Texas
Basics
The Revolving Door: TxDOT’s Phil Wilson, “Revolver in Chief”
This is the final installment in our three-part “Revolving Door” series about how cronyism in state DOTs leads to wasteful highway building. The first part profiled Ohio DOT chief Jerry Wray and the second part looked at Oklahoma DOT boss Gary Ridley. Both Wray and Ridley left the DOTs to work as asphalt industry lobbyists, only to return to the public sector later on.
February 1, 2013
The Coming Infrastructure Crisis in Texas
The way Texas throws around money for highways -- $5.2 billion for a third outer-belt for Houston, $2 billion for Dallas' eighth downtown highway -- you would think TxDOT was running over with cheddar. This is a state, need we remind you, that "found" $350 million for a stalled highway project local leaders freely admit was designed to encourage sprawl, not solve any pressing mobility problems.
October 4, 2012
Highway Safety for Sale in Texas
Leave it to Texas. The Lone Star State just raised the speed limit on a toll road between San Antonio and Austin to 85 miles per hour, giving it the highest legal driving speed in the country.
September 13, 2012
Study Links Long Commutes to a Host of Health Maladies
We all know regular TV-watching is a risk factor for obesity and associated health problems. Also, recent studies shined a light on the role of sedentary jobs.
May 15, 2012
Streetsies 2011: The Local Edition
Yesterday, we started our year-end 2011 round-up. We lamented transit cuts in places where transit is more important than ever, cheered the successful ballot initiatives that will fund transportation lifelines, took a moment to explore the nuances of some difficult issues, and called out Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin for some hare-brained ideas about the best way to spend money.
December 29, 2011
How to Make TOD Work in Metro Dallas: Plano Shows the Way
For decades, Dallas mega-suburb Plano planned and prepared for this moment.
December 2, 2011
Meet the Rick Perry Donor Who Runs Texas DOT
Last week Streetsblog looked into the suburban real estate moguls who used their public offices to advance the country's largest sprawl project -- Houston's third outerbelt, also known as the Grand Parkway. But even with all the cronyism and self-deal propelling this project forward, just a few months ago it looked like the Grand Parkway had been stopped in its tracks. The money had run out. The public was balking [PDF].
November 10, 2011
Texas Sprawl Builders Funneled Taxpayer $ to Highway That Enriched Them
If the U.S. had a national transportation policy, this story of corruption and waste never would have happened.
November 2, 2011
Brookings: 700,000 Carless Americans Stranded Outside Reach of Transit
There are almost of them 38,000 in Atlanta. Another 65,000 between Dallas and Houston. Nearly 18,000 in Phoenix.
August 19, 2011
Can High-Speed Rail Reduce Air Travel and Highway Expansion?
Yesterday, Miller-McCune’s Michael Scott Moore accused Southwest Airlines of helping to bury a potential Texas bullet train 15 years ago.
June 9, 2011