Holes in the funding gap

April 30, 2007

Pat Driscoll, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

Half of the state's estimated $86 billion shortfall for transportation projects — part of its most sacred argument for toll roads — is either wrong, couldn't be verified or is a shot in the dark, says an audit report released today.

The State Auditor's Office took a close look at the Texas Department of Transportation's $86 billion funding gap through 2030 and had this to say about $46 billion of it:

• At least $8.6 billion was overstated because Austin transportation planners mistakenly added in $3.7 billion extra for freeway interchanges ... whoops ... and included $4.9 billion for road reconstruction and freight rail relocation that they shouldn't have.

• Another $27.92 billion couldn't be verified because officials in Houston, El Paso, Lubbock, Corpus Christi and Hidalgo County didn't keep documents. Only San Antonio and Dallas-Fort Worth numbers checked out OK, with reported gaps of $8.4 billion and $21.8 billion.

• Another $9 billion was a wild guess — TxDOT looked at costs for planned projects in the state's other 17 urban areas and figured twice as much might need to be done.

"The methodology the department used to calculate the amount of the funding gap provides a general assessment of the statewide need ... however, it may not be reliable for making policy or funding decisions," the report states.

TxDOT says their next try will be better.

"The State Auditor's Office has provided some good suggestions ... to draw a clearer picture of the state's mobility needs and we are incorporating their recommendations into our future assessments," TxDOT Director Michael Behrens said.

Critics say there's no real proof that there's a transportation crisis.

"This is exactly the kind of loose and careless attention to detail that should worry everyone about TxDOT's rush into public-private partnerships," said David and Linda Stall of CorridorWatch.org.

Advocates say the report doesn't dispute that there's a crisis.

"While some may quibble over size of the funding gap, it is clear that more transportation dollars are needed to end traffic gridlock in Texas," said Joe Krier of Texans for Safe Reliable Transportation.