"We will ensure this road stays a freeway now and forever."
Strayhorn says she'd stop tolls on Texas 121
Sep. 01, 2006
By GORDON DICKSON
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Copyright 2006
LEWISVILLE -- Carole Keeton Strayhorn says that if she's elected governor, Texas 121 north of Grapevine won't become a toll road.
"State Highway 121 was originally planned as a freeway," Strayhorn said Thursday afternoon during a joint news conference with Stop121Tolls.com, a group protesting at a business park on the frontage road.
"Tolling roads planned as freeways, and converting freeways into toll roads, is wrong. It's double taxation," she said. "We will ensure this road stays a freeway now and forever."
But the independent candidate declined to say how she'd go about reversing the decision by city and county officials across the Metroplex -- collectively known as the Regional Transportation Council -- to make Texas 121 a toll road.
The council, the region's official planning body, expects the toll road to generate nearly $300 million to be used on other projects in the coming years.
Reversing their decision -- the result of several years of tense negotiations -- could create a major highway funding shortfall through 2030.
Strayhorn faces Republican Gov. Rick Perry, independent Kinky Friedman, Democrat Chris Bell and Libertarian James Werner in the Nov. 7 election.
Under the council's plan, Texas 121 in Carrollton, Coppell and Lewisville would be managed by a yet-to-be-selected private firm, which would be expected to provide investment dollars for use on other area roads such as Interstate 35E.
But Strayhorn disagrees with Perry's and the Texas Department of Transportation's belief that toll roads are necessary to make up for shortfalls in highway funding, which is mainly supported by gas taxes.
Instead, Strayhorn would:
She said the Transportation Department's budget "has increased from $7 billion to $15.2 billion just since Perry was promoted to governor. That's a 117 percent increase. If Austin politicians can't figure out how to build freeways with that kind of money, I will."
About 30 Stop121Tolls.com supporters joined Strayhorn at the podium, less than a mile from a Coppell school where Perry on Tuesday announced that Texas 121, which is to be the area's first all-electronic toll road, would remain toll-free for months because of problems with toll equipment.
Randy Jennings of Plano, the anti-toll group's founder, accused Perry of postponing toll collection until after Nov. 7. "Texans can see through Governor Perry's election-year politics," he said.
Charles Hollimon, a member of the anti-toll group who owns property in North Richland Hills and the San Antonio area, said he worries that the cost of groceries and other everyday goods will increase as trucks use the toll roads.
Gordon Dickson, 817-685-3816 gdickson@star-telegram.com
© 2006 Fort Worth Star-Telegram: www.dfw.com
Sep. 01, 2006
By GORDON DICKSON
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Copyright 2006
LEWISVILLE -- Carole Keeton Strayhorn says that if she's elected governor, Texas 121 north of Grapevine won't become a toll road.
"State Highway 121 was originally planned as a freeway," Strayhorn said Thursday afternoon during a joint news conference with Stop121Tolls.com, a group protesting at a business park on the frontage road.
"Tolling roads planned as freeways, and converting freeways into toll roads, is wrong. It's double taxation," she said. "We will ensure this road stays a freeway now and forever."
But the independent candidate declined to say how she'd go about reversing the decision by city and county officials across the Metroplex -- collectively known as the Regional Transportation Council -- to make Texas 121 a toll road.
The council, the region's official planning body, expects the toll road to generate nearly $300 million to be used on other projects in the coming years.
Reversing their decision -- the result of several years of tense negotiations -- could create a major highway funding shortfall through 2030.
Strayhorn faces Republican Gov. Rick Perry, independent Kinky Friedman, Democrat Chris Bell and Libertarian James Werner in the Nov. 7 election.
Under the council's plan, Texas 121 in Carrollton, Coppell and Lewisville would be managed by a yet-to-be-selected private firm, which would be expected to provide investment dollars for use on other area roads such as Interstate 35E.
But Strayhorn disagrees with Perry's and the Texas Department of Transportation's belief that toll roads are necessary to make up for shortfalls in highway funding, which is mainly supported by gas taxes.
Instead, Strayhorn would:
- Appoint an independent inspector to make the Transportation Department more efficient.
- Expand the I-35 corridor on existing right of way.
- Expand rail lines.
- Urge employers to stagger work schedules and allow employees to telecommute to reduce peak traffic.
She said the Transportation Department's budget "has increased from $7 billion to $15.2 billion just since Perry was promoted to governor. That's a 117 percent increase. If Austin politicians can't figure out how to build freeways with that kind of money, I will."
About 30 Stop121Tolls.com supporters joined Strayhorn at the podium, less than a mile from a Coppell school where Perry on Tuesday announced that Texas 121, which is to be the area's first all-electronic toll road, would remain toll-free for months because of problems with toll equipment.
Randy Jennings of Plano, the anti-toll group's founder, accused Perry of postponing toll collection until after Nov. 7. "Texans can see through Governor Perry's election-year politics," he said.
Charles Hollimon, a member of the anti-toll group who owns property in North Richland Hills and the San Antonio area, said he worries that the cost of groceries and other everyday goods will increase as trucks use the toll roads.
Gordon Dickson, 817-685-3816 gdickson@star-telegram.com
© 2006 Fort Worth Star-Telegram:
posted by Porkus Maximus Tex: at Friday, September 01, 2006
<< Home