By Shelley Kofler, KERA 90.1
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-616379.mp3
Dallas, TX – How would you spend $2.5 billion dollars if it dropped in your lap? That's the happy dilemma North Texas transportation officials expect to have on their hands. KERA's Shelley Kofler has more on where the money comes from and how it may be spent.
As Michael Morris explained the situation even he seemed to have a hard time believing the big check will soon arrive.
Morris: It's taken four years to get to this point but it's nice to be here
Morris is the transportation director for the North Texas Council of Governments. He advises the area's elected officials and representatives who make up the regional transportation commission.
When the commission recommended the North Texas Toll Way Authority be awarded the contract to build and manage the State Highway 121 toll road, it stipulated that the tollway authority must turn over 2.5 billion dollars on the day the final agreement is inked. Morris expects that to happen in October.
To prepare for the moment Morris' agency asked groups from the four big counties- Tarrant, Dallas Collin and Denton- to provide their wish lists. How do they want their county to spend its share of the money? Morris received 568 enthusiastic proposals.
Morris: You got critical regional bicycle facilities, you got rail investments, your got road grade separations, thoroughfare street widenings, new thoroughfares, park-and-ride lots.
But paying for all the proposed projects would cost five times the amount that will be available after a few other costs are taken care of.
Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley hopes individuals will look at the big picture.
Whitley: It may be dicey at times because we now have money to fight over. But I feel certain the group will put on their regional hats not the local hats.
Irving Councilman Rick Stopfer cautioned several billion is really just a down payment.
Stopfer: Even if you gave it all to us we would need twice as much to fix all our needs.
If all goes as expected the public will have an opportunity to weigh in on options beginning in September. Transportation commissioners will identify the successful projects in January. And the dirt should begin flying in spring.
Shelley Kofler KERA News