Thanks to husband Buz for the link to the English folk group Show of Hands and this song called "Country Life." The "barons" destroying everything of the roots of village and agricultural life in the British Isles. We are still fighting over here.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=78Y7cBLJWgI&feature=related
Monday, November 24, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Jim Lutz work in East Austin Studio Tour
If you'll be in Austin this weekend, please go by to see the work of Jim Lutz at the East Austin Studio Tour. Jim and his family live in a historic farmhouse in the Manor area. His work will be displayed in the studio of a friend in Austin.
Details from Jim:
Hello Friends,
There are 200 artists displaying their work at 150 different East Austin studios.....It's called the East Austin Studio Tour.
I will be set up in the studio of a good friend....Barry George.....a stellar metal sculptor.
The Barry George Studio is located at 204 Attayac.....that is from East 1st and I35....go 4 blocks east, turn left at Attaya, go two blocks.
The show will be during daylight hours Sat. and Sunday, Nov. 22nd and 23rd. I will leave early on Sunday afternoon to attend a memorial and return the closing hour.
We will have coffee and some pastries....Please come by and visit.
My page in the official EastAustinStudioTour website is .......http://www.eastaustinstudiotour.com/2008/homeexplorer.html
Jim Lutz
www.BolaMan.com
--
Jim Lutz
www.BolaMan.com
and Maya Glyph Jewelry
512-272-5170
Details from Jim:
Hello Friends,
There are 200 artists displaying their work at 150 different East Austin studios.....It's called the East Austin Studio Tour.
I will be set up in the studio of a good friend....Barry George.....a stellar metal sculptor.
The Barry George Studio is located at 204 Attayac.....that is from East 1st and I35....go 4 blocks east, turn left at Attaya, go two blocks.
The show will be during daylight hours Sat. and Sunday, Nov. 22nd and 23rd. I will leave early on Sunday afternoon to attend a memorial and return the closing hour.
We will have coffee and some pastries....Please come by and visit.
My page in the official EastAustinStudioTour website is .......http://www.eastaustinstudiotour.com/2008/homeexplorer.html
Jim Lutz
www.BolaMan.com
--
Jim Lutz
www.BolaMan.com
and Maya Glyph Jewelry
512-272-5170
Less driving means less business for risky toll roads
In keeping with recent criticisms of the risky financing schemes based on out-dated travel statistics that are being pushed by TxDOT, CAMPO, and CTRMA, Patrick Driscoll of the San Antonio Express News, discusses the latest figures that show that traffic counts are falling in both rural and urban areas.
Lower gas prices are not causing drivers to return to their old driving ways. Apparently, drivers have gotten used to more frugal driving habits and are continuing to save money on gas, rather than upping their driving.
See his post at
http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/traffic/archives/2008/11/lower_gas_price_1.html#comments
Plunging gas prices aren't getting Americans back in their cars, according to AAA and the latest federal data.
Despite gas prices hovering near $2 a gallon this Thanksgiving season, more than $1 less than a year ago, 600,000 fewer people will travel 50 miles or more from home compared to last year, AAA says.
The 1.4 percent drop is the fourth decline in a row for a holiday this year, the first for a Thanksgiving since 2002, when the 2001 terrorists attacks were still fresh memories.
Lower gas prices are not causing drivers to return to their old driving ways. Apparently, drivers have gotten used to more frugal driving habits and are continuing to save money on gas, rather than upping their driving.
Though gas prices, after peaking above $4 a gallon in July, slid more than 35 cents over two months, wary Americans kept avoiding the roads in record numbers. August saw the largest monthly decline in driving ever, and September marked the 11th drop in a row.
U.S. motorists drove 10.7 billion fewer miles in September compared to last year, down 4.4 percent. Texans drove 4.3 percent less.
Worth pointing out, federal officials say, is that travel dived 8 percent on interstates in rural areas. Still, on urban interstates, mileage dipped 3.9 percent.
See his post at
http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/traffic/archives/2008/11/lower_gas_price_1.html#comments
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Deadline to oppose 290 E tolling today--analysis from Jim Lutz
You can still register your opposition to tolling 290 E to CAMPO; deadline is today.
campo@campotexas.org
Here is more good analysis of the problems that a Manor Expressway/Tollway will cause 290 E travelers. Jim Lutz is a Manor-area resident.
Nov 18, 2008
To: CAMPO/CTRMA Officials….relating the the Manor Hearing on Nov 13, 2008 concerning the proposed “system” of joining 183A Tollway with the 290E Manor “Tollway” Expressway
I oppose combining the tollroads 183A with the proposed Manor Expressway based on the following concerns.
Can you afford to drive the 290East Tollway?
If you are an Austin resident wanting to slip away out of Austin to the east you have the option of driving on a “freeway” that is highway 71 East or the planned 290E tolled “Manor Expressway”. An occasional toll of $1.25 one way should not be bothersome to pay.
Alternatively if you are an east Travis County resident who must use 290East twice daily to drive to and from work into Austin, a two way daily $2.50 fee adds up to $12.50 weekly or $50 each and every month. Additional weekend trips into a grocery store are other activities increase this monthly expense. In 2013 dollars at the proposed opening of the Manor Tollway the tollrate will have increased to approximately $3.28 daily or $64.00 monthly based on the average CPI (Consumer Price Index) for the past ten years. The Manor Tollway is the only central Texas tollway to automatically increase the toll rate based either on the CPI (Consumer Price Index) or GSP (Gross State Products) formula, whichever is larger.
A Funding Snag
The $625 million dollar “Manor Expressway” or more accurately called the “Manor Tollway” had been preapproved by CAMPO (Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization) over substantial protests by East Travis County area residents previously in local hearings. A snag has occurred in the proceedings, a preliminary traffic/revenue analysis indicates that our area residents expenditures on the planned tollway don’t add up to the necessary revenue to finance our Manor tollway.
In order for the numbers to justify it’s creation, the organization who is responsible for carrying out the nitty gritty of executing CAMPO’s plans, that is, the recently created CTRMA (Central Texas Regional Metropolitan Authority), has authored a new plan. That is to join as a “system” the currently operating “183A Tollway” built as an alternative route going NW toward Leander with the planned 290E Manor “Tollway” Expressway. 183A is the first and only project at this date that the CTRMA has planned and is responsible for.
Comparing the Driver’s Cost of the 290 “Tollroad” With Other Area Tollroads
TxDot (Texas Department of Transportation) operates 49 miles of north/south Tollway 130 which currently costs 12.2 cents a mile. It costs 11.5 cents per mile to travel on 45N and Loop 1 toll is 15 cents per mile according to TxDot officials. The toll for 45South between 130 and I35 south near Kyle is going to be 15 cents per mile when it opens in the near term. The rates for these roads can only laboriously be changed by approval of new transportation studies (traffic/revenue) authorized by the three elected members of the TTC (Texas Transportation Commission). Public input is a part of this process. These Tollways were designed to pay for themselves rather than being created as a “cash cow” as seed money for more tollways.
Alternatively the new regional roadway authority CTRMA charges 183ATollway drivers 27 cents a mile on the 6 miles of completed portions of 183A and provides 6 additional miles of non tolled access roads northwest of Austin. The CTRMA has the authority to raise the tolls for what the market will bear without additional hearings.
The Manor Tollway which also will be a project of the CTRMA will cost approximately 20 cents a mile at current prices and by opening date will cost approximately the current rate of 183A or in the range of 27 cents per mile. The CTRMA is planning for all of the tollways they operate to have the same per mile cost to the public.
Profit from these managed roads by CTRMA can go toward other transportation projects as monies are available.
The Manor “Tollway” Expressway and 183A Tollway System
The hearings in Manor last week on Nov 12th and 13th were a requirement for CAMPO and the CTRMA to get approved the joining into a “system” of the existing 183A tollway and the “Manor Tollway”. By creating this “system” the roadway authority can better financially justify the funding for the proposed 290E tollway. The meetings were the citizens opportunity to have input into this process. Comments were to be turned in within a week on Wed. November 19th by mail or email.
CAMPO’s email address is campo@campotexas.org
The hearing presentation was presented in a 10 minute power point presentation about the advantages of creating the “system” to make the entire project more affordable for the public. There was no detail whatsoever about the comparison of actual costs to local consumers for this project. The above information is the result of two days of phoning TxDot, CAMPO and CTRMA officials and going through web content for these entities.
Inadequate Public Discussion and Comment Time Provided
For citizens unable to attend the hearings there has been inadequate opportunity to learn about the respond to the presentation. Public comment was to be turned in at the meeting or within 7 days of the hearings. Our weekly local newspaper, the Manor Messenger, comes out each Thursday preventing information about the meeting to be published preceding the deadline for public comment.
No Representation of the Manor Community on the 20 member Transportation Board
Perhaps the reason no local, state or federal funds are included in the funding for the Manor “Tollway” Expressway is that there is no local representation on the 20 member CAMPO board demanding fairness on our behalf. The board is made up of elected officials, none of whom directly represent the Manor area except State Senator Kirk Watson who as chairman of the CAMPO board due to a conflict of interest does not vote on the Manor tollroad having a fiduciary interest in it’s construction. There are 5 mayors on the CAMPO board from the 3 county area but not the Mayor of Manor. There are 5 county commissioners or elected county officials on the CAMPO board but not the county commissioner for Manor.
Economic Advantage to Manor
If and when the Manor “Tollway” Expressway comes our way it may prove to be beneficial in many respects and ultimately enhance our economic future. I resent rather the lack of regard and the manipulation of the public by the officials responsible. The lack of usable and comparable factual information related to this process and inadequate time for public response contributes to the distain the public has toward our elected officials.
The creation of a Manor Tollway rather than address the problems of the Manor bottleneck of rush hour traffic to and from daily commutes to Austin will instead exacerbate this problem. I was told by a Tx Dot official that because of Manor citizens opposition to the tollroad at previous hearings the resolution of 290 East traffic resolutions through the city of Manor has been postponed to a later date. Unfortunately the planning by business interests for commercial endeavors benefiting our community rests on the planning and acceptance of a final 290 traffic plan through Manor by state and city officials.
Making the Manor “Tollway” Expressway Palatable
If there is no other means of securing funding….
The CAMPO board should endeavor to secure funding for a of 33% to 50% of the $625 million budget from the state or federal funds. Postpone construction until reasonable partial funding is available. The citizens who daily will be forced to use this tollroad are the most economically disadvantaged group within Travis County and can least afford the extra expenses involved.
Future funding for paying down the debt of this roadway should be pursued when the federal resolution to highway construction expenses is addressed in the near term.
Funding for this facility should eliminate “built in” profit for the advancing of other CTRMA transportation endeavors.
Maintenance for the roadway should be be paid for by funds made available to TxDot consistent with TxDot responsibilities for maintenance of other state highways.
The tollway must be made affordable for the daily users of this roadway rather than the occasional user.
Please call it the “Manor Tollway” and not the Manor “Expressway”.
In fairness,
Jim Lutz
14812 FM 973N
Manor, Tx. 78653
JimLutz@BolaMan.com
campo@campotexas.org
Here is more good analysis of the problems that a Manor Expressway/Tollway will cause 290 E travelers. Jim Lutz is a Manor-area resident.
Nov 18, 2008
To: CAMPO/CTRMA Officials….relating the the Manor Hearing on Nov 13, 2008 concerning the proposed “system” of joining 183A Tollway with the 290E Manor “Tollway” Expressway
I oppose combining the tollroads 183A with the proposed Manor Expressway based on the following concerns.
Can you afford to drive the 290East Tollway?
If you are an Austin resident wanting to slip away out of Austin to the east you have the option of driving on a “freeway” that is highway 71 East or the planned 290E tolled “Manor Expressway”. An occasional toll of $1.25 one way should not be bothersome to pay.
Alternatively if you are an east Travis County resident who must use 290East twice daily to drive to and from work into Austin, a two way daily $2.50 fee adds up to $12.50 weekly or $50 each and every month. Additional weekend trips into a grocery store are other activities increase this monthly expense. In 2013 dollars at the proposed opening of the Manor Tollway the tollrate will have increased to approximately $3.28 daily or $64.00 monthly based on the average CPI (Consumer Price Index) for the past ten years. The Manor Tollway is the only central Texas tollway to automatically increase the toll rate based either on the CPI (Consumer Price Index) or GSP (Gross State Products) formula, whichever is larger.
A Funding Snag
The $625 million dollar “Manor Expressway” or more accurately called the “Manor Tollway” had been preapproved by CAMPO (Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization) over substantial protests by East Travis County area residents previously in local hearings. A snag has occurred in the proceedings, a preliminary traffic/revenue analysis indicates that our area residents expenditures on the planned tollway don’t add up to the necessary revenue to finance our Manor tollway.
In order for the numbers to justify it’s creation, the organization who is responsible for carrying out the nitty gritty of executing CAMPO’s plans, that is, the recently created CTRMA (Central Texas Regional Metropolitan Authority), has authored a new plan. That is to join as a “system” the currently operating “183A Tollway” built as an alternative route going NW toward Leander with the planned 290E Manor “Tollway” Expressway. 183A is the first and only project at this date that the CTRMA has planned and is responsible for.
Comparing the Driver’s Cost of the 290 “Tollroad” With Other Area Tollroads
TxDot (Texas Department of Transportation) operates 49 miles of north/south Tollway 130 which currently costs 12.2 cents a mile. It costs 11.5 cents per mile to travel on 45N and Loop 1 toll is 15 cents per mile according to TxDot officials. The toll for 45South between 130 and I35 south near Kyle is going to be 15 cents per mile when it opens in the near term. The rates for these roads can only laboriously be changed by approval of new transportation studies (traffic/revenue) authorized by the three elected members of the TTC (Texas Transportation Commission). Public input is a part of this process. These Tollways were designed to pay for themselves rather than being created as a “cash cow” as seed money for more tollways.
Alternatively the new regional roadway authority CTRMA charges 183ATollway drivers 27 cents a mile on the 6 miles of completed portions of 183A and provides 6 additional miles of non tolled access roads northwest of Austin. The CTRMA has the authority to raise the tolls for what the market will bear without additional hearings.
The Manor Tollway which also will be a project of the CTRMA will cost approximately 20 cents a mile at current prices and by opening date will cost approximately the current rate of 183A or in the range of 27 cents per mile. The CTRMA is planning for all of the tollways they operate to have the same per mile cost to the public.
Profit from these managed roads by CTRMA can go toward other transportation projects as monies are available.
The Manor “Tollway” Expressway and 183A Tollway System
The hearings in Manor last week on Nov 12th and 13th were a requirement for CAMPO and the CTRMA to get approved the joining into a “system” of the existing 183A tollway and the “Manor Tollway”. By creating this “system” the roadway authority can better financially justify the funding for the proposed 290E tollway. The meetings were the citizens opportunity to have input into this process. Comments were to be turned in within a week on Wed. November 19th by mail or email.
CAMPO’s email address is campo@campotexas.org
The hearing presentation was presented in a 10 minute power point presentation about the advantages of creating the “system” to make the entire project more affordable for the public. There was no detail whatsoever about the comparison of actual costs to local consumers for this project. The above information is the result of two days of phoning TxDot, CAMPO and CTRMA officials and going through web content for these entities.
Inadequate Public Discussion and Comment Time Provided
For citizens unable to attend the hearings there has been inadequate opportunity to learn about the respond to the presentation. Public comment was to be turned in at the meeting or within 7 days of the hearings. Our weekly local newspaper, the Manor Messenger, comes out each Thursday preventing information about the meeting to be published preceding the deadline for public comment.
No Representation of the Manor Community on the 20 member Transportation Board
Perhaps the reason no local, state or federal funds are included in the funding for the Manor “Tollway” Expressway is that there is no local representation on the 20 member CAMPO board demanding fairness on our behalf. The board is made up of elected officials, none of whom directly represent the Manor area except State Senator Kirk Watson who as chairman of the CAMPO board due to a conflict of interest does not vote on the Manor tollroad having a fiduciary interest in it’s construction. There are 5 mayors on the CAMPO board from the 3 county area but not the Mayor of Manor. There are 5 county commissioners or elected county officials on the CAMPO board but not the county commissioner for Manor.
Economic Advantage to Manor
If and when the Manor “Tollway” Expressway comes our way it may prove to be beneficial in many respects and ultimately enhance our economic future. I resent rather the lack of regard and the manipulation of the public by the officials responsible. The lack of usable and comparable factual information related to this process and inadequate time for public response contributes to the distain the public has toward our elected officials.
The creation of a Manor Tollway rather than address the problems of the Manor bottleneck of rush hour traffic to and from daily commutes to Austin will instead exacerbate this problem. I was told by a Tx Dot official that because of Manor citizens opposition to the tollroad at previous hearings the resolution of 290 East traffic resolutions through the city of Manor has been postponed to a later date. Unfortunately the planning by business interests for commercial endeavors benefiting our community rests on the planning and acceptance of a final 290 traffic plan through Manor by state and city officials.
Making the Manor “Tollway” Expressway Palatable
If there is no other means of securing funding….
The CAMPO board should endeavor to secure funding for a of 33% to 50% of the $625 million budget from the state or federal funds. Postpone construction until reasonable partial funding is available. The citizens who daily will be forced to use this tollroad are the most economically disadvantaged group within Travis County and can least afford the extra expenses involved.
Future funding for paying down the debt of this roadway should be pursued when the federal resolution to highway construction expenses is addressed in the near term.
Funding for this facility should eliminate “built in” profit for the advancing of other CTRMA transportation endeavors.
Maintenance for the roadway should be be paid for by funds made available to TxDot consistent with TxDot responsibilities for maintenance of other state highways.
The tollway must be made affordable for the daily users of this roadway rather than the occasional user.
Please call it the “Manor Tollway” and not the Manor “Expressway”.
In fairness,
Jim Lutz
14812 FM 973N
Manor, Tx. 78653
JimLutz@BolaMan.com
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
290 E Finance Plan
This is a detailed explanation by Vince May of what drivers on 290 E might be paying in tolls during the next few years.
290 E Tolling Finance Plan
By Vincent J. May
CTRMA is requesting that CAMPO vote to approve their Finance Plan for building and operating Hwy 290E. Let's look at CTRMA's plan.
CTRMA says that the toll on opening day, which they say will be in 2013, will be "15 to 20 cents per mile" but they also state that this number is in 2007 dollars and that they will increase the toll each year until the road opens by the rate of Consumer Product Inflation (CPI) or the rate of per capita increase in Texas Gross State Product (GSP), whichever is greater. (CAMPO's web site, page 3)
Texas GSP increased by 5.1% in 2005 and regularly outperforms CPI. Let's calculate "20 cents per mile" with 6 years of 5.1% increases, compounded. (Wikipedia)
2007......2008......2009......2010......2011......2012.......2013
--20--------21.02------22.09------23.21-------24.40------25.64---------27-----
2014.....2015......2016.. ..2017......2018
28.33-----29.77-----31.29-----32.88------34.56
The first year that 290E opens we would most likely be paying 27 cents per mile. (CTRMA could choose a lower rate of increase that would yield 24 cents per mile but we already know that they will have to 'borrow' money from the 183A project if 290E tolls are too low, so that is unlikely.)
CTRMA says that the project is 6.2 toll-able miles. By multiplication we see that a one way toll on opening day would be $1.68, or $3.34 per day. If you drive 290E 6 days per week, that's $1,042 per year. But, that's not all. CTRMA is asking for authority to charge 50 cent tolls for use of flyover bridges at the 183 / 290E interchange. Note, when TxDOT was rebuilding 183, they designed the intersection to strongly influence people to use flyovers. E.g., people traveling west on 290E who turn onto northbound 183 can't get on the 183 mainlanes until after they go through the Cameron Rd intersection. Same thing for turning onto southbound 183. You are forced to go through the Springdale light before entering the 183 mainlanes.
Add another $156 dollars per year if you turn onto 183. That's $1,198 dollars per year. More than most 290E residents pay for health care. How do you do that on a fixed income? You don't. You drive the frontage roads. CTRMA has data on how many people it expects to be forced onto the frontage roads but they refuse to surrender this information, even though they paid $1.9 million dollars for it. (CTRMA is in criminal violation of Texas law by withholding the Traffic & Revenue Study.)
SH 130 is only 11 cents per mile. Why would CTRMA want to charge so much for using 290E? There are 2 reasons.
CTRMA proposes to build 290E entirely with borrowed money. Every highway built until now has had input from local funds (City and/or county), state (TxDOT or Mobility funds) and Federal. SH 130, Ben White Blvd, 183A had local, state and federal participation. People who live in East Travis County helped pay for these roads through our property taxes. But, now that TxDOT gets around to building our road, through their fully owned subsidiary, CTRMA, the well is dry. Why, those folks in East Travis are too stupid to know what's happening anyway.
The toll structure on 290E is not designed to pay for 290E. It is intended to generate revenue that will be used as seed money for converting more sections of 290E into more tolled miles. Then they will seed Parmer Lane as a toll road. The Mobility Authority could use our money to build roads in Williamson County. They could build TT-C railroad lines between Manor and Elgin. They will use our money to build utility lines into our neighborhoods. The utilities will be owned by the City of Austin and the city will annex our neighborhoods. Everything is possible when you create a Mobility Authority, instead of a Highway Authority or a Tollway Authority. 'Mobility' subsumes everything that moves, whether it is people in cars or turds in a pipe.
That's how a revenue generating toll road works. Promoters will tell you that your city and county property tax rates will go down if you support tolling. I hope you didn't fall for that one. Taxes always go up and you will probably get annexed and have to pay City of Austin property taxes. In ten years, 2018, a person getting on a tolled 290E at FM 973 would be paying $2,500 per year just to use 290E. (Most economists expect disposable incomes to decline (in constant dollars) over the next 10 years.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CAMPO is inviting your testimony on the 290E Finance Plan. Here is what I'm going to tell them:
I don't want 290E tolled. I will be happy if you just build one section of the project from 183 to the Manor Flea Market. This can be built for >$125 million, the same amount of subsidy that the City and County combined gave to the owners of the Domain shopping center. It is well known that you all intend to give more subsidies to other shopping center owners so you can just eliminate one of those gifts to pay for East Travis County's pressing road needs. In a few years, after Governor Perry and President Obama have increased the gas taxes, we can start on the next section of 290E.
If you (CAMPO) decide that tolling is the only way to build 290E, then I insist that:
CAMPO follows the traditional formula of local and state participation in financing the project. The object here is to lower the toll so that the maximum number of travelers be able to use 290E. I'm thinking of a 10 cent toll on opening day, with annual increases never exceeding CPI.
There will be no excess revenue generation. Toll money will only be used to retire bonds, pay operation fees, and repay any funds borrowed from 183A. There will be no "refunding" of the bonds which increases the original term of indenture, which will not be greater than 30 years. We do not want to create permanent debt for future generations.
Maintenance costs shall be paid by TxDOT. TxDOT got caught lying about its future revenue needs, by $30 billion dollars. Tell CTRMA to go back and renegotiate with TxDOT to shoulder the maintenance cost. TxDOT should not get a free ride.
The building plan is excessive. I count 8 bridges in 5 miles. Three of these bridges can be deferred for 10 or 20 years until traffic warrants building them. We do not need 4 direct connectors at 183. Two will suffice if TxDOT can be persuaded to improve access to 183 on the frontage roads.
CAMPO should censure CTRMA for devious practices. People in the 290E corridor have been denied access to the 290E Traffic & Revenue Study and other information that is necessary for any citizen in evaluating this project. This reproachful behavior must not be left unanswered.
290 E Tolling Finance Plan
By Vincent J. May
CTRMA is requesting that CAMPO vote to approve their Finance Plan for building and operating Hwy 290E. Let's look at CTRMA's plan.
CTRMA says that the toll on opening day, which they say will be in 2013, will be "15 to 20 cents per mile" but they also state that this number is in 2007 dollars and that they will increase the toll each year until the road opens by the rate of Consumer Product Inflation (CPI) or the rate of per capita increase in Texas Gross State Product (GSP), whichever is greater. (CAMPO's web site, page 3)
Texas GSP increased by 5.1% in 2005 and regularly outperforms CPI. Let's calculate "20 cents per mile" with 6 years of 5.1% increases, compounded. (Wikipedia)
2007......2008......2009......2010......2011......2012.......2013
--20--------21.02------22.09------23.21-------24.40------25.64---------27-----
2014.....2015......2016.. ..2017......2018
28.33-----29.77-----31.29-----32.88------34.56
The first year that 290E opens we would most likely be paying 27 cents per mile. (CTRMA could choose a lower rate of increase that would yield 24 cents per mile but we already know that they will have to 'borrow' money from the 183A project if 290E tolls are too low, so that is unlikely.)
CTRMA says that the project is 6.2 toll-able miles. By multiplication we see that a one way toll on opening day would be $1.68, or $3.34 per day. If you drive 290E 6 days per week, that's $1,042 per year. But, that's not all. CTRMA is asking for authority to charge 50 cent tolls for use of flyover bridges at the 183 / 290E interchange. Note, when TxDOT was rebuilding 183, they designed the intersection to strongly influence people to use flyovers. E.g., people traveling west on 290E who turn onto northbound 183 can't get on the 183 mainlanes until after they go through the Cameron Rd intersection. Same thing for turning onto southbound 183. You are forced to go through the Springdale light before entering the 183 mainlanes.
Add another $156 dollars per year if you turn onto 183. That's $1,198 dollars per year. More than most 290E residents pay for health care. How do you do that on a fixed income? You don't. You drive the frontage roads. CTRMA has data on how many people it expects to be forced onto the frontage roads but they refuse to surrender this information, even though they paid $1.9 million dollars for it. (CTRMA is in criminal violation of Texas law by withholding the Traffic & Revenue Study.)
SH 130 is only 11 cents per mile. Why would CTRMA want to charge so much for using 290E? There are 2 reasons.
CTRMA proposes to build 290E entirely with borrowed money. Every highway built until now has had input from local funds (City and/or county), state (TxDOT or Mobility funds) and Federal. SH 130, Ben White Blvd, 183A had local, state and federal participation. People who live in East Travis County helped pay for these roads through our property taxes. But, now that TxDOT gets around to building our road, through their fully owned subsidiary, CTRMA, the well is dry. Why, those folks in East Travis are too stupid to know what's happening anyway.
The toll structure on 290E is not designed to pay for 290E. It is intended to generate revenue that will be used as seed money for converting more sections of 290E into more tolled miles. Then they will seed Parmer Lane as a toll road. The Mobility Authority could use our money to build roads in Williamson County. They could build TT-C railroad lines between Manor and Elgin. They will use our money to build utility lines into our neighborhoods. The utilities will be owned by the City of Austin and the city will annex our neighborhoods. Everything is possible when you create a Mobility Authority, instead of a Highway Authority or a Tollway Authority. 'Mobility' subsumes everything that moves, whether it is people in cars or turds in a pipe.
That's how a revenue generating toll road works. Promoters will tell you that your city and county property tax rates will go down if you support tolling. I hope you didn't fall for that one. Taxes always go up and you will probably get annexed and have to pay City of Austin property taxes. In ten years, 2018, a person getting on a tolled 290E at FM 973 would be paying $2,500 per year just to use 290E. (Most economists expect disposable incomes to decline (in constant dollars) over the next 10 years.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CAMPO is inviting your testimony on the 290E Finance Plan. Here is what I'm going to tell them:
I don't want 290E tolled. I will be happy if you just build one section of the project from 183 to the Manor Flea Market. This can be built for >$125 million, the same amount of subsidy that the City and County combined gave to the owners of the Domain shopping center. It is well known that you all intend to give more subsidies to other shopping center owners so you can just eliminate one of those gifts to pay for East Travis County's pressing road needs. In a few years, after Governor Perry and President Obama have increased the gas taxes, we can start on the next section of 290E.
If you (CAMPO) decide that tolling is the only way to build 290E, then I insist that:
CAMPO follows the traditional formula of local and state participation in financing the project. The object here is to lower the toll so that the maximum number of travelers be able to use 290E. I'm thinking of a 10 cent toll on opening day, with annual increases never exceeding CPI.
There will be no excess revenue generation. Toll money will only be used to retire bonds, pay operation fees, and repay any funds borrowed from 183A. There will be no "refunding" of the bonds which increases the original term of indenture, which will not be greater than 30 years. We do not want to create permanent debt for future generations.
Maintenance costs shall be paid by TxDOT. TxDOT got caught lying about its future revenue needs, by $30 billion dollars. Tell CTRMA to go back and renegotiate with TxDOT to shoulder the maintenance cost. TxDOT should not get a free ride.
The building plan is excessive. I count 8 bridges in 5 miles. Three of these bridges can be deferred for 10 or 20 years until traffic warrants building them. We do not need 4 direct connectors at 183. Two will suffice if TxDOT can be persuaded to improve access to 183 on the frontage roads.
CAMPO should censure CTRMA for devious practices. People in the 290E corridor have been denied access to the 290E Traffic & Revenue Study and other information that is necessary for any citizen in evaluating this project. This reproachful behavior must not be left unanswered.
Comment to CAMPO re 290 E tolling
I have been out of town and neglecting my blogging. This is very late notice, but I'm posting the message sent to the ACRE email group about commenting to CAMPO about tolling 290 East. The deadline is tomorrow, November 19.
CAMPO is accepting comments from the public about the tolling of 290 East. There are two parts of their plan to comment on—the Statement of Purpose and the Financial Plan.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
290 East Toll Project
The Statement of Purpose calls for creating a “system” comprised of 183A and 290 E. Among other problems, this plan violates the Eckhardt covenant against using revenue from one toll area to benefit another area. The Statement of Purpose is at campotexas.org.
You may submit comments to CAMPO by fax or email until November 19.
fax 512-974-6385
email campo@campotexas.org
FINANCIAL PLAN
290 East Toll Project
The Financial Plan was developed to fund 290 E tolling. It includes the possibility that revenue from 183A and 290 E could be used to support each other. I really don’t see why there are two plans to comment on, since both seem to say that 183A and 290 E will be in one system with revenues from 183A backing up 290 E. Be that as it may, comments are being taken on the Financial Plan until November 19.
fax 512-974-6385
email campo@campotexas.org
HELPFUL INFO FROM BEKI HALPIN OF THE FIX 290 GROUP
Beki says, “CAMPO counts these remarks as ‘for the project’ or ‘against the project.’ Or ‘for the financing mechanism’ or ‘against the financing mechanism.’”
So if you want to register your opinion about tolling 290 E in a simple way, just send CAMPO an email at campo@campotexas.org saying, for example, “I am against the 290 E project, and I am against the 290 E financing mechanism.” Or you could send two emails—one against the 290 E project and one against the 290 E financing mechanism.
Beki continues, “Pro-toll groups get their members to email in mass to CAMPO in support of projects like this one just to inflate the numbers that support the project. . . . Let’s make our voice heard too.”
It is especially important for those who are in the 290 E area and will have to pay these tolls just to commute to send in comments.
CAMPO is accepting comments from the public about the tolling of 290 East. There are two parts of their plan to comment on—the Statement of Purpose and the Financial Plan.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
290 East Toll Project
The Statement of Purpose calls for creating a “system” comprised of 183A and 290 E. Among other problems, this plan violates the Eckhardt covenant against using revenue from one toll area to benefit another area. The Statement of Purpose is at campotexas.org.
You may submit comments to CAMPO by fax or email until November 19.
fax 512-974-6385
email campo@campotexas.org
FINANCIAL PLAN
290 East Toll Project
The Financial Plan was developed to fund 290 E tolling. It includes the possibility that revenue from 183A and 290 E could be used to support each other. I really don’t see why there are two plans to comment on, since both seem to say that 183A and 290 E will be in one system with revenues from 183A backing up 290 E. Be that as it may, comments are being taken on the Financial Plan until November 19.
fax 512-974-6385
email campo@campotexas.org
HELPFUL INFO FROM BEKI HALPIN OF THE FIX 290 GROUP
Beki says, “CAMPO counts these remarks as ‘for the project’ or ‘against the project.’ Or ‘for the financing mechanism’ or ‘against the financing mechanism.’”
So if you want to register your opinion about tolling 290 E in a simple way, just send CAMPO an email at campo@campotexas.org saying, for example, “I am against the 290 E project, and I am against the 290 E financing mechanism.” Or you could send two emails—one against the 290 E project and one against the 290 E financing mechanism.
Beki continues, “Pro-toll groups get their members to email in mass to CAMPO in support of projects like this one just to inflate the numbers that support the project. . . . Let’s make our voice heard too.”
It is especially important for those who are in the 290 E area and will have to pay these tolls just to commute to send in comments.
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