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Living in Tarrant
County, it is almost impossible not to drive on
Interstate-35 at some point. At any given time, you
can usually find it congested from Burleson to Alliance
Airport making travel for Tarrant County residents a living nightmare on a daily basis.
Interstate 35 is the “NAFTA”
Highway that stretches from Laredo, Texas to Duluth, Minnesota. Thousands upon thousands of vehicles travel on
this road every day making it one of the most congested sections of the entire corridor. From a little past
Fort Worth, it narrows down to two
lanes going both directions. Coincidentally,
where is the most grown taking place in our area? North Fort Worth. This isn't just a problem for residents of north-west Fort Worth; it is a problem for all of Texas as this highway serves as the primary corridor for the transportation of goods and services in addition to connecting residents to their jobs.
Texas has a looming
crisis. We have a crumbing highway
system and no way to pay for its repair or replacement in some sections. Texans are now over $35 billion in debt for roads which makes us #1 in the nation for road debt, according to federal
stats. Most of that debt has been to subsidize
toll roads with tax dollars. When we pay
to drive on those toll roads, it amounts to a double taxation at a time when
Texans can least afford it. Most of the plans to expand I-35 involves the creation of toll roads, popularly called the NAFTA Super-Highway and strongly opposed by candidates on all sides of the fence while being strongly backed by Gov. Rick Perry. I cannot stress enough that I am 100% AGAINST
these toll plans for I-35. I am against
the privatization of our highway system – especially to foreign companies such as the 130/45 Toll Road around east Austin.
In 2007, a bridge
(coincidentally on I-35) collapsed in Minnesota, killing 13 and injuring
hundreds of people. In Texas, we have roughly 51,277 bridges. According to Transportation 4 America, about
3 percent of those bridges are structurally deficient. At first glance, 3 percent does not seem bad. Look deeper and you will find that amounts to 1551 bridges, but as the people of Minnesota will tell you, it only takes one. We need to take a good,
hard look at our states infrastructure and start taking it more seriously.
Texas needs to look at alternative means of
transportation, starting with the creation of a high-speed railway system
connecting all major Texas cities. This
can be partially paid for by utilizing the Mobility Fund to convert
existing freight lines into passenger rail lines. Financing these projects will not be easy but
is necessary.
Upon my election, I want a
full audit of the Texas Department of Transportation to see exactly where our
money is going. Once we find out where
the money is going, we need to enforce the law requiring the gas tax money to
go directly back into transportation – the practice of using this money to fund
non-transportation items needs to end. This goes for sales tax for vehicle sales, vehicle registrations,
inspections, etc.
We need to reinvest in our transportation before it costs
us more in the future.
What ideas do you have on improving transportation in Texas and in Tarrant County? I'd love to hear from you!
What ideas do you have on improving transportation in Texas and in Tarrant County? I'd love to hear from you!
Shane Hardin
Follow me on Twitter @ShaneAlanHardin
For more information about my campaign, or to make a contribution to our efforts, please visit http://www.hardinfortexashouse.com/.
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