Vote 'yes' for road bond proposition
STATE SEN. GLENN HEGAR

Nov. 6 is Election Day.

While it is easy to overlook its significance as we near a presidential election, it will impact all of us and is important for a number of reasons, a key reason being the health of our state highway system.

Mobility is an issue that affects every Texan. On a day-to-day basis, our only notice of it may be the length of our commute, but there are many issues at stake when we discuss mobility: the suitability of our highway system in the face of a rapidly expanding population, traffic congestion, air pollution, deterioration of our roads and bridges, roadway safety, and finally, the fact that a healthy mobility system is vital to the continued economic prosperity of our great state.

On Nov. 6, we will have the opportunity to go to the polls and consider Proposition 12, which will "authorize the Texas Transportation Commission to issue up to $5 billion in general obligation bonds to provide funding for highway improvement projects."

Sen. John Carona authored the legislation that led to Proposition 12, and he will write the legislation to implement the bonds during the next legislative session.

One of the things important to many Texans is limiting the increased use of tolled roadways.

With that in mind, I visited with Sen. Carona and am very pleased to share his commitment to ensuring that no funds authorized by Proposition 12 will go to tolled roadway projects, an effort I will throw my full support behind.

With almost 80,000 miles of roads, Texas has the largest state-maintained highway system in America, but ranks 44th in state per-capita spending on highways. The simple fact is that Texas roads and bridges need help. Research shows we'll need to transfer about $6 billion from the construction budget to the maintenance budget over the next five years just to preserve the current quality of the state's road and bridge network.

The passage of Proposition 12, along with action by the next legislature, will allow the state to complete many needed transportation projects that otherwise could not be undertaken for many years because the money to do so is simply not available. It will mean that Texas can start relieving traffic congestion.

It will mean that we can start repairing deteriorating roads and bridges. It will also mean that many communities, including those in Senate District 18, will not be left out when the state's highway funds are distributed.

The biggest transportation problems are, of course, in the big urban areas like Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio. So why should the many residents of Senate District 18 care? Because our communities also have significant infrastructure needs, and because the more limited state funds become for transportation, the more likely it becomes that dollars outlaid to smaller communities in Senate District 18 will be redirected to the major metroplex areas.

Additionally, while our communities remain largely free of the congestion and pollution that Texas' big cities have, it is important to continue funding our transportation needs to ensure that we maintain our current quality of life.

A final issue to consider in determining your vote on Proposition 12 is that during the past 25 years, our road use increased by 95 percent, but road capacity only increased by 8 percent. Meanwhile, over the next 25 years, road use will grow by an astonishing 200 percent. To keep up with that explosive growth, it is imperative that we approach capacity expansion proactively and begin to address our future transportation needs now.

The need for innovative solutions and multiple revenue streams is clear. I urge you to recognize that a piece of this puzzle sits before us: Proposition 12.

I encourage you to vote yes to this important proposal on Nov. 6, and join me in helping to provide the means to meet our future mobility needs.