Chet Edwards For Congress

November 5, 2007

Chet Edwards: Cooperation vs. congestion

Waco Tribune Herald
By Chet Edwards

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Three hundred and fifty-nine million hours. That is how many hours Texans will spend in congested traffic this year. Unfortunately, that’s the good news.

The bad news:

That number will double over the next 10 years unless Texans take dramatic steps.

That is why 24 Texans in Congress, Republicans and Democrats, have joined together to endorse Proposition 12 on Tuesday’s ballot.

I must say, in my years in Congress I’ve never seen this kind of bipartisan cooperation on anything.

Proposition 12 will authorize $5 billion in state bonds to help reduce the massive backlog of high-priority roads, bridges and highways that must be built in our urban, suburban and rural communities throughout Texas.

If it is defeated, it would put our state, families and businesses into a transportation pothole that harms our quality of life and economic future.

Let us be clear. Proposition 12 is not the final solution. It is, however, a step in the right direction.

The Chinese proverb says, “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”

Proposition 12 is a first step in our long journey toward less congestion, better roads and cleaner air.

We must do much more. The Texas congressional delegation has formed a bipartisan transportation working group. We met with Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Chairman Ric Williamson and with Gov. Perry, who has encouraged TxDOT officials to be actively involved in our bipartisan dialogue.

We intend to meet with state legislators in Austin to find ways we in Washington, and those in Austin, can work together to address Texas’ needs.

A key initial step is to understand the nature and seriousness of the problem. It is immense.

Some facts from the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M:

• The cost of excess travel time and fuel consumed in congestion in Texas is estimated at $6.7 billion a year.
• State GDP increasingly has outpaced the state gas tax revenue. This, with 52 percent inflation in construction costs over the last five years, eats at our ability to invest in transportation infrastructure.
• Without additional revenue sources and appropriate planning, congestion will continue to worsen and Texas metropolitan areas will experience a doubling of traffic congestion by 2030.

We are not interested in finger pointing. What we are interested in is understanding the depth of our transportation problems and challenges, and then finding common-sense solutions.

We intend to reach out to business, labor and community leaders for their ideas and to lay a common foundation of understanding about the depth of Texas’ transportation crisis. Only then can we develop a consensus for real solutions.

We know there will be honest differences and bumps in the road. We understand there are no simple, painless solutions or silver bullets to solve our state’s transportation problems, but we intend to work hard, together.

We can show that genuine, bipartisan cooperation can pave the way for a brighter future for Texas.

Passing Proposition 12 will move Texas forward for the benefit of all. It is time for us to move forward, together.

Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, represents District 17 in the U.S. House of Representatives.