Again we find ourselves in a funding dilemma. Ever thought about why you spend the time you do in traffic? Every day - commuting, running errands — you probably face some type of traffic. Ever thought about how much it costs to build new highways?
IT COSTS A LOT. To the tune of about $30 billion is where we are. The funding streams do not exist for these. The ones that do exist have been carjacked and diverted to other uses - where’s the $1.2 billion per bi-ennium that is supposed to go towards transportation projects? In other coffers.
Recent proposals funding this have been brought forward, but still no relief.
Something needs to be done. How do you think we should fund our transportation problems?
See the Fort Worth Chamber’s position here:
http://www.fortworthchamber.com/chamber_about/documents/09TRANSPOSITIONSignature.pdf
1. Transportation funds do need to be reserved for transportation projects only.
2. Public Private Partnerships need to be part of the equation. In the absence of a large injection of federal funds, PPPs are the best option for building infrastructure in a reasonable amount of time. With the current gas tax model, projects take years longer than they should.
Chris
February 6th, 2009