The recent announcement that expanding FM-1460 between Georgetown and Round Rock would no longer be financed by state and federal transportation dollars was a wake-up call to Tom Word, Chief of Public Works Operations in Round Rock. Word directly mentioned the project when referring to the deep gouge in federal funding during a Technical Advisory Committee meeting of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Authority on Wednesday.

The state's transportation department is no different. They are also looking at the list of projects that exist nowhere but on planning boards and spreadsheets, intended to make our Texas travels easier. More than $660-million in federal funding was pulled recently, including the FM-1460 project, and that will likely keep many future projects in their paper form only.

"What you see on the national level is rerouting those federal dollars to efforts like the War on Terror, and Homeland Security," says Marcus Cooper, with the Texas Department of Transportation. "Congress is basically pulling funds back from the states to fund those other efforts."

On a lengthy list of projects recently submitted to CAMPO include rebuilding the busy intersection at Koenig Lane/FM 2222 and Parkcrest, near Highland Mall, in north Austin and installing a raised island, repaving the road and adding a turn lane. In Georgetown, a request was made for funding to expand Williams Drive/RM 2338 from a two-lane road to five lanes, with a possible bike path along it. Those projects are on a large, seven-page list of improvements local planners would like to make in Central Texas.

"The message to cities and counties is that 'we're going to continue to get your project done on paper, but we're going to have to find the funding to get it under construction'," Cooper says.

Part of the problem is the skyrocketing cost for oil.

"We rely heavily on petroleum-based products like asphalt and tar, and especially gasoline to run our construction vehicles," Cooper adds.

More than $200-million in federal funding requests for projects is on the seven-page wish list submitted to the CAMPO TAC meeting last week. Projects for Pflugerville, West Lake Hills, Travis County, Texas State University and the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority are also on that list.

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