I don’t this is the last story of its kind we’ll see in the coming months. This time its from Texas, but new ones will inevitably appear from other states. In a nutshell, the head of the state DOT says money is the overhwleming need for new road and bridge programs; then the two leading candidates for Governor jump into the fray with their idea of what’s needed.
This from a Michael Lindberger story in the Dallas Morning News.
Amadeo Saenz, executive director of Texas DOT says technology alone won’t solve the state’s highway a bridge woes.
“The financial challenges we’re facing in transportation don’t mean congestion will get a little worse. Or roads will get a little rougher. Or projects will take a little longer,” he said. Instead, the gap between needs and expected funding is huge, and so will be the impact on Texas drivers, he said.
Governor Rick Perry and challenger Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison say no to new taxes (it is an election after all) and propose different ways to avoid them while still getting the state’s road and bridge work done.
China enters the Year of the Tiger. We enter the year of the Elephant in the Room. That would be the one that politicians standing next to it don’t see.