TXDOT WATCH: Rick Perry’s TxDOT: “Intractable. Defensive. Secretive. Broken.”
Austin, TX – Today, The Texas Tribune reported that Rick Perry’s TxDOT has repeatedly frustrated state lawmakers, who have called the agency intractable, defensive, secretive and broken. And TxDOT’s leadership is to blame, with the “politically charged” Texas Transportation Commission serving as “a mouthpiece for Gov. Rick Perry” instead of for the people of Texas. In fact, one of the transportation commissioners mirrored Rick Perry’s debate performance last Friday and defended the Trans-Texas Corridor to The Texas Tribune. TxDOT’s arrogance seems to know no bounds, and Texas drivers are paying the price. Check out the facts below:
Today, The Texas Tribune Reports On Lawmakers’ Frustration With TxDOT And Its “Politically Charged,” “Secretive” Culture:
State Lawmakers Describe TxDOT As “Intractable. Defensive. Secretive. Broken.” “State lawmakers have their own special vocabulary for describing the Texas Department of Transportation: Intractable. Defensive. Secretive. Broken.” (Abby Rapoport, “A Hard Road,” Texas Tribune, 2/4/10)
Even One Of The Texas Transportation Commissioners Acknowledged That “On Our Very Best Day We Probably Are Getting A ‘C’” Grade. “Bill Meadows knows what they're getting at. ‘I don’t think we are fully succeeding,’ says Meadows, a non-combative voice on the five-member Transportation Commission. ‘On our very best day we probably are getting a ‘C’.’ If you listen to state legislators, even that constitutes grade inflation.” (Abby Rapoport, “A Hard Road,” Texas Tribune, 2/4/10)
One Transportation Commissioner Acknowledges That TxDOT Isn’t Meeting The Needs Of Texas, But Then Goes On To Defend The Trans-Texas Corridor As A Solution:
Transportation Commissioner Bill Meadows Said The Reality Is “TxDOT Isn’t Meeting The Transportation Needs Of Texas Citizens.” ““Meadows and his fellow commissioners are trying to get things in order. The first step, he says, is embracing the reality: TXDOT isn’t meeting the transportation needs of Texas citizens. ‘I think a good dose of straight up honesty is the way to go,’ he says.” (Abby Rapoport, “A Hard Road,” Texas Tribune, 2/4/10)
• But Meadows Went On To Defend The Trans-Texas Corridor, Implying That Efforts To Implement The Giant Toll Road Land Grab Weren’t Bad. “Take the Trans-Texas Corridor: The effort to create a new approach to statewide travel has been universally bashed for its infringement on private property and its reliance on toll roads — so much so that Perry, its biggest promoter, has abandoned the project. ‘Did Trans-Texas fail because of bad process,’ Meadows asks, ‘or because it was a bad idea? It has caused this agency to be criticized and damned, but that doesn’t mean the efforts are bad.’” (Abby Rapoport, “A Hard Road,” Texas Tribune, 2/4/10)