WHERE THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD
3 major highway projects in Cherokee County are ready to go ... except for money
LELANDACKER
Federal funding issues have resulted in the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) shifting their focus from new highway construction to old highway maintenance. The effect on Cherokee County means three major highway projects are still without funding.

Larry Krantz, public information officer for TxDOT's Tyler District, said the federal government has been rescinding federal funds that were allocated to the state for highway projects.

"We had $666 million rescinded last year," he said. "So far. We've had $1.1 to $1.2 billion rescinded by the federal government. That's $1.1 to $1.2 billion in projects that won't happen."

State and federal highway funds come from gasoline taxes. Texas charges a tax of 20 cents per gallon, while the federal government charges 18 cents per gallon.

"The state has not raised gas taxes since 1991," Mr. Krantz said. "How much did things cost back then?"

He went on to explain that roads are constructed out of steel, concrete and asphalt.

"We're paying premium prices for those materials because we are now competing with China and other nations where there is development, whereas there wasn't development in these countries before. Because of growth in the other parts of the world, construction costs are growing larger."

In the past, the federal government has allocated some of the funding obtained by the federal gas tax to the state to build and maintain highways. However, recently, the federal government has been rescinding those allocations.

"The federal government is the biggest dog, it gets to determine how much it eats," Mr. Krantz said.

Due to the funding crunch, three major projects in Cherokee County have yet to be funded. Those projects are: U.S. Highway 79 between Jacksonville and New Summerfield, TxDOT plans to expand the highway to five lanes; U.S. 175 from the Neches river to Jacksonville, TxDOT plans to expand the highway to four lanes, making it a consistent width from Jacksonville to Dallas; and U.S. Highway 69 in Wells, TxDOT plans to expand the existing highway to four lanes to eliminate bottle-necking traffic during hurricane evacuations.

The U.S. Highway 69 project in Wells is a high-priority project for TxDOT due to its designation as an evacuation route.

"We're hopeful (about the Wells project), but it's still up in the air," Mr. Krantz said.

Projects that will move forward are improvements to FM 347 between Jacksonville and Oakland and U.S. Highway 69 in Rusk.

The project in Rusk calls for the repair of the outside lanes and a "hot-mix" overlay of the entire highway.

"We have a lot to maintain," Mr. Krantz said. "Our Farmto Market road system is bigger than California's entire highway system. We have 80,000 miles of center-lined highways, it's far and away the biggest highway system (in the country). So, we've had to pull our resources out of construction and put them toward highway maintenance (as a result of the funding crunch). We're having to focus on maintaining what we have.

"Plus, the dollar doesn't go as far as it used to."

The shift from construction to maintenance creates problems, as Mr. Krantz explained that TxDOT wants to expand the current highway system to accommodate future growth.

According to TxDOT's 2007 strategic plan, Texas population increased 57 percent in the last 25 years, increasing road usage by 95 percent, all while state road capacity grew by eight percent. TxDOT projects that the population will grow by 64 percent in the next 25 years, bringing a 214 percent increase in road usage. Without a comprehensive plan, TxDOT's 2007 strategic plan says state road capacity will only grow six percent.

"Texas is fortunate to have growth," Mr. Krantz said. "As the state's transportation authority, we have to plan for that growth. We're not the only state experiencing rescissions by the federal government, and we're not the only one feeling a financial crunch."

Mr. Krantz said the Texas Legislature asked TxDOT to find alternate ways to fund highway construction projects. Proposition 12, passed by voters as a result of legislation in the last session, authorized the state to pass $5 billion in bonds to fund highway construction. Other plans call for the installation of toll roads. "We're not the only state having to look at toll roads and bonds," Mr. Krantz said. "It's pretty universal for states experiencing growth."

TxDOT will continue to maintain the highways in place. Mr. Krantz said the Tyler District will be seal coating many highways in East Texas, including U.S. Highway 69 in Bullard, U.S. Highway 79 between Jacksonville and New Summerfield and FM 343.