Supporters of the idea of building new highways in Texas using toll lanes say they will reach out to business groups to urge them to support new toll construction and overturn Gov. Greg Abbott's rejection of the use of tolls for future highways, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Earlier this month, 1200 WOAI news revealed the existence of a 'back door' effort by TxDOT to allow local Regional Mobility Authorities to recommend the use of tolls to supplement gas tax revenues for new highway construction, including expanding Loop 1604 across the north side, and an ambitious scheme to double-deck I-35 from Loop 410 all the way to Cibolo.
After the 1200 WOAI news report, Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick both ordered the Texas Transportation Commission, which is made up of appointees of the governor, to drop the tool road idea.
But Austin State Rep. Celia Israel says toll roads are needed as an option to make sure the new highways needed by Texas' growing population can be constructed quickly, and that people who use the roads, and not all citizens, will bear the cost.
"I was disappointed," Israel said of the governor's order. "I can't see it is as a U-turn. I hope we can engage more common sense folks who agree that doing nothing is not helping the situation."
Israel says without additional funding through tolls, her city of Austin and other major urban areas won't get the new highway construction needed to avoid gridlock as the population continues to grow.
Israel says pro toll groups will now engage the business community, which successfully fought against the so called 'bathroom bill' in the last session, to try to encourage Abbott to allow toll road construction in certain cases.
She said her north Austin district is open to toll road construction."We have major employers like Applied Materials and Samsung, and I hope our business community can find its voice and help. Their employees are our neighbors, and they are all hurting.
"Pro toll groups say the state's economic growth will be slowed if companies realize that their employees will spend half the day stuck in traffic while trying to get to work, and that will kill the state's strong employment growth.
Anti toll groups say Regional Mobility Authorities and other unelected groups see toll revenue as a massive source of cash which is free of control by politicians that they can use for 'social engineering' schemes like light rail.