collaborative projects all over Texas," Trietsch said. "The success of the pass-through financing in the county to accelerate highway projects is of special interest to the commission."
The commission "feels very positive towards the tool" of pass-through funding, Cross said. Pass-through funding is a method by which local governments obtain the money for road projects, and are later reimbursed by TxDOT, based on the traffic count on those roads.
Only a small portion of the commission's meeting agenda directly involves Montgomery County. The panel is expected to approve a $1.210 million contract to Traf-Tex, Inc., of Houston, for the installation of nine traffic cameras and four traffic control signs along I-45 between Tamina Road and FM 1488.
But for those county residents able to attend the meeting, it's an up-close opportunity see how the commission works, said County Judge Alan Sadler.
"This is a chance for people around here to learn about that process and see how it works," he said. "TxDOT is probably the one state agency that affects Texans the most."
Sadler, Conroe Mayor Tommy Metcalf and other civic leaders are scheduled to issue comments at the start of the meeting. Open comment will be allowed at the end of the commission's meeting. Each speaker will be allowed a maximum of three minutes and the speakers must be signed up prior to the open comment period.
"Sometimes we get none and sometimes we get a lot," said Cross of the citizens' comments. "We encourage it every month. We always let people know they can talk to the commission."
Commission members include Chairman Ric Williams of Weatherford, Hope Andrade of San Antonio, Ted Houghton of El Paso and John W. Johnson of Houston. The commission normally has five members, but Robert Nichols of Jacksonville resigned to run for state Senate District 3.
Gov. Rick Perry appoints commission members with the advice and consent of the Texas Senate. The members serve overlapping six-year terms.
Howard Roden can be reached at hroden@mail.hcnonline.net.
©Houston Community Newspapers Online 2006 www.hcnonline.com
01/25/2006
By: Howard Roden
The Courier
Copyright 2006
The Texas Transportation Commission will be in Conroe today and Thursday to bestow its blessing on Montgomery County for becoming the first county to embrace the state's "pass-through" funding for road projects.
The four-person commission will hold its monthly business meeting at 9 a.m. Thursday in the Bluebonnet Room of Lone Star Convention Center. A private reception for the commission members, hosted by local civic and business dignitaries, will be held today at the convention center.
The TTC is the civilian governing board for the Texas Department of Transportation, one of the state's largest departments. The commission is responsible for establishing policy and the rules necessary to carry out the planning, design, construction, maintenance and operation of the state's highway system.
The commission also issues the final approval on the funding of all construction contracts within TxDOT's realm.
Although the TTC is based in Austin, it periodically holds its meeting - usually on the fourth Thursday of each month - around the state to "make it easier" for Texans to participate in state transportation decision-making, said commission spokesman Mark Cross. Montgomery County was selected because of its "new partnership" with TxDOT, said Gary K. Trietsch, district engineer for TxDOT's Houston District.
Montgomery County voters approved $160 million in road bonds last September that, as part of the state's new "pass-through" funding, is supposed to allow the county to construct more than $300 million in transportation projects. Among the projects are the expansion and reconstruction of Farm-to-Market roads 1314, 1484, 1485 and 1488. The newly-named Montgomery County Transportation Program also includes construction of flyovers at the intersection of Interstate 45 and Texas 242.
"TxDOT and Montgomery County have initiated a new partnership that will be a statewide model for collaborative projects all over Texas," Trietsch said. "The success of the pass-through financing in the county to accelerate highway projects is of special interest to the commission."
The commission "feels very positive towards the tool" of pass-through funding, Cross said. Pass-through funding is a method by which local governments obtain the money for road projects, and are later reimbursed by TxDOT, based on the traffic count on those roads.
Only a small portion of the commission's meeting agenda directly involves Montgomery County. The panel is expected to approve a $1.210 million contract to Traf-Tex, Inc., of Houston, for the installation of nine traffic cameras and four traffic control signs along I-45 between Tamina Road and FM 1488.
But for those county residents able to attend the meeting, it's an up-close opportunity see how the commission works, said County Judge Alan Sadler.
"This is a chance for people around here to learn about that process and see how it works," he said. "TxDOT is probably the one state agency that affects Texans the most."
Sadler, Conroe Mayor Tommy Metcalf and other civic leaders are scheduled to issue comments at the start of the meeting. Open comment will be allowed at the end of the commission's meeting. Each speaker will be allowed a maximum of three minutes and the speakers must be signed up prior to the open comment period.
"Sometimes we get none and sometimes we get a lot," said Cross of the citizens' comments. "We encourage it every month. We always let people know they can talk to the commission."
Commission members include Chairman Ric Williams of Weatherford, Hope Andrade of San Antonio, Ted Houghton of El Paso and John W. Johnson of Houston. The commission normally has five members, but Robert Nichols of Jacksonville resigned to run for state Senate District 3.
Gov. Rick Perry appoints commission members with the advice and consent of the Texas Senate. The members serve overlapping six-year terms.
Howard Roden can be reached at hroden@mail.hcnonline.net.
©Houston Community Newspapers Online 2006
posted by Porkus Maximus Tex: at Wednesday, January 25, 2006
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