Music to their ears

A new audit of TxDOT finally gives the right results--a recommendation for more toll roads and higher rates.

From Associated Press and the Houston Chronicle

AUSTIN — The state's best chance for keeping up with demand for new and improved roads is to build more toll roads with higher fees, according to an external audit of the Texas Department of Transportation.

Among other recommendations, the audit by Dye Management Group and Deloitte Consulting suggests the state replace the existing gasoline tax with a fee based on miles traveled per vehicle.

The 20-cents-per-gallon gasoline tax, which has traditionally paid for roads, is no longer adequate, partly because of high construction costs and cars with better gas mileage, according to the audit.

"Right now, toll rates are set at the lowest possible level, just enough to capture the costs of the roads themselves," consultant Peter Mills said. "We believe they should be priced to reflect the value — including the time saved — they bring to the drivers who use them."

The audit, which has cost more than $3.5 million, was presented to the Texas Transportation Commission on Wednesday. It's part of the agency's sunset review — a comprehensive assessment that state agencies go through every 12 years.

The audits and recommendations will be completed by the end of July and will be used as a starting point for a Sunset Advisory Commission study of new laws for the transportation department. The Legislature will consider the resulting proposals when it reconvenes in 2009.

Commissioner Ted Houghton of El Paso supported idea of higher toll rates. Tolls that only cover construction and operating costs should be increased to produce funds for building other roads, he said.