1. Rough road ahead
for Texas drivers
Texas is one of the fastest growing states in
the nation but the Texas highways system has
failed to keep up with the state’s growing
population, economy and traffic.
Every year, our highways become more con-
gested and less safe. If Texas stays on its current
course, the outlook for the future is even worse.
Here are the facts
Over the past 20 years, Texas’ population has grown 46 percent; the number of vehicles has
increased 52 percent but the capacity of the highway system has only grown about 6 percent.
• Bad pavement costs Texas drivers $343 per year in added vehicle repairs.
• Traffic congestion wastes more than a million gallons of gas every day.
• The fatality rate on rural highways is more than double the rate on other roads.
• Since 1986, more than $13 billion has been diverted from the highway fund to other
parts of the state budget.
For more information, contact Texas Good Roads/Transportation Association
1122 Colorado, Suite 305, Austin, TX 78701 512-478-9351 www.tgrta.com
How can we avoid a highway funding crisis?
The following steps won’t solve all our highway problems but they would keep our roads from getting
even worse in the years ahead.
1. Complete the final $2 billion of the highway bond program approved by Texas voters in 2007.
2. Reduce the diversion of $700 million per year from the highway fund.
3. Find other methods to pay for highway bonds instead of borrowing from future highway revenues.
If you are concerned about the condition of the Texas highway system, you should contact your state
senator and your state representative. To find out who represents you in the Texas Legislature, go to this
website: www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us.
If nothing changes, the level of funding for new
maintenance and construction contracts for next year
and the years beyond will drop to the lowest level
since 1997.When adjusted for inflation, funding will
actually be 65 percent less than 1997.
The only way to fund new construction will be
The cost of doing nothing
to sacrifice maintenance of the current system. As
a result, urban commuting times and fuel waste will
double over the next 15 years.
Inadequate, poorly maintained roads will slow
economic development, reducing job growth by
43,000 jobs over the next five years.