Texas Department of Transportation Commission Meeting

Dewitt C. Greer Building
125 East 11th Street
Austin, Texas

9:00 a.m. Thursday, June 26, 2003

COMMISSION MEMBERS:

JOHN W. JOHNSON, Chairman
ROBERT L. NICHOLS
RIC WILLIAMSON
 

STAFF:

MIKE W. BEHRENS, Executive Director
RICHARD MONROE, General Counsel
CHERYL M. WILLIAMS, Executive Assistant to the Deputy Executive Director
DEE HERNANDEZ, Minute Order Clerk

MR. JOHNSON: Good morning. It's 9:12 a.m. and this meeting of the Texas Transportation Commission is called to order. According to that clock, it's 9:13 a.m.  I stand corrected. Welcome to our June meeting. It is a pleasure to have you here today.

I will note for the record that public notice of this meeting, containing all items of the agenda, was filed with the Office of the Secretary of State at 3:38 p.m. on June 18, 2003. Normally at this time I ask my colleagues on the commission if they have any items of note that they would like to mention.

But I'm going to exercise a little privilege of the chair and start, and what I wanted to mention, the gentlemen that flank me, Robert Nichols and Ric Williamson, probably worked pretty close to 24 hours, seven days from early January through the end of May -- actually to early June -- and what was accomplished in the legislature for this department and this state is primarily because of the hard work that they did and also the incredible work that the staff of this department did.

And so I publicly want to acknowledge the great work that you two gentlemen did in leadership of our legislative issues. And I also wanted to note that Mr. Nichols has been reappointed to a six-year term.

(Applause.)

MR. JOHNSON: And I think the governor could not have made a more outstanding appointment.

And having said that, Ric, I'll go to you and see if you have any comments.

MR. WILLIAMSON: Good morning, everyone. Thank you for coming. It's the first meeting after the legislature -- thank you, Mr. Averitt, Ms. Delisi, and whomever else is out there that I didn't see -- the first meeting after the legislature decided to take a chance. And I think all three commissioners and the staff understand that following the governor's lead, the legislature has said we're going to think big, we're going to take risks, we've got to do some things fast to address problems, and I personally appreciate that trust and confidence, Mr. Averitt and Ms. Delisi and whoever else might be here, and we shall not fail.

MR. JOHNSON: Robert?

MR. NICHOLS: Well, thanks for the comment. I guess I'm the oldest one on the commission right now, and as soon as I get sworn back in again, I'll be the youngest one on the commission again.

MR. JOHNSON: I think you'll always remain the oldest.

(General laughter.)

MR. NICHOLS: I also wanted to thank Representative Delisi and Senator Averitt for their support you gave transportation this session. It was a truly remarkable session -- one of the most progressive transportation packages passed, trauma care and all that -- in many decades, and I think the public does not fully understand the ramifications, but they will as time moves on. Those who are in the transportation business I think do understand what's in there, and it was truly amazing, and we appreciate the work you did which was quite a bit.

I wanted to welcome everybody here. There's several groups today and some have driven through Interstate 35 which is a thing on its own, and some have come as far as from the Valley in a different group, and we appreciate very much the efforts that those of you who come from your communities, efforts you go to to point out to us what you're working on and what your dreams and plans are for your community, and we appreciate that. So thank you very much.

MR. JOHNSON: Thanks.

The first item on the agenda is a public hearing relating to the Project Selection Process, and Jim Randall, if you'll step forward and open the meeting.

MR. RANDALL: Thank you, commissioners. My name is Jim Randall, director of the Transportation Planning and Programming Division for TxDOT. The notice for this public hearing was filed with the Secretary of State on May 16, 2003 and published in the Texas Register on May 30, 2003. This presentation and hearing represents a collaborative effort by TxDOT staff, the metropolitan planning organizations, county judges, regional planning councils, and the Texas Transportation Institute.

Montie Wade, a senior research engineer for the Texas Transportation Institute, deserves recognition for his and his staff's facilitation of the work groups and the production of the recommendation reports. They worked with over 145 individuals from TxDOT and our transportation partners, organizing and scheduling meetings, as well as recording the meeting notes from each workshop.

Now let's review the restructuring of the Unified Transportation Program.

In January 2001, we requested the Texas Transportation Institute to perform a survey of TxDOT district planning and metropolitan planning organization personnel, as well as county judges. The survey focused on the perceived limitations in TxDOT's Project Selection and Funds Distribution Process and their suggested improvements. TxDOT received the final report from the Texas Transportation Institute on June 5, 2001. The report has resulted in specific recommendations that TxDOT has used to improve the highway construction project development process and the general understanding and acceptance of TxDOT procedures.

There were two central recommendations produced from the survey. The first was to decrease the number of categories. The number of categories has been reduced from 34 down to 12. Also, the nomenclature used for a project's development stage has been changed to terms which convey a truer picture of what work is being done in that stage. Long Range Projects became PLAN; Priority 2 became DEVELOP, and Priority 1 became CONSTRUCT.

The second recommendation proposed the department hold outreach programs to educate the public on project selection and funds distribution. This will allow individuals outside the department to obtain a better understanding of TxDOT's guidelines, rules and procedures.

We agreed. My staff is currently developing several components to this outreach program including: brochure and a video production, both of which will give a simple overview of the project selection and funds distribution process, and manuals and training courses for department personnel, metropolitan planning organizations, and the public.

In addition, the department asked the metropolitan planning organizations, county judges, and regional planning council staffs to become our partners in the restructuring of the Unified Transportation Program. They were asked to participate and collaborate on the funding formulas and project selection process recommendations we present to you today. We appreciate the work and time our partners have dedicated to this process.

Today we'll be talking about the output of five recommendation reports regarding the following highway construction programs:

Category 1 - Preventive Maintenance and Rehabilitation

Category 11 - District Discretionary

Category 2 - Metropolitan Area Corridor Projects

Category 3 - Urban Area Corridor Projects

Category 4 - Statewide Connectivity Corridor Projects

The categories are not listed in numerical order for a reason. The first two, Category 1 and Category 11, are allocation programs. Therefore, the work groups developed allocation formulas for use in distributing these funds to our 25 districts based on quantifiable need.

The last three categories are project-specific programs. The work groups developed project selection processes to recommend to the commission.

First, let's discuss Category 1, Preventive Maintenance and Rehabilitation. This category is part of our Statewide Preservation Program and is included in the Maintain It budget strategy. This category addresses the commission's commitment to preserve the existing highway network and protect the state's previous investments.

The Preventive Maintenance and Rehabilitation Work Group developed two formulas for allocating funds: one for preventive maintenance and one for rehabilitation.

Preventive maintenance is work performed on a highway pavement on a periodic basis in order to keep the pavement structure sound and avoid more costly repairs in the future. Examples of preventive maintenance include: seal coats, asphalt concrete pavement overlays, cleaning and sealing joints and cracks, and restoring drainage systems.

The preventive maintenance formula developed by the work group has four criteria:

The first US state highway system lane miles - this criteria represents system size and the need to perform certain basic preventive maintenance to a pavement regardless of the traffic volumes.

Vehicle miles traveled per lane mile - this criteria represents use and can be an indicator of how quickly the pavement wears.

Next, the condition of the pavement - our Construction Division does an extensive job of grading the pavements throughout the state and this criteria is intended to bring improvements to pavements in poor condition first.

And finally, the area of bridge decks - this criteria represents the need to perform preventive maintenance to a bridge deck regardless of the traffic volumes.

Next, rehabilitation. Rehabilitation is work that will improve serviceability and extend the service life of existing highways. Work may include: replacing pavements, improving the sub grade, upgrading geometric features such as shoulder widening and minor horizontal alignment.

The rehabilitation formula developed by the work group has the following criteria:

First, the amount of heavy wheel loads -- this criteria represents the cause of pavement damage in terms of wear and tear from passing vehicles, especially trucks.

The condition of the pavement -- again, as in the preventive maintenance formula, this criteria is intended to bring improvements to the pavements in the poorest conditions first.

State highway system lane miles -- this criteria represents system size and the need to perform rehabilitation to a pavement regardless of the traffic volumes.

Vehicle miles traveled -- this criteria represents use and can be an indicator of how quickly the pavement wears.

The condition of the bridge decks -- this criteria indicates the bridge decks that are in less than desirable condition and allows the district engineers to rehabilitate bridge decks.

Miles of operational Intelligent Transportation Systems -- this system enhances the operations of our roadways but these systems from time to time must be rehabilitated as well. This criteria is used to send funds to the areas with Intelligent Transportation Systems in order to keep their Intelligent Transportation Systems reliable and efficient. Some examples include control centers, closed circuit TV, changeable message signs, and pavement sensors.

And finally, miles of narrow two-lane roads -- this criteria allows the district engineer to add shoulders to narrow roadways during rehabilitation operations.

The next work group tasked with developing a formula for a TxDOT allocation program was the Category 11, District Discretionary Work Group. These category funds are distributed to the districts to be used at the district engineer's discretion. The work group recommended three criteria to be used to distribute these funds:

First, vehicle miles traveled -- this criteria indicates system use or activity and thus is a relative measure of repair or improvement needs to the highway system in the district.

Next, state highway system lane miles -- this criteria represents system size and the need to enhance and preserve the highway system regardless of the traffic volumes.

And finally, vehicle miles traveled (trucks only) -- this work group used this criteria as a relative measure of truck wear and damage to a district's highway pavements.

The following categories, Category 2, 3 and 4 are part of our Statewide Mobility Program and are included in the Build It budget strategy.

The Category 2, Metropolitan Area Corridor Projects Work Group was tasked with establishing a list of prioritized corridor segments in the eight metropolitan areas with populations exceeding 200,000. This work group was composed of staffs from the metropolitan planning organizations and the staff from their respective TxDOT district offices. First, this group determined the appropriate funding targets for each metropolitan area based upon a set of objective data.

The objective data included: total vehicle miles traveled; population of the metropolitan area; vehicle miles traveled for trucks only; lane miles of roadway; fatal and incapacitating accidents; population under the federal poverty level.

The data was used to produce a relative target share of Category 2 funds each metropolitan area should anticipate on an annual 5-year and 15-year time period. Each metropolitan area then developed a corridor improvement plan for a projected 15 years based upon the target amount of funds to their area over that 15-year period. The total funding for Category 2 over the 15-year period is forecasted to be approximately $10 billion. Therefore, each metropolitan planning organization, with the assistance of their districts, listed projects which will improve essential highway corridors in their area staying at or below the target funding amount for their area.

In addition, all eight areas prioritized their corridor segments and grouped them into three 5-year increments over the 15-year time period. Each metropolitan area will receive one-third of its target funding in each 5-year increment in order to assure equity in the selection of the corridor improvements.

The Category 2 Work Group also made the following recommendations:

In the 2005 Unified Transportation Program, the commission should grant development authority to the corridor improvement projects in the first five years of the 15-year time period.

Next, they recommended to give authority to administratively adjust local priorities within funding targets.

And finally, they recommended to reconvene the work group in five years to review and recalculate funding targets, adjust local priorities and cost estimates.

The report contains letters of support from all eight metropolitan planning organizations indicating unanimous support for the process used by the groups and the recommendations made by the groups.

As mentioned previously, the second mobility category is Category 3, Urban Area Corridor Projects. Like Category 2, this work group was tasked with establishing a list of prioritized corridor segments. This work group was composed of staffs from the 17 urban metropolitan planning organizations -- that is, the metropolitan planning organizations with populations less than 200,000 but greater than 50,000 -- and their respective district staffs. The Category 3 group also determined the appropriate funding targets for each of their areas based on a set of objective data.

This objective data included: total vehicle miles traveled; population of the urban area; vehicle miles traveled (trucks only); centerline miles of roadways; lane miles of roadways; fatal and incapacitating accidents; and population under the federal poverty level.

The data was used to produce a relative target share of Category 3 funds each area should anticipate, again, on an annual 5-year and 15-year time period. Just as Category 2, each of the areas then developed a corridor improvement plan for a projected 15 years based upon the target amount of funds to the area over that 15-year period. The total funding from Category 3 over a 15-year period is forecasted to be approximately $1.7 billion. Therefore, each urban metropolitan planning organization, with the assistance of their districts, listed projects which will improve essential highway corridors in their areas, staying at or below the target funding.

Again, all areas prioritized their corridor segments and grouped them into three 5-year increments over the 15-year time period. Just as the Category 2 Work Group, each area would receive one-third of its target funding in each 5-year increment in order to assure equity in the selection of corridor improvements.

The Category 4 Statewide Connectivity Work Group was tasked with prioritizing corridor projects outside the state's metropolitan areas. This group recommended a statewide highway connectivity network which included: the Texas Trunk System; the National Highway System; and connections from Texas Trunk System or National Highway System to major ports or international borders or Texas water ports.

The goal of the work group was for the highway network to consist of roads with four or more lanes. For this reason, Farm to Market or Ranch to Market roads were not included in the connectivity network.

Within the statewide connectivity network, the work group identified mobility corridors, connectivity corridors, and strategic corridors.

The Category 4 Work Group also established selection criteria and weighting factors to prioritize corridor segments on the mobility corridor, the connectivity corridors, and the strategic corridors. The selection criteria included consideration of: two-lane bottlenecks; traffic; truck traffic; congestion; military deployment/disaster preparedness routes; and connectivity to major ports of entry.

Though the corridor segments were prioritized, the work group did not make specific project recommendations. My staff would work with the commission in establishing funding targets for these corridors and scheduling project development in the affected districts.

The Category 4 Work Group also made the following recommendation: that the Phase I Texas Trunk System projects should be developed and funded before any new Category 4 connectivity corridors were undertaken.

This concludes my presentation. If you would like to read the recommendation reports in their entirety, you can access them via the internet.

If you have any comments regarding the recommendation reports, please mail them to the address shown. Deadline for comments is August 11, 2003. We also have handouts in the lobby with this information. Thank you.

MR. JOHNSON: Robert or Ric, do you have any questions or observations for Jim?

MR. WILLIAMSON: I have one or two but I yield to my senior colleagues.

MR. NICHOLS: Is he talking about you or me?

MR. JOHNSON: That's a good question.

(General laughter.)

MR. NICHOLS: I'll make some comments. For those of you in the audience who are not familiar or understand the extent to which this change goes, I will tell you it is a very dramatic and I think positive change in the way the department analyzes transportation projects and allocates funding across the state. The public, the communities, the legislature several years ago asked us to, first of all, try to simplify the process so people can understand it better. We had evolved into 34 funding categories, each of which had its own formulas, and so the public, whether you were a mayor, a county commissioner, or chamber of commerce, trying to understand how we funded highways, there were segmentized formulas using a cost-effectiveness index -- which was a very logical thing -- and each of these were in a wide range of categories, so it was very difficult to understand which pot of money you were looking at.

But the system served the state well for a number of years, but we finally reached the point where the categories had gotten so complicated, so many of them, and in the communities the needs were so great and the funds were so short that just because it was scoring the highest, based on our formulas, wasn't necessarily the projects that the community as a whole felt was most important for their area or region.

So this, in effect, simplifies the categories. It establishes, if you're a metropolitan area or if you're an urbanized area, in the future -- there's a transition period in here -- a known amount of dollars to work with in your area. And the locals, through their MPOs or whatever, are going to have a lot more input into the selection or recommendations of which projects are selected in those areas through our process, so you will be much more involved.

I think it's great. I commend the staff for the work you've done. I know that you worked on it for a couple of years now and it's pretty dramatic. And I know we have already gathered a lot of information and input from around the state, but it's very important for the public to understand that if you have more comments related to this stuff, bring them in and be specific about them. Thank you.

MR. JOHNSON: Ric.

MR. WILLIAMSON: Good work. Two years ago, Chairman Johnson started the department down the road of developing a truly strategic plan as opposed to a process plan, and he invited transportation participants from around the state to help him develop that plan. And then we quickly, after the Chairman's strategic plan process was almost finished, began to ask our friends in the legislature to allow us to begin to change our budget document and our state strategic plan, to follow that. We asked for the whole thing; the legislature was a little bit uncomfortable in the whole thing but they let us start, and I'm told that Mr. Bivins and Mr. Heflin support generally our movement towards that in two years.

So what we're trying to do is set a strategic plan, a budget document and an operational plan that all use the same terms, that mean the same thing, that link back and link forward, and I think that's a great advance for transportation clarity for the public.

Because we have people from Temple here and because I get to be the guy on the commission that sometimes scowls, I want to ask you a question in order to make a point, and I hope the answer is what I expect -- if it's not, I'm going to be embarrassed.

MR. RANDALL: No pressure.

MR. WILLIAMSON: As we implement this, have we put in place safeguards that will never allow the communities we work with and our employees in those communities to ever again be put into the corner of: You told us you would build this and it's not being built because the price of that project ten years ago when it went into the plan is doubled, but we don't reflect that in our plan?

One of our goals in this was to strip out for ourselves and for the communities such as Temple that we deal with any false sense that a project approved today at $100 million is going to be built even if it goes to $500 million ten years from now.

MR. RANDALL: Yes, sir. We're now incorporating the factor of the inflation factor in all the projections and all the cost estimates. What's in the UTP should be what the actual cost of that project is, so there shouldn't be any surprises.

MR. WILLIAMSON: And the commission has committed itself and is going down a path of if it's in the UTP, we're going to build it if it's in CONSTRUCT, and if it's not in CONSTRUCT, our successors are not going to be told that we were promised to build something ten years from now because it's got to get to CONSTRUCT in order to be built, and it won't get in CONSTRUCT because we have a financially constrained plan, unless we can pay for it.

MR. RANDALL: That's correct.

MR. WILLIAMSON: That was one objective of the governor and the commission, and that alone is a significant step in this process. We should tell the public the truth all the time; we should not promise what we can't deliver; and we should deliver what we say we will. And this document should reflect that. I appreciate the work. Thank you.

MR. RANDALL: Yes, sir.

MR. JOHNSON: Jim, I had two or three thoughts. First, to reinforce what Robert and Ric have said, this is a huge, massive undertaking and I think one that was probably long overdue because the complexity of our UTP had grown and grown to where it took somebody who was very familiar with the department and what we do to understand all the parts of the UTP. And I want to congratulate you and your staff and everybody involved with where we are and where I'm sure we're going to end up landing.

The thought that I had -- I notice that we have a built-in 5-year review of what has happened -- I have a little bit of concern that perhaps we ought to shorten that to maybe three years because we're making an assumption that we're getting it right the first time, and I hope we do, but that, in at least my experience in the business world and the other worlds that I am involved in, it's somewhat of a rare bird that we get it right the first time. So I hope that we have a mechanism whereby we can review periodically to make sure that we're: one, in the right fairway; and secondly, that we're doing the appropriate thing with a minor tweaking or a massage.

I know there are a lot of formulae involved, and I'm not saying that we need to go back and review those on a yearly basis or every two or three years, but I just think we need the flexibility to make sure we're on the right flight path and we're going to land where we need to be in an equitable, fair and constructive way.

The other observation I had is we have several starting points, and it occurs to me that if we take three-year averages to get to those starting points -- and I'm talking primarily Category 1 where we've taken a three-year average of ride scores and pavement scores -- it occurs to me that a starting point ought to be a point and not sort of a motion picture. It ought to be a still shot and the most current data available might be the most appropriate place to start. That's just a personal opinion and something that I submit for consideration.

MR. RANDALL: Yes, sir.

MR. JOHNSON: Otherwise, great job and I think we're well on the way to simplifying, making it more understandable, and as Ric has certainly indicated, something that is a tool within which we will stay and I think that benefits everybody, people within the department and of course the users of the system, who are, in essence, our customers.

MR. RANDALL: Thank you, sir.

Staff know we've got comments number one and two to address immediately during the comment period. On the 5-year, that was a recommendation from the work group, and so again, we're out for public comment until August 11. We'll gather up those comments and then come back with a recommendation to the administration and of course to the commission on the various products. It's not in stone, the 5-year, it was just a recommendation from that work group. And also the starting point, we're flexible with that too. So those will be the first two comments we'll address when we come back to the commission with a recommendation.

MR. JOHNSON: Great.

This closes the hearing, and we will move into the delegation part of our agenda.

(Whereupon, the public hearing was concluded.)

(Whereupon, the meeting was recessed, to reconvene following the Public Hearing.)

WACO METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION AND

KILLEEN-TEMPLE URBAN TRANSPORTATION STUDY

MR. JOHNSON: The first delegation today is from the Waco Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Killeen-Temple Urban Transportation Study. Leading the delegation is Sally Myers, and she's the mayor pro-tem for the City of Temple and the chair of the Killeen-Temple Urban Transportation Study Policy Board.

Mayor Myers, welcome to the podium. We're delighted that you're here and hope that the journey down I-35 was not too congested.

MAYOR MYERS: Not too bad; we were surprised.

Good morning, commissioners. It's really a pleasure for us to be here today. Actually, I'm going to turn it over to Mayor Ethridge from the Waco MPO. She's going to do the introductions and then I'll be back in a little while after the video is done.

MAYOR ETHRIDGE: Thank you very much. I'm Linda Ethridge, mayor of Waco, Texas. We're delighted to be here with you today.

We have some very distinguished people with us, and I'm going to introduce some of them to you in just a moment, but I do know that Senator Averitt has a meeting that he has to make at 10:00, so I think we better start with Senator Averitt.

MR. WILLIAMSON: Somebody told me he was going to draw up a congressional district for Robert Nichols.

(General laughter.)

SENATOR AVERITT: We can talk. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and commissioners.

I've been before you on many occasions touting some very worthy projects in my district, projects that are the seed of economic development. Building the roads is the first part of economic expansion. Our state has been actually quite lucky in the scheme of the United States economic situation. We're still perking along, but slowly. I believe there's not dollars better spent than building roads to stimulate the economy. For example, I've been before you to talk about a bypass in Copperas Cove. A new road in Copperas Cove stimulates all types of entrepreneurial commercial development and residential areas that otherwise would not have happened -- a huge boom for a community like Copperas Cove in a new road.

Interstate 35 is the same thing for the State of Texas. It's the backbone of our economy; it's the backbone of international trade in the country. There's not a more important road that I know of in the State of Texas than Interstate 35. Built 50 years ago, as you know, it's pretty much getting to the end of its useful life as we know it today. You have put the expansion and improvement of 35 on your priority list. I'm here today to thank you for doing that and encourage you to keep it on your priority list and keep Interstate 35 funded, keep the progress moving. It's a long and drawn-out process, it's a difficult process going through metropolitan areas, rural areas, but it's important, not just for our communities in Central Texas but indeed for the entire state.

So I am here to encourage you to continue to keep the 35 project on the top of your priority list, to move forward. We've given you some new tools to deal with your job. I hope that they work and I hope that you'll give Interstate 35 some serious consideration on some of those new tools. And there are some things that I think the federal government is going to allow you to do on interstate highways that you haven't been able to do in the past, and I think we would be foolish not to examine thoroughly every option.

We are committed to doing whatever it takes to making Interstate 35 a safer, more pleasant drive not only for commerce but for folks like me who are on that damn road every day.

(General laughter.)

SENATOR AVERITT: And it's important for our communities, but it's also important for every community in this state; it is the backbone of our economy. And I want to encourage you; I'll work with you individually, as a group, however you see fit to see what we can do to utilize some of those new tools that are coming on line, and I just want to encourage you to be very aggressive. And any questions, I'd be happy to answer.

MR. WILLIAMSON: Well, Nichols said it best, but I have to repeat it: you're a tremendous friend of transportation, Senator, and we do appreciate so much your commitment.

SENATOR AVERITT: Well, thank you for your time, and I especially want to thank everybody here from the Central Texas area who came up to support the project, and most of them won't speak but we're here in force and en masse and in unison. So thank you very much, and thank you for everybody that came.

MR. JOHNSON: Thank you, Senator.

(Applause.)

MAYOR ETHRIDGE: Our delegation very much appreciates the opportunity to address you this morning. We have a good deal of respect for the work that you do, the responsibilities that you have, the significant challenges that you face, and we are very encouraged by the can-do attitude that you bring to your work, and we even understand when scowling is perhaps appropriate.

We're going to handle our time the following way: I'm going to tell you a little bit about the people who have come with us; and then after that, the mayor pro-tem of Temple Sally Myers, will speak -- well, before that we will have a video, and then Sally will speak; and then following her you will hear from Drayton McLane; and then I will be back with a few remarks; and then our delegation presentation is very well sandwiched today, we started with Senator Averitt and at the end of our delegation presentation you will hear from Representative Dianne Delisi. So that's kind of our plan.

We have several elected officials that are among our group, and I would like to mention their names to you and ask them to stand and remain standing. We have Sally Myers, who is the mayor pro-tem of Temple; we have the mayor of Temple, Bill Jones; we have the mayor of Harker Heights, Mary Gauer; we have the mayor of Killeen, Maureen Jewitt; we have the mayor of Belton, Dwayne Digby; and since I'm a mayor, that's why I'm introducing the mayors first.

We're also pleased to have with us Commissioner Joe Mashek from McLennan County; Council Member Maurice Labens of Waco; Council Woman Patsy Luna of Temple; Martha Tyroch of the Temple Council; Leroy Schiller, who is commissioner of Bell County; Jon Burrows, who is the Bell County judge; Ric Ash, who is an alderman in Salado; Robert Vincent, who is a commissioner in Lampasas County; and Tim Brown, who is commissioner in Bell County and he's also the past president and the current vice chair of the National Superhighway Coalition. And then we're also very pleased to have Jared Love, who is representing Senator John Cornyn; and we have Jerry Phillips, who is representing State Representative John Mabry.

And if I have missed any elected officials, please don't be shy -- which elected officials never are -- and stand up and say your name if I missed anyone. And we have Jay Brown from Senator Fraser's office, and I'm sorry I didn't have your name before.

And I'd like to ask all the other members of our delegation to please rise at this time. We're easy to spot; we have these nice big buttons. We actually are representing a population base of 450,000 people, so I appreciate everyone who came down. You may be seated now. And I will turn this over to the mayor pro-tem of Temple, Sally Myers. We'll do the video -- I keep trying to skip the video, but we really do want you to see it.

(Whereupon, the video was shown.)

MAYOR MYERS: Well, I don't think I have to say anything now; the video said just about everything. I am Sally Myers, the mayor pro-tem for the City of Temple, but I serve currently as the chair for the KTUTS which is really the Killeen-Temple MPO, and we are part of the delegation that is coming today, the Waco delegation and the KTUTS delegation.

You're seeing the slide that shows that we represent over 500,000 Texans in the area. Our region has grown by nearly 20 percent, along with the corridor between San Antonio and Dallas that has grown almost 30 percent. I think this is an interesting statistic that 40 percent of Texans live within 15 minutes of I-35 -- I didn't realize that at the time.

We have some real congestion issues along those older segments of I-35. Currently between our regions, 50- to 100,000 vehicles a day travel that central artery, and it moves all goods and people from rural to urban areas to the central cities like Killeen, Waco and Temple, to universities like Baylor and Mary Hardin-Baylor, and to our major military base at Fort Hood. The growth of this traffic volume has exceeded the capacity of the road.

Traffic volumes double almost every 20 years. It's been proven across Texas time and time again that traffic volumes can overwhelm roadways in a very short period of time. In McLennan and Bell Counties, I-35 is basically at the same traffic load design as when the original interstate was installed. That means that those traffic volumes will reach Level F or at best Level D with improvements in the near future.

A third of NAFTA truck traffic flows through this region. I don't think any of us ever realized what the volumes were going to be of that heavy truck traffic, plus the fact that the heavy weights of the trucks pound that I-35 roadway on a daily basis.

And we talked already in the video that I-35 is over 40 years old and most of the area that we're talking about through this region is one of the very first areas that was constructed. Sight distances, exit and entrance ramps, and bridge clearances are mostly substandard for the kind of cars and vehicles that are traveling on it today. Exit ramps and entrance ramps are difficult to negotiate with main-lane traffic an average of 15 miles per hour over the posted speed limits -- we all know that -- and short entrances onto the interstate can impact vehicular accident rates as people on I-35 are braking because you're trying to get on.

Frontage roads, unfortunately, through this area also are mostly two-way and are not continuous, and that's something that we think if that were the case, if we could have continuous one-way frontage roads along the existing corridor, that would actually alleviate some of the congestion along the main lanes.

Something that our community deals with, and I know the Waco community deals with, is the public safety issues that we have to contend with. These aren't just accidents; these are crashes, and they occur within our region three times a day. And we all know that it takes away our public safety people to work those accidents, to provide care to the people that are injured, and then it also causes backups along that roadway. The other thing that it does is when we have to put our police and our fire out on I-35 to take care of accidents, then we also are taking them off of our local streets.

We also know that Fort Hood is the largest military base in the world, certainly in Texas, and there are over 70,000 people who live on that base and 45,000 are active soldiers. Also, I-35 and US 190 are the primary deployment destinations for Fort Hood. Rapid deployment from Fort Hood is now mandatory. Military strategy has changed. It must be quick and decisive. It must be able to move its men, machinery and equipment to its ports and destinations in minimum time. We think I-35 is a critical link through our region for them to reach their deployment centers.

That's really all I have to say. I'm going to introduce Drayton McLane to let him visit with you a little bit about the business and commerce issues, and then if there are any questions, I'd be happy to answer those.

MR. JOHNSON: Drayton, before you get started, did the Astros have a scout at Round Rock on the 24th?

MR. McLANE: Well, that's our AA team and we keep scouts there all the time, so if you're available, we could certainly use your expertise also.

MR. JOHNSON: Well, we had a left-hander throw out the first pitch and I understand it was so impressive that it would be a bidding war between TxDOT and your organization, but he looks like a phenom, probably a middle-aged phenom. Mike Behrens threw out the first pitch, and I understand there was an argument with the umpire whether it was a ball or a strike, but the velocity was very impressive.

MR. McLANE: Well, Mr. Chairman, our project is very important to Central Texas and he is a person of great importance. We could let him be the starting pitcher for the Houston Astros at any point. And left-handed pitchers get a third more than right-handed pitchers, so I think his going price would be about $2 million a year. I would hate to see him take a pay cut, though.

(General laughter.)

MR. McLANE: Thank you, and our record is improving at Round Rock, so thank you for setting a good example for us.

Mr. Chairman and commissioners, thank you for allowing us to come and visit with you again. It's quite an honor to be here and to represent Central Texas.

You have heard from the political viewpoint the importance of this. I would like to just talk for just a minute about from the commerce and business. I have been in the logistic transportation business for over 40 years and we chose Temple back in 1966 because of its great location and because of I-35. If we compare the traffic on 35 in 1966 versus today, you couldn't even recognize it, and basically through Central Texas the system is today as it was then, and the traffic has certainly grown with great proportions.

Temple, Waco, Killeen, Belton is just a great location for industry. As they're serving not only Texas but about ten states and Texas, it's a great location and that's why so many. Tractor Supply, which is a great retail organization, is located in Waco and has their distribution center. The military has to supply the commissaries and other retail stores they have; they have a great distribution center in Waco. WilsonArt which has the largest laminating business in America and their main plant is in Temple and their distribution. McLane Company, the company I've been involved with for over 40 years, and we distribute throughout the southwest out of Temple. Wal-Mart has two distribution centers that supply retail food throughout the State of Texas from Temple. BFG is a food service company based there, and then there's literally hundreds of other people in the transportation business.

If we don't change this, it's ultimately going to change the distribution pattern. They're going to have to move somewhere else. I know from involvement with McLane Company and Wal-Mart, that has been a very serious discussion. Texas is the largest state for Wal-Mart in retail sales; they have several distribution centers in the state, but it's really beginning to be affected by the congestion that's there.

Two or three other observations. Temple, my view is, is the largest city on Interstate 35 that only has four lanes going through the business part of Temple, and it is really restrictive. It gets down to a bottleneck when it gets there, and as Sally Myers pointed out, because we don't have continuous frontage roads, when there's an accident within the City of Temple, you stop traffic there and there's no other place for them to go around. So this is a continuous problem because there's huge delays and great costs associated with it.

In the last ten years, as the Austin area, Georgetown, Round Rock has grown, Central Texas has grown tremendously, and we have not been able to adjust the road system there.

Mr. Chairman, you and I spend some time in Houston and we saw what happened on I-10 in the Katy area, the bottleneck that has been created there in the last 15 years. You're now correcting that, but it took a long time, and both you and I have spent a lot of hours sitting on I-10 around Katy not moving at all, and that has really been a hindrance to Houston and particularly in the Katy area, and we think this could additionally be a major problem for us.

One of the great assets of Texas is Scott & White Hospital. It's one of the finest medical centers, not only in Texas but throughout the United States. It has been designated as a Level 1 trauma center. The only other close trauma centers are in Dallas, San Antonio and Houston, so Temple is a very key location and importance of Scott & White of getting people in and out of there quickly, and the congestion, we think, it's certainly important that we solve that problem.

Thank you for allowing us to present this, and we will certainly have an opening for a pitcher on Saturday.

(General laughter.)

MAYOR ETHRIDGE: We've told you a lot of things today that you already know, and that is that the interstate is old. We have concerns about safety. We know it's congested. Drayton has spoken very well to the importance of the interstate to our region and beyond. The early cities were settled on rivers, and this is our river of commerce and we must be able to move people and goods efficiently and safely if we're going to thrive economically as a community.

But what we also need to be sure that we tell you is that there is a very good plan in place, that both the Waco and Killeen-Temple area totally support, which will address these needs. So what we're asking for is: by 2014 we want to commence widening to six lanes with continuous one-way frontage roads; by 2014 we want to address the necessary safety issues which we think is largely addressed through frontage roads; by 2019 we want to commence widening urban sections to eight lanes; and by 2019 we want to continue planning for the ultimate needs of the corridor.

Now, we think it is very important to protect and plan well for the future for this very significant regional asset. We do understand that there are other needs and that while I-35 alone cannot meet all those needs, it is critical, and a parallel corridor by itself cannot meet all of the needs. We do support the protection and redevelopment of I-35 and we support the initiatives to develop other parallel roadways.

We also want to tell you that we are very understanding of the financial challenges that you have, and we're open to creative ways to make this happen well. We're very well aware of Commissioner Williamson's interest in toll roads.

MR. WILLIAMSON: Wait.

MAYOR ETHRIDGE: Is that not you?

MR. WILLIAMSON: All three of us. Pitch in here, guys.

MAYOR ETHRIDGE: All three of you. Did you all see that scowl?

(General laughter.)

MAYOR ETHRIDGE: Point well taken.

MR. WILLIAMSON: But the problem is -- and we have to use this forum to talk about this because it's the only opportunity we have -- it's just a matter of cash flow. Drayton sees it in his business and a doctor sees it in his business. If you've got a billion dollars of want and $200 million of need and $300 million of revenue, you're going to spend 200- on need and 100 million on just bringing down the want some, and the rest of it gets left out. And thank goodness for a governor who is willing to confront that.

MAYOR ETHRIDGE: Well, and the reason that I brought it up is to tell you that we would certainly be willing to explore ways to use that. I don't know what they would be. I think we would all have a rebellion if we suddenly made I-35 a toll road, but as we expand it, there might be an opportunity to have an express lane that was a toll, or there might be some other out of the box thinking that we could explore together that would make this project more financially feasible and viable.

So I bring that up simply to stress with you that we are open to exploring creative financial options with you, and you certainly know better than I do what that range of options might be. But we did want to be sure that we expressed a willingness to work with you in ways that make sense so we can have what we think needs to happen on I-35 and that the other things that need to happen in conjunction with it to serve all of the needs in our region can take place. So that's why I bring that up. And I also apologize that I did not give all the commissioners full and total credit for the toll road emphasis.

MR. WILLIAMSON: Yes, give them credit for the toll business too.

MR. JOHNSON: Mayor, it is nice that Ric takes some of our arrows for us, but I think we are committed to the concept of toll financing for a lot of the expansion of our existing corridors and for new corridors.

A prime example of that Drayton referred to was Interstate 10 West there in Houston. The middle four lanes, two in each direction, will be, as you indicated, express lanes and they will be tolled. It's a partnership with the Harris County Toll Road Authority. We have the groundbreaking this Saturday for the first section of the I-10 expansion. That will not be a tolled section; those will start in 2005 and 2006. But I think it's a prototype that's something well worth considering when we go to expand, because, as you well know, these are very expensive projects. They're very meaningful and significant, and because of that, they become very expensive and we need to be very creative in the way we fund them, and tolling is the most viable option.

MR. WILLIAMSON: Plus, very seldom is it discussed. I mean, you know it, and the people who live in the area know it, and we know it because it's our business, but seldom is it discussed the cost of the reconstruction while it's going on. I mean, what we tend to focus on is the $100 million here or $200 million there to pour the concrete. Is it pour or lay? Pour the concrete, lay the asphalt. What we don't ever focus on is how much it costs in the lost productivity and additional accidents when one part of the lane is blocked off or I can't get to Cheeves to buy dinner -- told you I'd get it in -- or I can't get over to buy coffee at Starbuck's or somebody gets killed making the wrong turn. I mean, the cost of that is never cranked into the equation, and it's costly.

MAYOR ETHRIDGE: Well, I started my remarks by telling you we do respect the challenges that you have and we pledge that we will work with you in any way that is reasonable and makes sense so that our desires for Interstate 35 can be fulfilled for the good of the region, and we sincerely mean that and are happy to explore whatever option seems most viable with you to accomplish that.

I think we've used up our time and probably exceeded it a little bit, and so I'll call on State Representative Delisi, and then after she speaks, if you have any further questions, we would be happy to try to respond to them.

Thank you very much for your kind attention.

(Applause.)

MR. WILLIAMSON: Mr. Chairman, is the chair aware that Ms. Delisi has been recently recognized by the greatest political magazine in the state as one of only ten who qualify as the best of the legislature?

(Applause.)

MR. JOHNSON: I was aware of that, and that was a very, very flattering and accurate piece.

MR. WILLIAMSON: And while the article focused on her obvious leadership in the trauma business, what we would point out to the audience is that there were about six legislative players that made our transportation package happen, and there is no question that Dianne Delisi standing firm in keeping trauma and transportation together was as responsible as anything else, and we really appreciate what you did.

MS. DELISI: Thank you so much.

The last time I talked with you all, I believe that you had somewhere around $600 million to spend for maintenance and operations statewide for a state of almost 22 million people. How frustrating it was for me to come to ask you to do more with less, to come to ask you to build roads with one hand tied behind your back because you literally did not have the money. I am very hopeful that the passage of the governor's bill, House Bill 3588, will give you the tools to build highways in Texas, and I think that it will revolutionize the way that we do build highways in Texas. And so in advance, we in Central Texas thank you and Texas thanks you.

Now, if you'll allow me just an observation for a minute. When I was a little girl, my father used to like to take us on summer trips, and so we would go to Arkansas and we went over to Carlsbad Caverns one summer, and when we got close to Texas, Daddy would always say: "Mama, roll down the windows, we're going to smell the Texas air; and kids, look at that silk ribbon in front of us, we're back in Texas." It's the Texas highway system, and we knew that we were safe and sound.

Well, indeed, I had that same thought driving this morning from Bell County to Williamson County because Bell County is two lanes, the roadbed is deteriorating, and when I hit the Williamson County line, it was a silk ribbon: continuous one-way frontage roads, three lanes at a minimum on either side, a wonderful tall concrete barrier. And I want you to know as I make my comments today that it is no reflection at all on who I think is the best district engineer in the state, and that's Richard Skopik.

(Applause.)

MS. DELISI: And he's ably assisted by John Obr who is the project manager on I-35. They haven't had the money; like you, we have asked them to do more with less.

My experience with Bell County is that the roads are not sound, that they are also not safe, and I would like to read to you just a couple of sentences from Don Svlodnek who is justice of the peace around Salado, and he writes to me about a nine-mile stretch of road. He sends me the names of all the deceased on this nine-mile stretch with the mile marker of the places that they died and he writes:

"Every person on this list, except one, was killed in an auto crash on a nine-mile stretch of I-35 from the south Bell County line to north of Salado. The majority involved bone-crushing head-on collisions as a result of vehicles crossing the narrow unobstructed median." He writes: "Even a barrier would have saved most of these lives." And then he says: "P.S. No response necessary, just action."

Now, in your handout today under Section 10, I read: nearly two out of every three days someone is killed or injured on this section of the Waco District I-35 corridor. So not sound, also not safe.

So what I'm asking today is, at a minimum, a tall concrete barrier completed for Bell County. I say tall because the roadbed is uneven in places and if a truck catches an edge, they roll into the incoming traffic and it always results in fatalities. The second thing that I am asking is that 2019 sounds like I'm going to be very old at that time, and I don't know if my children will be wanting to take away my license by that time, but by darn, I want to drive on three lanes with continuous one-way frontage roads -- and that's one sentence: three lanes on either side and continuous one-way frontage roads.

Now, I do want to reiterate I'm really only interested in outcomes, and so the job is up to you all. RMAs, tolls, leveraging dollars to bond, design-build, Trans-Texas Corridor, dual use of the interstate system, I'm for all of it. However, please be aware that I-35, as the corridor, is the lifeblood for the cities that I represent, and I am acutely aware that when I make the safe and sound argument for I-35, that it sounds bleak and it sounds terribly expensive. And perhaps the Trans-Texas Corridor, you might argue, might be a less expensive alternative to relieve the congestion, but I would counterpoint that I-35 in Bell County must be improved because we're part of the corridor. Williamson County has six lanes and then we go to the two lanes that Drayton referenced -- I call it the "Temple Squeeze" -- and so I find that the district that I represent is the weakest link.

And so I'm asking you today to consider fast-tracking a minimum of three lanes with continuous one-way frontage roads through Bell County. Thank you very much.

(Applause.)

MS. ETHRIDGE: Do you have any questions?

MR. JOHNSON: Robert, any questions or comments?

MR. NICHOLS: Comments. We appreciate an outstanding presentation. It's good to see so many people from the area and the community. I'm very impressed with how many elected officials you've got here today. I believe you could be real dangerous if you wanted to.

MS. ETHRIDGE: We wanted you to think that.

(General laughter.)

MR. NICHOLS: We said some nice things about Representative Delisi about your legislation and stuff and Texas Monthly, the recognition you received as best legislator, but one of the things that I got tickled in reading that article was it commented how nice you are -- I think that was the word they use "how nice" -- and historically "nice" doesn't get the job done is what it said, but you broke the rule and stayed nice and did an incredible piece of legislation to fund trauma, to help tie it to legislation to transportation in a year when you had a $10 billion shortfall, and that's incredible. And we really do appreciate everything that you did.

MR. JOHNSON: Ric?

MR. WILLIAMSON: The chair will no doubt say this, but I would like to say it to my former colleague as well. The commission doesn't make decisions on this day about delegation requests, but I have already represented for my two colleagues in your district, Ms. Delisi, and I will repeat it again: we will expand 35 to six lanes without any doubt, and probably sooner than most fear. And we don't see a conflict between the corridor and addressing 35 from Brownsville ultimately to the Red River. 35 is the backbone of the state's economy and we understand that, and we will act with good faith and responsibility to address what we all know are the weaknesses that you pointed out.

I think that we're a little bit perplexed because we think that it would be somewhat important to have a high volume loop around the west side of Temple in place before we started tearing up and expanding 35 and doing the frontage road stuff right through the middle of your city, and we think that that loop could be a gold mine for Bell County if it were owned by Bell County as part of RMA. We know you're talking about it, we know the city -- or at least some city officials have represented some reservations about a toll project. We're sending all the signals we know how to send. I think we've expressed to you, at your request, we're going to help pay for that study. We're not going to ask your taxpayers to pay for it, but we do need the county to say we're thinking about forming one of these and this is our project. I think those 14,000 TxDOT employees want to help Temple out a lot and we think it makes sense to do it, and it will particularly make sense when we start closing down lanes of I-35 and people have to pay the toll to go around. But we need leadership at the county level.

MAYOR MYERS: Can I just address that? Bell County has already passed the resolution for that toll viability study. I think it's in the packet.

MR. WILLIAMSON: Good. I haven't read my packet. Is it here, Skopik? Are you ready to roll, buddy?

MR. BURROWS: Temple passed it on Thursday and we passed the bond money.

MR. WILLIAMSON: Most excellent. Good, we get to spend money in Ms. Delisi's district now.

(General laughter.)

MR. NICHOLS: I think Richard was fixing to address something.

MR. JOHNSON: Richard, did you have a comment?

MR. SKOPIK: You do not have those resolutions in your packet but TxDOT has received those.

MR. JOHNSON: That's good news.

MR. SKOPIK: Both from the county and the city.

MR. WILLIAMSON: And I suppose you are having a DE meeting next week and you're going to talk about some of the other tools. It's not beyond the realm, as Ms. Delisi pointed out, there are a whole lot of other tools now besides just a straight-up turnpike, and we want to help and will help. We just need a little bit of local aggression, like you said you had, and here we go -- faster than anybody is ready. We're the 1st Infantry of the DOTs in the states now: we are nimble and we move fast.

MR. JOHNSON: As Ric mentioned, we don't make decisions on the spot for delegation appearances, but I do want to thank you and emphasize how impressive the presentation was in highlighting the need but also highlighting the conditions that exist currently, and I think it makes a statement that's hard to ignore. In fact, as Ric mentioned and Robert has implied, we're not going to ignore it. This is critical to the communities that are represented here, but it's critical to the state and it has national tones to it because I-35 is the corridor that, due to NAFTA and probably several other reasons, has become overworked and under-served, and we need to do something about that. And given the tools that we now have and the flexibility and the aggression of the locals to get involved and roll up their sleeves and partner with us, we're going to get the job done.

So thank you so much for being here. Have a safe and speedy trip back on I-35 or whichever route that you take.

We will take a very brief recess so that you may get back to commerce and industry, and our good friends from the Rio Grande Valley can get organized.

(Whereupon, a brief recess was taken.)

RIO GRANDE VALLEY MOBILITY TASK FORCE

MR. JOHNSON: We will reconvene the meeting. Our second delegation this morning represents the Rio Grande Valley, and it's my understanding that Hidalgo County Judge Ramon Garcia will speak first.

Judge, we're delighted that you're here. Welcome, it's a pleasure. I want to thank you for your hospitality last night; very much appreciated. I don't want to put words in Robert's mouth but I heard he had a good time.

(General laughter.)

JUDGE GARCIA: Well, good morning, and Mr. Chairman, members of the commission, we also want to thank you for providing us with this opportunity to discuss our region's transportation needs and concerns and to make a case for this commission and our region working together and becoming partners for the good of Texas and the Valley.

I'm Ramon Garcia, county judge of Hidalgo County, and I'm a member of this Rio Grande Valley Mobility Task Force.

We have come together as a region. We are a four county region, Starr, Hidalgo, Willacy, and Cameron, along with the communities that are situated in these four counties, and we have come together to develop a regional plan and to identify and document the transportation needs of our region so that we can, with your help, address those transportation needs in a proactive manner. We want to be your partner in providing for the transportation needs of South Texas.

Our South Texas area has exploded. We are here today with a plan asking for your support so that we can provide for the needs of that area. We need to act now to address the transportation needs before these projects become totally unaffordable.

We want you to know not only the statistical data in support of our plan, but also about who we are. We're the third fastest growth area in the country. We are the front door to the largest trade partner this country has. Over 3 million people, we can say, live and reside and travel within this area.

And one thing that is not as well known, but I believe needs to be talked about more and more, and that is that our area is one of the most patriotic areas in this country. We have more combat veterans living in our area than anywhere else in the country. We have always been there at every one of the conflicts and battles and wars that this country has had. And there was one community, those of you that may be old enough to remember, the Tet Offensive in Vietnam. One community, the city of Edinburg in our area, had more young men killed per capita than any other community in the country. And recently in this rocky operation of war, we had names like Garza, Espinoza, Hernandez, and these are people that were being talked about and visibly portrayed as heroes in our country for giving up their lives, fatalities, prisoners of war, wounded, and they're all from this South Texas area.

We know what sacrifice is all about. We want to work together with this commission for the good of our area and the good of Texas. We are here today as a group and I want to introduce some of the dignitaries that are here.

We have, from our county of Hidalgo, Commissioner Tito Palacios; John Wood from Cameron County; Mayor Connie de la Garza from Harlingen; Mayor Beto Salinas from Mission; Mayor Fernando Pena from Roma; Mr. Bill Card, the incoming president of the Rio Grande Valley Partnership; Mr. Bill Summers, our CEO of the partnership; State Representative Juan Hinojosa; along with representatives from U.S. Senator John Cornyn; Senator Eddie Lucio. We have all the legislative groups from the Valley supporting this effort.

We need your help. We want to work together with you, and today we want to make that case. Thank you.

At this time, I would like to introduce my good friend, one of the true leaders in the South Texas area, our Cameron County Judge Gilberto Hinojosa.

JUDGE HINOJOSA: Thank you, Judge.

Members of the commission, thank you for allowing us to speak to you today. Commissioner Williamson, we were pleased to have you down in the Valley recently and we hope you enjoyed your stay down there.

I've appeared before you on several occasions. There's been different persons up there in the nine years that I've been county judge, but I think that in the nine years I've been county judge, although there's been different persons, there have been commissioners in the TxDOT transportation commission that have worked with the Rio Grande Valley in a way that has ensured that a large part of our infrastructure needs have been met, and we very much appreciate the leadership in this area that this commission has provided to us. So different faces haven't changed the attitude of this organization towards the Rio Grande Valley and it has made a big difference in our community, and on behalf of the Rio Grande Valley, and particularly Cameron County, I want to thank you for that.

You've also made some great appointments in your district engineers, and you stole one away from us recently, Amadeo Saenz, and he's done an outstanding job, as I understand, up here as he did down there during the time that he was a TxDOT engineer.

We're coming to you with a regional mobility plan that we've updated from the last time, and as you well know, this regional mobility plan is a plan that provides for our future needs in the Rio Grande Valley in the area of transportation infrastructure. There's a price tag to it and it's a pretty hefty price tag but it's projects that we need to be able to ensure that the Rio Grande Valley has the necessary transportation infrastructure to be that supporting community for the great State of Texas, to make sure that this economic machine of the great State of Texas remains strong in the future.

We realize that the state cannot fund even one-half of the needed transportation projects statewide, so knowing this, we've put together this plan, but we've also worked very strongly with the Texas Department of Transportation to ensure that we come up with new solutions for funding. For example, like Hidalgo County, we've been using local funds to complete necessary studies in an effort to relocate railroads out of heavily populated urban areas in Brownsville, Harlingen and San Benito. Now, we realize that you don't fund railroad relocation projects, but the assistance that's been provided to us by TxDOT in putting together these plans not only benefits the Rio Grande Valley but it makes better use of the funds that you have available because we don't have to construct overpasses to get around all these at-grade crossings in these communities. And that's something that we've been working on recently in Brownsville, Harlingen and San Benito.

In some portions of the railroad relocation projects, we will be using the existing railroad right of way to construct new roadways to make loops to communities where we have not had the right of way necessary to do that in the past. In Brownsville, once we complete the railroad relocation project, we will be able to construct a four-lane boulevard on existing Union Pacific rail right of way which will add about a 30,000 vehicle a day capacity to the west side of Brownsville.

The mobility plan that we are presenting you today is a commitment of public and private resources to help with the kind of planning necessary for the future of not only Rio Grande Valley but for South Texas. The funding and the input for this plan has come from many sources, and although we are not all here today, we are here in the plan together, and that includes the cities, the counties, the MPOs and the business community in the Rio Grande Valley.

We hope that you will take a look at our plan, continue to provide the support that you have in the past, and continue the partnership that we've enjoyed with this commission over the years that you have been providing the support that we need to develop our infrastructure.

With that, I would like to turn it over to Mr. William Card III.

MR. WILLIAMSON: Great time during my recent trip and enjoyed thoroughly everything. But when you see Carlos Cascos, tell him to go a little bit easier on me on Friday night. I couldn't quite keep up with him the whole night -- a little more energy than I have.

JUDGE HINOJOSA; He couldn't keep up with me either because he ran against me last time and he lost.

(General laughter.)

JUDGE HINOJOSA: Let me bring up Bill Card III.

MR. CARD: How do you follow that?

I appreciate the opportunity to be here with all of you today, and if you'll allow me just one moment, I need to take a personal moment to give a public thank you.

My name is Bill Card III; my father is H.W. Card, Jr. He has appeared before this fine commission previously. My father preceded our fine mayor, Connie de la Garza, in Harlingen, as the mayor of Harlingen for a period of 12 years, from 1987 to 1998. In 1998 this commission made him a Texas Road Hand, and I just want to tell you all that is one of the proudest awards and achievements that he has received. And I wanted to say a personal thank you. I might not ever have an opportunity to do this again, but I thank you from a very proud and grateful son, so thank you very much.

MR. JOHNSON: Well, thank you. I think the thanks really needs to come from the commission and the department and the state for the contributions of your dad, but we appreciate you mentioning that.

MR. CARD: Thank you, sir.

I have the opportunity to present a lot of the nuts and bolts of this so I'm going to try to stay relatively close to a script -- which is sometimes difficult -- but we do have a lot of information that we did want to get to you in a relatively short period of time, so if you'll excuse me, I will be going through some of this rather rapidly.

It is a pleasure and honor to speak before you today. You have before you a map that summarizes graphically our priority projects, but before discussing these, I'd like to provide you with some historical and background information.

As Judge Garcia mentioned, the task force is comprised of representatives from four counties, Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, and Willacy, and cities within those counties. We have also been working closely with the three MPOs in the Valley and the Pharr District to highlight and prioritize our region's needs. As you are aware the Pharr District is larger than our four county region. Our four counties, 24 cities and other local entities have come to the table, contributed local funds, and worked together since 1991 to develop a unified regional mobility plan which is now being updated.

The plan consolidates elements of MPO and rural plans into one plan that identifies the 20-year transportation needs and priorities of the Rio Grande Valley. We're in the process of finalizing the plan but wanted to first present it to you and get your feedback. We're not here with any specific request for funding; we are just looking for your input and your vision. We trust that we can work together in the future as we have in the past years to address our mobility needs.

The Mobility Task Force was formed in 1991 at the urging of the Texas Transportation Commission to come together with one voice. We listened to what the commission told us; we developed a unified plan identifying the transportation needs of the region. The plan was updated in 1996 and we are in the process of updating it again. Because of the commission's leadership and guidance and the Pharr District's support, we have promoted regional cooperation and have made significant progress. We are very proud of the results and believe you have helped us be a leader in a regional approach to planning.

When we came to you in 1990, we had one freeway, the Valley Expressway, segments of US 83 and US 77 that stretched from Brownsville to western Hidalgo County, but we had no interstate highway. US 281 and US 77, the two major roads into and out of the Valley, did not provide quality controlled access highway connections necessary for regional and international trade. We had a population of more than 700,000 people and were one of the fastest growing areas in the nation -- as we are today.

Agriculture had been hard hit by droughts and freezes. The maquiladora industry was beginning to boom and trade with Mexico was increasing. In fact, by 1991, U.S.-Mexico trade was at $60 billion. We were already beginning to see a strain on our infrastructure and this was even before NAFTA which skyrocketed trade activity between Texas and Mexico.

In the last decade, many projects have been completed; some are underway, and some are yet to be funded. We've got a list up here that basically shows some of the primary accomplishments that we have made, and you'll notice that there are a number of interchanges, railroad relocation projects, and the like, and we're very proud and pleased with the work that's been done on those and those accomplishments that have been made.

Most of these projects, however, were made possible by a special border infrastructure funding category that's no longer available. We have received more than $1 billion in transportation funds since 1991 and we want to thank you for your attention to our needs, but must continue to move forward and plan for tomorrow, expanding on what we've done.

Two out of every three jobs created in Texas are directly or indirectly related to trade. Trade with Mexico in 2000 approached $250 billion and roughly 20 percent of this trade is to or from Texas. If Texas is the front door to trade, then the Valley is the screen door. The Rio Grande Valley has become a manufacturing and distribution center for trade with Canada, Mexico, and Central America. Without additional infrastructure and continued improvements, we will overwhelm our system and the ripples will be felt in Houston, in Dallas, and in fact, across the nation.

One thing that we like to think about when we think about this is that our situation is one very much -- and we've discussed this previously -- very much like an hourglass where we've got Canada, ourselves, we've got the neck of the hourglass right down there in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, then spreading back out into Mexico and South America, and all of this commerce and trade is running right through the neck of that hourglass, and it is imperative for us to have the transportation system that is necessary to handle that additional traffic.

That is actually one of the biggest, fastest growing growth engines for the State of Texas. We all know what our revenues are like today in the state and we've all been looking for funds. This is an area that, like any good business, can be fed, supported, and it will help us all throughout this state meet all the objectives and needs that we have.

While Texas has grown substantially over the last decade, our growth rate is almost double the state rate. Our population exceeds one million people and is expected to nearly double again by 2030. We're a major tourist destination for 125,000 annual winter Texans and eco-tourists and birders, as well as Mexican nationals. In the transportation priority plan developed for working with the 108th Congress, you recommended that transit funding consider both Texas and Mexico population along the border. We could not agree more. Our binational population is three million people: approximately one million on the Texas side, two million on the Mexican side. If we considered this binational population, the Valley would be the third largest metropolitan area in Texas. You're right, you must consider this binational population when you evaluate transportation needs.

Forty-seven percent of all Texas-Mexico vehicle crossings in our state move across Valley bridges -- 47 percent. Again, almost one-half of all crossings occur in our Valley border counties. We must keep expanding our infrastructure to deal with the changes we know are coming. We do not have to tell you how important it is to keep planning ahead of the growth.

Truck traffic continues to increase. There are more trucks traveling on US 77 at the entrance to the Valley than there are on Interstate 35 at the edge of Webb County. Plus, there are another 2,800 trucks using US 281 at the edge of Cameron County. This means that more than 2.3 million trucks per year use US 77 and US 281 to enter or leave the Valley, and we're talking about the large trucks.

There are as many as 10,500 trucks on interior segments of US 281 on any given day, which is comparable to Interstate 10 in Harris County and Interstate 45 in the Dallas area. As you know, truck traffic does three times the amount of damage to our roadways and none of the roadways in the Valley receive interstate funding.

There are nine existing international bridges and five proposed bridge projects. As you well know, international border crossings have experienced tremendous growth in the last decade. Last year, more than 1.2 million trucks crossed international bridges in the Rio Grande Valley. This is 30 percent of all Texas-Mexico truck traffic. That is up 233 percent from just ten years ago.

Daily traffic has also increased substantially in the Valley since 1992. We have had a 60 to 70 percent increase in traffic along US 83 and segments of US 281, and a 232 percent increase in traffic on US 77. Meanwhile, our lane miles have increased only 4 percent.

We are also seeing major increases in rail traffic. What was an average of three trains a day in Harlingen has turned into six a day, and could double again in the next ten years. The Port of Brownsville has seen a 456 percent increase in rail traffic in the last five years, and what you see in this photo, an ambulance waiting for a train, happens far too often already. I think that speaks for itself and it's definitely an issue that we need to address in the Valley.

There are more than 500 at-grade rail crossings in the Rio Grande Valley. These crossings affect safety and disrupt travel and economic trade. Cities like Brownsville and Harlingen are working to relocate rail lines out of the densely populated areas and develop new uses for the existing rail right of way, like intra- and intercity connections and loops, and we look forward to working with you to explore rail partnerships and other funding approaches.

We're looking at a number of new international bridges being built over the next few years: Anzalduas, Donna, and rail bridges in Cameron County. We have bridges being expanded and modernized in Hidalgo and Starr counties. We're also working closely with Mexican officials as they continue highway improvements such as the improvements to Highway 101 in Mexico.

As you can see on the back cover of your map, historically, the highway used to access the major population and industrial areas in central Mexico was via Monterrey, as shown in blue. This was the only real safe route through the mountains. This route had the obvious effect of funneling traffic through Laredo, even though this route required more time if you were headed to Houston or to the eastern United States.

The Mexican federal government and the states of Tamaulipas and San Luis Potosi are building new roads to Mexico City. This new route, shown in green, goes from our region to Ciudad Victoria and on to San Luis Potosi. A new route through the mountains is under construction replacing a roadway that had steep grades, many curves, and was narrow and dangerous. This new road is expected to open later this year and will have a major impact on transportation patterns. More truck traffic will be moving through our bridges and along US 77 and US 281. Traffic, particularly to and from the eastern and southern United States, will save an estimated six to eight hours using this new route, and I think that's self-explanatory. If that trucker can save six to eight hours, I think that this is going to be heavily, heavily utilized.

We must tie Governor Perry's and your Trans-Texas Corridor to our bridges and coordinate it with improvements to US 77 and US 281, and we need to start tomorrow. If you will, please take a look at the map inside the materials we provided. This map shows some of the priority projects but it certainly does not show all of the projects we have identified in the larger plan. The larger plan includes a list of all projects totaling well over $3.5 billion. We will finalize this map and that larger plan document following our meeting here with you today.

Let me just quickly mention some of our regional priorities. We need to move forward and complete I-69, beginning with interim improvements to US 77, US 281 and Farm Road 511 so the Valley will have interstate level highway service. Although I-69 has Congressional approval and is approved for planning by TxDOT, the lack of progress is hurting community planning and development since the route is not determined. Funding delays have caused approved and needed projects to be delayed.

An example is a critical segment of US 281 from Trenton to State Highway 107 in Hidalgo County. It was scheduled to be let for bid in July 2003, but has been moved back to fiscal year 2007. We need to plan ahead to widen east-west connectors like US 281, the Military Highway, and Farm Road 1925 to at least four-lane controlled access roadways. US 83, while not complete, is already at Level of Service E and F in some sections, and cannot be expanded because additional right of way is not currently available.

Development is closing in. Again, gentlemen, we're looking at cost factors. We may be able to partner with U.S. Fish and Wildlife and Texas Parks and Wildlife to get the environmental assessments completed quickly and acquire the right of way now while it is still affordable. And there is a similar opportunity for Farm Road 1925 and other intercity loop projects.

Expansion of Military Highway and Farm Road 1925 will provide alternate east-west routes across the Valley. The Military Highway expansion will allow for connections to international bridges and relieve some of the traffic on US 83. Segments of US 83, the Valley Expressway, still need to be completed. Relief routes are needed in Roma, Rio Grande City, and La Joya. A critical segment in the San Benito area has been delayed because lack of funding.

We need to complete bridge connectors and construct new bridges to serve increasing international trade. As an example, the connection from San Juan to the Pharr bridge will help move truck traffic safely through this area.

We have the opportunity to improve safety and mobility throughout our region by constructing additional rail and completing rail realignments. We have already mentioned some of these critical projects. We need to construct intercity and intracity loops like the ones in Hidalgo County, Harlingen and Brownsville. These are also connected, as we have discussed, with rail realignment in many cases. Notice how the Harlingen Loop reroutes rail around the city in conjunction with the new roadway.

Finally, we need to expand intelligent transportation systems valley wide to utilize the mobility, safety and security opportunities this system provides from systems that provide direction to motorists to ones that monitor the weight and contents of trucks. We have a great many opportunities to utilize these technologies.

Since we began working as a regional coalition, we have seen a significant increase in the construction dollars allocated to the Pharr District, but funding is still not in line with our transportation needs. The historic under-funding of this region cannot be solved in a few years. Valley residents and officials are willing to use local contributions to address mobility needs but local resources cannot possibly fund this level of projects.

We're working to find creative funding solutions such as regional mobility authorities, toll roads, and dedicated truck lanes, to assist by development of construction plans and looking for various ways to creatively fund transportation projects. We want to assess with you the potential for use of bonds, exclusive development agreements, participation payments and leases, and use of the State Infrastructure Bank.

We note that the conceptual plan for the Trans-Texas Corridor includes connections through our four county area. The importance of providing a viable trade corridor with Mexico is critical for all of us. As a group, we want to work with the commission to bring your vision to a reality. We recognize that the state cannot completely fund our needs and we are eager to do our part. We're looking to you to help guide us through this process, and we thank you for your time.

At this time, I'd like to introduce Mr. Bill Summers, the chief executive officer of the Rio Grande Valley Partnership. And again, gentlemen, thank you for your time.

MR. SUMMERS: Mr. Chairman, commissioners. I wanted to see my name up there again. Thank you.

(General laugher.)

MR. SUMMERS: You know what? Our two judges and my new chairman for next year made an excellent presentation. We wanted to show you that the Valley has worked together for transportation needs since 1990, but we couldn't do it alone. We had to have the people in the Pharr District of TxDOT, Amadeo and Mario and all his people, but also you, the commissioners. I've got to say this, you've done so much for us, and we really appreciate it.

And Commissioner, you can keep up with me because I ain't got nobody to run against.

(General laughter.)

MR. SUMMERS: I just want you to know, on behalf of all these people here that we thank the good Lord every day that you men are up here looking after the transportation needs of the State of Texas. And you're welcome to the Rio Grande Valley any time, and in fact, in January we've requested that you have your commission meeting in the Valley.

And we just don't have any more to say; we just want you to write us a check for $3.5 million and we'll get this over with real fast.

(General laughter.)

MR. SUMMERS: We have two mayors with us and several distinguished people: Mayor Salinas from Mission and Mayor Connie de la Garza from Harlingen. And I know we might have exceeded our time and the number of people, but I'd like Mayor Connie de la Garza to make a presentation or talk to you for 30 seconds.

Thank you so much for allowing us to be here.

MAYOR de la GARZA: Thank you, Bill. And commissioners, thank you for giving me the opportunity, and I will take 30 seconds.

Yes, I'm Connie de la Garza, the mayor of Harlingen, Texas, and the only thing that I want to bring to your attention is the fact that this four county area, with one million Texans north of the river, is the only major area in Texas without an interstate, and that's basically what we want today. We want to be connected with an interstate. We realize that we're in competition with many other areas of Texas, but put us in the loop with the interstate and we'll work with you on the balance. Thank you.

MR. SUMMERS: I'm sorry. The mayor of Mission demanded equal time. These are great guys -- they're like you, they're great guys; they're good friends.

MR. WILLIAMSON: They're always welcome here.

MAYOR SALINAS: Thank you, commissioners. I just want to thank you for everything you've done for the Valley. I've been on the MPO in the district in Pharr since 1998. We applaud the funding that we've gotten for the last five years or four years, over $300 million a year which is a lot of money. I think that needs to be noted to everybody in the Valley. We've done so much in the infrastructure in the Valley, and of course, we're now joining together with the rest of the counties, and our growing needs are very hard, and Governor Perry has listened to our petitions, has worked together with us, worked together with you, and as you can see, it only takes you to drive through the Valley.

And the amount of money that you have given us and Amadeo Saenz put it together for us; Mario Jorge is an excellent engineer and we see him once a month, and it's all the mayors from the county of Hidalgo that join together and we just appreciate all the monies that we've gotten, and hopefully we can put this plan together and put the Valley in the four county area to be able to meet our demands on the growth that we have. Thank you.

MR. JOHNSON: Thank you.

MR. SUMMERS: Commissioners, that completes our presentation. We would like to tell you that our newest state representative, number 150 in the state, Juan Escobar was here and he had to catch a plane, but also we have representatives from Senator Lucio's office. As you know, Senator Lucio suffered a heart attack and he's on his way to Houston to be checked out. And we also have a representative, Mr. Love, from Senator John Cornyn's office. So we have a lot of support. We appreciate it; thank you so much.

MR. JOHNSON: Absolutely. Robert, did you have any comments or questions?

MR. NICHOLS: I had several comments. First of all, thank you very much for a very great presentation, and thank you for the reception last night. That was really nice to have an opportunity to visit with everybody in a more informal environment. And I thank the Pharr District and all of your communities for doing such a good job of training Amadeo Saenz. You did such a good job of training him, we're not going to send him back; we're going to keep him up here.

(General laughter.)

MR. NICHOLS: But over the last number of years, I think you have seen a dramatic increase in funding in the Valley; that has been a major commitment, and we're going to continue. You still have a tremendous number of problems and needs, extremely high growth area.

As to Interstate 69 -- I know you made some specific comments on that -- the funding of the construction of Interstate 69 is tied into a six-year federal formula. Some of you are aware of that; some of you may not be. That six-year formula, there's only a window literally every six years that opens for a short period of time, and it's right now. The United States Congress historically on interstate programs -- we haven't had one in 30 years until the designation of Interstate 69 -- it is the federal government in that program who designates construction funding for that, and we are anxiously awaiting what they do this time. Any opportunity that you have in speaking with anyone in Washington, members of Congress, our U.S. senators and so on, take every opportunity to emphasize the importance of stressing that needs to be funded.

In the meantime, we as TxDOT are doing what we can to accelerate and be prepared for the moment that it is funded. And in doing that, we have hired consultants to identify the locations and do the environmentals. Most of you are aware it takes numerous years to get through all the environmental steps, and we have done that. We're not complete with it all but we're in process, so that when those federal funds are available, this state is going to be ready to jump in and begin very quickly. We will be quite ahead of the other states. And we recognize the importance of identifying that. I think I even went down when some of the signs were put up some time ago.

I also want to commend you on continuing to stay with a regional approach. You began that process some time ago. It is extremely difficult inside communities for people to agree and between communities for people to agree -- it's a very difficult thing. I came from a municipality -- I was on city council and a mayor for a number of years myself. But you have really done a great job in that and tying those priorities down that are the most needed for your region, and for that we do appreciate it.

There's a lot of you here today who have come from the Valley. There's not many places in the state that are further away. I know people in the Panhandle and El Paso certainly come long distances at times, but you have come a long way to be here today and express your needs and plans for your community, and we appreciate that.

Bill, thank you -- both of you -- for longtime commitments to transportation. I know also I saw Alan Johnson here earlier. Is he still here?

MR. JOHNSON: He had to go catch a plane.

MR. NICHOLS: All right. And Mike Allen -- is Mike still here?

MR. JOHNSON: Yes.

MR. NICHOLS: Oh, there you are. In '97 when I got on the commission, you were some of the first people who were there and have been consistent. I was going to recognize Alan because he used to serve up here, I know, on the Turnpike Authority, so it's always a pleasure working with him and he keeps up with transportation quite a bit.

With that, thank you, and when you leave, be careful going back. So I'll just pass it on.

MR. JOHNSON: Ric, did you have anything?

MR. WILLIAMSON: No. Good presentation, good group of guys and gals. We like the regional approach and I think you'll continue to feel comfortable that even though the border initiative category has been eliminated, the commission's approach and the governor's approach is that we're Texas from Rio Grande to Red rivers, and so everybody is going to get what they need to get in order to make progress.

MR. JOHNSON: Thank you, Ric.

MR. NICHOLS: I do have something else. I forgot to mention one thing. I mentioned it last night but some of you weren't here last night at that reception. And that is encourage the counties and chambers and stuff to begin considering the possibility of establishing a regional mobility authority. I thought Commissioner Williamson was going to jump all over that.

MR. WILLIAMSON: Well, you know, as opposed to the previous delegation, Mr. Nichols, these people have been pretty aggressive about advancing their agenda and mobilizing regionally, and there's no need to repeat it. They know that that's probably the next step they need to take, and I believe they're discussing it amongst themselves now.

When I was down there with the governor a couple of weeks ago, I detected that the resistance might be sort of a fear that if we do this, enter into the world of doing some toll roads, we won't get any more tax money, and it's just not the case. The money is going to continue. We have a regular program. We're going to have a toll program, and we're going to have an innovative finance program. And the regular program won't be changed by a community's willingness to go into the toll program and the innovative program. But from what I could tell in visiting with the officials that I talked to, they're aware of that and they're just working it through regionally, and I suspect we'll see them pop up pretty soon -- at least we hope so.

I'm sorry to interrupt you, Mr. Nichols.

MR. NICHOLS: That was perfect.

MR. JOHNSON: Bill and Bill, thank you so much for the effort that you made, and judges, we're grateful that you made the effort to be here and lead the delegation. A very impressive and informative presentation to let us know what's going on.

Bill Summers, you're a real jewel and always have been. Your interest in what goes on at TxDOT, and of course, in the Rio Grande Valley, we're appreciative of what you do for not only your area but also the state.

I want to thank everyone for being here who came a great distance. As I mentioned last night, the fact that you've come together as a group rather than as competing interests makes our job easier from one aspect. It's still difficult to prioritize and allocate limited resources, but we continue to make an effort to do the best we can in that regard. And likewise, when you help us by prioritizing your needs, that sends a clear message, and we think that local involvement, local decisions are what we should be guided by.

So having said that, thank you for being here. Have a safe journey home.

We'll take a brief recess so the good folks from Hurst-Euless-Bedford can come in.

(Whereupon, a brief recess was taken.)

HURST-EULESS-BEDFORD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

MR. JOHNSON: We will reconvene the meeting. Our final delegation is from Hurst-Euless-Bedford Chamber of Commerce, and Mr. Charles Powell with the chamber, I believe will begin. Is that correct?

MR. WILLIAMSON: No.

MR. JOHNSON: That's what I was informed.

MR. POWELL: Chairman, with your permission, I'd like to ask State Representative Todd Smith, if that would be okay.

MR. JOHNSON: Absolutely. You can run this show any way you want to.

MR. POWELL: I'm the non-politician.

MR. WILLIAMSON: And a friend of transportation, I might add.

MR. SMITH: Well, thank you, Ric. Thank you. Good morning or afternoon -- is it morning or afternoon? Something in between. Chairman Johnson, Commissioner Nichols, Representative Williamson, and Mr. Behrens. I believe I'm correct, Ric, if I recall correctly that one session that we served together, that I now have the privilege of occupying your desk on the House floor.

MR. WILLIAMSON: It's the best seat in the house.

MR. SMITH: I heard you singing Representative Delisi's praises earlier and my claim to fame is that I currently occupy the seat once held by Ric Williamson.

MR. WILLIAMSON: It's true you don't miss anything, do you? It's the best seat in the house.

MR. SMITH: It is a good seat. Thank you all for the work that you do and for having us here today. I am before you today to aid my constituents in their quest to secure funding for the State Highway 121/183 highway expansion project for the 9.7 miles between State Highway 820 in Hurst and State Highway 161 in Irving, otherwise known as Airport Freeway. The following presentation to be given by the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Chamber of Commerce will detail this project which is the highest possible priority for the people of Hurst-Euless-Bedford.

I would also like to say that I greatly appreciate the attendance this morning, many of whom got up at 4:30 in the morning, along with me, to get on a bus to come down here this morning to visit with you, but particularly my District 3 distinguished mayors, the Honorable Ric Hurt -- I will ask them to stand, if they can. Where is Mayor Hurt? Back there in the back. The Honorable Mary Lib Saleh, who I once served under on the Euless City Council. The Honorable Bill Souder is here.

MR. WILLIAMSON: The one and only.

MR. SMITH: Yes, you better believe it. Mayor Souder, in particular, has worked on this issue for the past 20 years with all levels of government, including the federal level where he has worked with Congresswoman Kay Granger in his pursuit of securing funding for this project.

At this point there are a number of other local elected officials that are here today. Could I ask all of you who are elected officials in one regard or another in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford area to stand up? City council members and Commissioner Whitley. I'd also like to ask all of you who are representatives of other elected officials -- I know Congresswoman Granger has representatives and Senator Nelson, Representative Vicki Truitt. And if I can also ask everyone who came down this morning on a bus from the Hurst-Euless-Bedford area to show your support for this project.

(Applause.)

MR. SMITH: Thank you. I hope that the presence and efforts of my constituents is indicative of the extent to which they believe this is important. This needed priority project will increase mobility and reduce congestion not only for the people of Hurst-Euless-Bedford but for the many communities that this highway serves. This project will also be a substantial part of the solution to the Metroplex's current air quality issues and enhance the safety of our people.

The already huge number of vehicles per day that use this highway are rising yearly with the most recent 2001 study showing that the maximum traffic volume was 203,000 vehicles per day with the highest daily concentration of traffic during the morning and evening rush hours often causing major traffic jams for several hours a day, something that you know something about. This is up from a maximum recorded number of 147,000 vehicles per day in 1988 and a maximum record of 174,000 vehicles per day in 1997. Additionally, this number is expected to rise to 361,000 vehicles per day by 2025. With the expectation of such a large jump in the amount of vehicles using this particular highway, the state should act now to prevent further traffic, pollution and safety problems and to prevent a further deterioration of my constituents' qualify of life.

This highway has the highest traffic volume of any highway in Tarrant County and it currently has only six lanes of traffic. The second highest traffic volume in Tarrant County is in Arlington and it experiences only 121,000 vehicles per day as compared to the 203,000 vehicles per day on Airport Freeway, and it has the same number of lanes, six.

In Dallas County the highest volume recorded is 275,000 vehicles per day on a highway which is well known for its congestion. When I think of congestion, having grown up in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, I think of LBJ Freeway, that being Interstate Highway 635 near US 75, otherwise known as LBJ Freeway. But LBJ already has ten lanes so the traffic, as congested as it may be, runs much more smoothly with less traffic jams than Airport Freeway. In other words, LBJ Freeway -- which I understand is an interstate highway -- has 67 percent more traffic lanes than Airport Freeway but only 35 percent more traffic. That, in my mind, having grown up in the Metroplex and appreciating the congestion on LBJ Freeway, says as well as anything I know what we're dealing with in the H-E-B area.

The North Central Texas Council of Governments has determined Airport Freeway to be a top priority. I was informed this morning, in trying to get to the bottom of this in terms of the relative level of congestion on this freeway versus the other projects that are in front of you how to get to the bottom of that, how to rank it, I was told that this highway is an E-F level of service and that's the closest thing you've got to a congestion factor or congestion rating. It's my understanding that there are a number of projects across the state that have already been funded that are at that level or less, and I think that illustrates and demonstrates that we are justified as a community in being here this morning.

The project in question would raise the number of lanes from six to either eight or ten lanes and also add two or three additional reversible managed lanes. The estimated cost of the project is $380 million for both the construction and the right of way. Tarrant County has committed to paying for 10 percent of the cost of the right of way and relocation of utilities eligible for reimbursement.

Those of you who have known me and know of me know that I am perfectly prepared to do whatever the leadership of this state will allow me to do to ensure that we have adequate funding to meet our state's highway needs. It is my strong conviction that this project should be approved immediately with full funding in order to protect the quality of life of those many Texans who now use or will soon use this highway.

At this point, it is my privilege to turn the presentation over to the experts that being the representatives of Hurst-Euless-Bedford Chamber of Commerce. Thank you for your attention, and Charlie, would you like to visit with them?

MR. WILLIAMSON: And thank you for all of your help and support on transportation issues, Todd. You've done us really well and we appreciate it.

MR. POWELL: Thank you, Todd. Chairman Johnson, Commissioner Nichols, Mr. Williamson, Director Behrens. I'm Charles Powell, chairman of the board of the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Chamber of Commerce. Obviously we represent the cities of Hurst, Euless and Bedford.

Todd indicated to you that we had this fine delegation of over 100 people that came down this morning to make this presentation, and I want to thank them for being here. They have made this trip today to impress upon you how strongly they feel about the needed expansion of State Highway 121/183 which we commonly call the Airport Freeway. It is the most heavily traveled east-west commuter connection between Dallas and Fort Worth. As I mentioned, I want to sincerely thank each one of these individuals who came down to be a part of our presentation today, and I thank you, this commission, for allowing us the time to be here before you today.

I'd also like to commend the Fort Worth District staff of TxDOT. They have been most helpful in providing us information for this presentation and meeting with us as the planning and discussion about the expansion continues. They provided us with the information that you will see in the packets before you, and we also had input from the North Central Texas Council of Governments and I want to publicly thank them for the help in this project.

Joining me today in our presentation will be Tarrant County Commissioner Glen Whitley and City of Euless Mayor Mary Lib Saleh. You've already heard Todd's comments relative to the importance of this project to his constituents, and again, we want to thank you for letting us be here this morning for this presentation.

The purpose of our presentation today is to ask you to expedite the planning and fully fund the expansion of Airport Freeway. That portion is from Loop 820 on the west and goes all the way through to State Highway 161 on the east. In each one of your binders, there is a full copy of our presentation and all the supporting documentation relative to those facts.

In the past ten years, traffic congestion obviously has increased throughout the corridor. There has kind of become a lack of reliability along the roadway. Air quality has deteriorated, safety has been compromised, and business and homeowners have been affected by the uncertainty of when this project would be started, and we truly believe in turn it is now affecting the economic viability of our communities.

What we're asking you today is to include the expansion of the Airport Freeway -- as Todd indicated, that's the 9.7 mile section -- which is the major east-west commuter corridor between Fort Worth and Dallas in your next UTP. We would also ask that you commit commission strategic funds to the project and hopefully accept no further delays in the planning process.

Given the annual increase in traffic congestion we're experiencing -- and certainly you know the projections for our area as continued traffic and growth will continue in the Dallas-Fort Worth area -- moving forward with the expansion of this project is critical not only to the citizens and the businesses of the Hurst-Euless-Bedford area, but to the commuters of the Metroplex. Over 136,000 people daily commute to Dallas from Fort Worth to work, and over 46,000 people from Dallas commute to Fort Worth. That's further evidence that truly this is becoming a regional issue.

To give you the details of why the expansion of this freeway is so urgent, I would like to introduce Tarrant County Commissioner Glen Whitley who will continue our presentation at this time. Fortunately for us in our area, Glen has just been elected chairman of the Regional Transportation Council of the North Central Texas Council of Governments.

MR. WILLIAMSON: Oh, good.

MR. POWELL: Thank you, Commissioner Williamson. I'll let you tell him that.

MR. WILLIAMSON: Now I've got somebody I know real well I can whack on.

(General laughter.)

MR. WHITLEY: Thanks, I think, Charlie. Chairman Johnson, Commissioners Nichols and Williamson, Director Behrens. I'm Glen Whitley and I'm the Tarrant County Commissioner for the northeast part of Tarrant County that includes Airport Freeway. We're here today to show you why the expansion of 121/183, commonly known as Airport Freeway, can no longer be delayed.

The 9.7 mile Airport Freeway is mainly a commuter corridor between Fort Worth and Dallas. It is the only south entrance to DFW International Airport, the economic engine of the DFW Metroplex. Although there are other road connections to the airport, Airport Freeway is the busiest. And there's a letter in your packet supporting the expansion project from Jeff Fagan, executive director of DFW.

The existing freeway was originally built in the late '60s. It consists of six main lanes and two-lane frontage roads. Reconstruction at the south entrance to DFW International Airport was completed in 1975. Planning for the expansion of Airport Freeway began in 1987 when the roadway reached its maximum flow capacity and had E and F levels of service.

A public meeting was held in 1993 and the project was put on hold in 1994. If the expansion had gone forward at that time, we'd be getting ready to have a grand opening ceremony in 2005. As you can see by this slide, delays are definitely going to worsen an already bad problem.

As shown by the previous slide, the traffic has continued to grow and Airport Freeway has now the 4th and 12th most congested segments in the DFW area. Most of the traffic on Airport Freeway i