Transportation

Transportation infrastructure is a critical component of the Texas
economy and the daily quality of life of all Texans. Governor Perry has
focused on improving roads, railroads, airports, seaports, and mass
transit through new laws and innovative finance methods that promote a
complete statewide transportation network to improve safety, combat
congestion, and promote job growth.

Increased Road Funding Without Raising Taxes

Governor Perry championed $4 billion in Texas Mobility Fund bonds to
accelerate needed transportation projects across Texas. With this new
money nearly 90 percent of the major metropolitan highway projects
planned for the next 12 years will be completed in half the standard
time. The projects being accelerated will help ease congestion, clean
up our air, encourage business expansion and improve safety conditions
on highways in our urban areas. These bonds are new revenue paid for by
fines on bad drivers.

Promoting Local and Regional Transportation Solutions

Governor Perry has given Texas metropolitan leaders the authority
and the means to decide how to best fund and build urban transportation
systems. Governor Perry signed legislation creating a variety of new
transportation finance methods and regional transportation authorities
to let regional leaders decide what transit, road, and rail lines to
build and how to pay for them.

Improved Highway Safety

Governor Perry championed the largest highway safety improvement
program in state history. $600 million in bonds, approved by voters,
will fund 645 priority projects covering 2,300 miles across Texas that
will help reduce accidents and save lives. These safety projects
include widening narrow roads, installing safety barriers between
divided highways, constructing left turn lanes at dangerous highway
intersections and building critically needed overpasses.

Relocate Urban Freight Rail Lines

Governor Perry negotiated the first ever agreements with Union
Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroads outlining
public-private partnerships between the State of Texas and the
railroads for relocation of freight rail. Moving freight rail lines
will help alleviate congestion and improve air quality by improving
urban traffic flow, remove hazardous materials from our city centers,
improve safety by removing thousands of crossings in our urban areas,
improve the competitive economic environment for shippers by improving
rail service, reduce noise pollution, and create the opportunity for
passenger rail or new roads.

Transportation Corridors of the Future

Texas’ rapid population and commerce growth has strained our highway
and rail systems to their limit. Rather than taking decades to expand
these important corridors a little bit at a time, Governor Perry
developed the Trans Texas Corridor plan. The Corridor plan allows the
state to build needed corridors much more quickly and without a tax
increase. These corridors can incorporate truck lanes and new freight
rail lines to improve commerce, passenger rail between cities to offer
Texans transportation alternatives, and allow safe new routes around
our urban areas for freight, and particularly hazardous materials.