Texas toll road rating cut by Moody's due to default risk

[Winehole23]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-15/texas-toll-road-rating-cut-by-moody-s-due-to-default-risk-1-.html

[baseline bum]

LOL who is going to drive all the way out to Seguin to pay to drive to Austin?

[m>s]

I don't do tollroads. I'll spend more in gas going around them than the damn toll fee.

[MannyIsGod]

On one hand, fuck Moodys and all other ratings agencies. On the other, it actually looks like they have reason here.

[ChumpDumper]

Gee, no one is using our toll road we built in the middle of nowhere. How could this have happened?

[boutons_deux]

LOL who is going to drive all the way out to Seguin to pay to drive to Austin?

yep, I always thought that toll route was useless when originating in SA. I'd take my chances, poor as they usually are, on the horrendous I35 thru Austin.

[baseline bum]

Gee, no one is using our toll road we built in the middle of nowhere. How could this have happened?

:lol

[TeyshaBlue]

Christ. Slap a .05/gas tax on us and build some fucking roads.

[m>s]

Or make Boutons pay for it with his Zionist mercenary pension

[Spurminator]

Christ. Slap a .05/gas tax on us and build some fucking roads.

SOCIALIST!!!

[boutons_deux]

Christ. Slap a .05/gas tax on us and build some fucking roads.

In Texas? not a chance. TX destroys roads in S. Tx because it can'ta afford to repair the damage done by the "externalities" unfunded by gas/oil business.

[Das Texan]

if you are leaving from san antonio to goto dfw, you can just get on the toll road just south of Austin and sail through the problem that is Austin.


Driving to Seguin makes zero sense. Maybe for the what? 20 years that I-35 was torn to fucking hell in San Marcos, New Braunfels, et al, but not anymore, most of the time, after you get past the forum you sail through between 60-70 mph.

The northern portion of the toll road I would assume is doing just fine financially.

[Das Texan]

In Texas? not a chance. TX destroys roads in S. Tx because it can'ta afford to repair the damage done by the "externalities" unfunded by gas/oil business.



They actually are in some ways funded, but all of these funds goto the rainy day fund, instead of being diverted directly to the roads in these areas.

[ChumpDumper]

if you are leaving from san antonio to goto dfw, you can just get on the toll road just south of Austin and sail through the problem that is Austin.It's not meeting goals but Texas is subsidizing it just like the small government rugged individualist risk/reward state it is.

We should just make it free for trucks forever if we're just eliminating the operators risk anyway.

[boutons_deux]

They actually are in some ways funded, but all of these funds goto the rainy day fund, instead of being diverted directly to the roads in these areas.

so rainy day fund was intended to pay for road damage from industrial activity? rain does help traffic degrade the road

[scott]

In Texas? not a chance. TX destroys roads in S. Tx because it can'ta afford to repair the damage done by the "externalities" unfunded by gas/oil business.


They actually are in some ways funded, but all of these funds goto the rainy day fund, instead of being diverted directly to the roads in these areas.


so rainy day fund was intended to pay for road damage from industrial activity? rain does help traffic degrade the road

Constitutional Amendment will be on the November 2014 Ballot to take funds that are generated by Severance Tax on projects like Eagle Ford Shale that are going to the Rainy Day fund (about $2.5 billion/year) and use 50% of it to go towards transportation funds (and specifically prohibits their use on toll projects).

So, make sure to go vote on November 4, 2014

[CosmicCowboy]

The toll road makes sense if you originate in Laredo or Corpus and are heading North towards Dallas. Doesn't make sense originating in North San Antonio. And I love the freaking toll road in Austin.

[scott]

Here is a list of Patriots who have said "FUCK YOU GUMMINT!" and decided to use the roads WHENEVER THEY GODDAMN PLEASE

http://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/media-room/news/statewide/051-2013-violators.html

[ChumpDumper]

Here is a list of Patriots who have said "FUCK YOU GUMMINT!" and decided to use the roads WHENEVER THEY GODDAMN PLEASE

http://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/media-room/news/statewide/051-2013-violators.htmllol those totals are ridiculous.

For the #1 dude it comes out to $16 per tolling.

[101A]

At least in Texas they toll NEW roads; in Pa they just want to erect booths on existing interstates (and then subsequently add stop lights, lower speed-limits and other obstructions to the non-toll routes (usually at the behest of the foreign corp that wants to collect the tolls for the commonwealth).

[ChumpDumper]

At least in Texas they toll NEW roads; in Pa they just want to erect booths on existing interstates (and then subsequently add stop lights, lower speed-limits and other obstructions to the non-toll routes (usually at the behest of the foreign corp that wants to collect the tolls for the commonwealth).Guess it depends on your definition of new. Striping toll lanes onto Mopac doesn't count as a new road to me.

[101A]

lol those totals are ridiculous.

For the #1 dude it comes out to $16 per tolling.

That's the cost to drive into Brooklyn from Long Island EACH time. It's just how you've been conditioned as to what "ridiculous" is. ~30 Euro to drive from Austrian border to Rome, btw.

[baseline bum]

Here is a list of Patriots who have said "FUCK YOU GUMMINT!" and decided to use the roads WHENEVER THEY GODDAMN PLEASE

http://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/media-room/news/statewide/051-2013-violators.html

A person owing $236,026.32 in tolls???

[101A]

Guess it depends on your definition of new. Striping toll lanes onto Mopac doesn't count as a new road to me.

Fair enough; been up here so long, don't stay current; I guess governments are good at learning from each other.

[ChumpDumper]

That's the cost to drive into Brooklyn from Long Island EACH time. It's just how you've been conditioned as to what "ridiculous" is. ~30 Euro to drive from Austrian border to Rome, btw.No, it's ridiculous because it's not the actual tolls he was charged. It's the fines added on top of them.

[scott]

Maybe this will spawn a new line of practice for attorneys. "Burdened by HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OF UNPAID TOLLS? Call me, I guess. Fuck man, I don't know if I can get you off"

[Das Texan]

Constitutional Amendment will be on the November 2014 Ballot to take funds that are generated by Severance Tax on projects like Eagle Ford Shale that are going to the Rainy Day fund (about $2.5 billion/year) and use 50% of it to go towards transportation funds (and specifically prohibits their use on toll projects).

So, make sure to go vote on November 4, 2014


good.

the fact that they have to make it an actual amendment is funny. when you have fucking assholes like Rick Perry and his cronies in charge, I guess its what you have to do though.

[Das Texan]

It's not meeting goals but Texas is subsidizing it just like the small government rugged individualist risk/reward state it is.

We should just make it free for trucks forever if we're just eliminating the operators risk anyway.


I wonder how closer they would be to meeting goals if they were actually able to collect all owed tolls.

At least its not basically getting ready to go under by under use, like the South portion.

[Das Texan]

so rainy day fund was intended to pay for road damage from industrial activity? rain does help traffic degrade the road

Industrial Activity pays extra taxes to the state in the form of Severance Taxes.

All that money goes into Rainy Day Fund.

So yes, I would expect the Rainy Day fund to take care of road damage caused by Industrial uses when the Industrial industries put the fucking money there to fucking start with.

So fucking obtuse.

[Das Texan]

Maybe this will spawn a new line of practice for attorneys. "Burdened by HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OF UNPAID TOLLS? Call me, I guess. Fuck man, I don't know if I can get you off"


Settle for a fraction of the amount owed!

[boutons_deux]

naming and shaming toll non-payers in Illinois

Some firms cry foul as Tollway posts 'super scofflaw' list

The roster of 157 companies have amassed outstanding missed tolls and penalties totaling almost $3.7 million.

A trucking company based in the southwest suburbs that owes the Illinois Tollway almost $215,000 in unpaid tolls and fines leads a list of "super scofflaws" that the toll road agency debuted on its website Wednesday.

The roster of 157 companies has amassed unpaid missed tolls and penalties totaling almost $3.7 million, with some violations dating back as long as 10 years, according to the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-08-29/news/chi-tollway-scofflaw-folo-20130828_1_illinois-tollway-unpaid-tolls-and-fines-i-pass-transponders

[Das Texan]

naming and shaming toll non-payers in Illinois

Some firms cry foul as Tollway posts 'super scofflaw' list

The roster of 157 companies have amassed outstanding missed tolls and penalties totaling almost $3.7 million.

A trucking company based in the southwest suburbs that owes the Illinois Tollway almost $215,000 in unpaid tolls and fines leads a list of "super scofflaws" that the toll road agency debuted on its website Wednesday.

The roster of 157 companies has amassed unpaid missed tolls and penalties totaling almost $3.7 million, with some violations dating back as long as 10 years, according to the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-08-29/news/chi-tollway-scofflaw-folo-20130828_1_illinois-tollway-unpaid-tolls-and-fines-i-pass-transponders



Pay your fucking bills deadbeats.

I have zero problem with this shit, if you refuse to pay for services that are at cost, then you should be shamed.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Constitutional Amendment will be on the November 2014 Ballot to take funds that are generated by Severance Tax on projects like Eagle Ford Shale that are going to the Rainy Day fund (about $2.5 billion/year) and use 50% of it to go towards transportation funds (and specifically prohibits their use on toll projects).

So, make sure to go vote on November 4, 2014

I did not realize this. Thanks for the heads up.

[Biernutz]

I have run the toll road a couple of times for free when they were
doing road work on 35 in Austin. They had signs out for take the toll road
for free because of the road work. It's kind of out of the way but it's 80mph
and a DPS car hiding every mile down the road.
Don't have a toll tag but they will send you a bill in the mail when
I went to the Grand Prix track last year.

[Jacob1983]

I don't mind toll roads as long as they have booths and don't send you ridiculous bills in the mail. If I use a toll road, I want to either give a dollar or two to a human being at a booth or put some quarters in a machine and be on my way. I don't want to get anything in the mail about owing 10,20, or 50 dollars for driving 5 miles on a toll road.

[The Reckoning]

lol privatization of infrastructure

[FuzzyLumpkins]

lol privatization of infrastructure

It's fucked up. It used to be that sci-fi wrote about corporate run prisons. Need to have PPV deathmatches and we can go full on Running Man.

[exstatic]

I don't mind toll roads as long as they have booths and don't send you ridiculous bills in the mail. If I use a toll road, I want to either give a dollar or two to a human being at a booth or put some quarters in a machine and be on my way. I don't want to get anything in the mail about owing 10,20, or 50 dollars for driving 5 miles on a toll road.

The first scenario is a state run road, the second is a privately run road.

LOL, GOP

[boutons_deux]

Privatization FAIL: Firm that runs Indiana Toll Road files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/09/22/1331617/-Privatization-FAIL-Firm-that-runs-Indiana-Toll-Road-files-for-Chapter-11-Bankruptcy)

The company that operates the Indiana Toll Road filed for bankruptcy on Sunday, though Indiana Gov. Mike Pence said in a statement Monday drivers of the route through northern Indiana can expect “business as usual.”Debt-ridden ITR Commission Co., a spawn of the Spanish-Australian company Cintra-Macquarie, filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Chicago in a prepackaged plan to restructure its approximate $6 billion debt.

The company in 2006 paid $3.8 billion for a 75-year lease of the road that runs between the Illinois and Ohio state lines, but the toll revenue failed to meet company expectations.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/09/22/1331617/-Privatization-FAIL-Firm-that-runs-Indiana-Toll-Road-files-for-Chapter-11-Bankruptcy?detail=email

Indiana being one of the lesser known, but deeply RED, AND NASTY, STATES.

Repug MISgovernance y'all, it's the ONLY way Repugs govern!