“The federal stimulus spending plan takes America in the wrong direction, but if the funds are going to be used, they must not fund programs that create future financial obligations for Texas. “Spending stimulus funds on transportation is dicey because of the significant cost to maintain highways. TxDOT should consider future costs when selecting stimulus projects so they don’t create an unsustainable burden on the gas tax.
“Toll roads can be an appropriate use of stimulus funding, but TxDOT should be careful to avoid double taxation by ensuring that the toll rates only reflect the cost of operations, maintenance and expansion; not the initial construction costs that were paid by stimulus funds.”
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