Sen. Hutchison vows to reform TxDOT

Calls TxDOT arrogant

Steve Hawley, Aug 18, 09.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, in remarks formally launching her gubernatorial bid, harshly criticized the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Trans-Texas Corridor concept, according to the Dallas Morning News Transportation Blog.

In her remarks, Hutchison said:

Today, TXDOT is the most arrogant, unaccountable state agency in the history of Texas. I will reform and expand the Commission. It should be more representative of all regions of our state. And it will seek and embrace local input. It is time to return to our tradition of free, quality highways and roads.

“Then there’s the Trans-Texas Corridor. The biggest land grab in the history of Texas. And the Governor wanted to turn it over to a foreign company to build toll roads. Well, they can call it the Trans-Texas Corridor. Or they can call it something different. But here’s what I will call it when I take the oath of office: dead, buried, history. We can do better.

The Morning News notes, “It’s easy to beat up on TxDOT, the most popular political punching bag since Perry turned Republican. Slapping around the [Trans-Texas Corridor] and toll roads are good politics, too. It inflames the farmers and toll-weary suburbanites.” However, the author notes that while both Sen. Hutchison and her opponent, Gov. Rick Perry, have criticized the current transportation funding system, neither one has offered any alternative ideas yet.