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Texas Transportation Forum

Inaugural Forum highlights past and future transportation challenges

Many people listening to speaker in large ballroom

Photo courtesy of TxDOT. Opening Session had a full house in attendance for the Texas Transportation Forum in Austin.

The first Texas Transportation Forum, sponsored by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), and co-sponsored by the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), the Associated General Contractors of Texas, and the Texas Good Roads and Transportation Association, was a rousing success attracting 1,334 participants from nine states and the countries of Spain, Costa Rica and Canada. The forum featured keynote speeches by the Texas Governor, Secretary of the United States Department of Transportation and the Texas Secretary of State. The TTI-produced video about the history of the Interstate Highway System was introduced in the opening session by TTI Deputy Director Dennis Christiansen.

The 50th Anniversary of the Interstate Highway System set the mood for the two-day event June 8-9 at Austin's Hilton Hotel. "We'll never know where we're going if we don't know where we've been," the Executive Director of TxDOT Michael Behrens told the crowd gathered in the Hilton's Governor's Ballroom. "The reason we are here is obvious—Texas is facing some great transportation challenges and requires solutions that can only be achieved with collaboration and teamwork."

Those transportation challenges dominated the speeches and breakout sessions during the Forum. Topics covered included funding issues and the use of public-private partnerships, congestion problems, the future of road building, Regional Mobility Authorities and the Trans-Texas Corridor.

During his keynote address, Governor Rick Perry drew comparisons between the critics 50 years ago of the Interstate Highway System plan and the critics today of the Trans-Texas Corridor. "There are two kinds of people in this world: those who say it can't be done, and those who are busy getting it done. The people in this room are getting it done," says Perry.

Speaker addresses attendees from podium while six VIPS seated at dais listen.

Photo courtesy of TxDOT. Lawrence Olsen, Executive Vice President, Texas Good Roads Transportation Association addresses forum attendees at the Road Hand Award Luncheon.

Governor Perry addresses attendees from podium.

Photo courtesy of TxDOT. Texas Governor Rick Perry

Speaker addresses attendees from podium

Photo courtesy of TxDOT. Ric Williamson, Chair, Texas Transportation Commission

Speaker addresses attendees from podium

Photo courtesy of TxDOT. Roger Williams, Secretary of State, Texas, sends attendees off to do good work at the Closing Session.

Speaker addresses attendees from podium

Photo courtesy of TxDOT. Hope Andrade, Commissioner, Texas Transportation Commission

Mineta Urges Partnerships to Fight Congestion

Speaker addresses attendees from podium

Photo courtesy of TxDOT. The Honorable Norman Y. Mineta, Secretary, United States Department of Transportation addresses the forum at the Road Hand Award Luncheon.

According to the U.S. Transportation Secretary, Texas is "well ahead of the curve" when it comes to finding new ways to fund highway construction to ease congestion. The Honorable Secretary Norman Mineta was the keynote speaker for the opening luncheon at the first Texas Transportation Forum. Mineta spoke to more than a thousand attendees three weeks after announcing a national initiative to fight the congestion that "costs the nation 2.3 billion gallons of wasted gasoline and $200 billion for Americans every year."

Mineta urged the use of public-private partnerships to fund new highway construction. Earlier in the day, Mineta toured a section of the Central Texas Turnpike with Governor Rick Perry that is planned to open a year ahead of schedule and $400 million under budget. The governor says the accelerated completion date is thanks to the public-private partnership funding mechanisms authorized by the legislature and approved by voters in 2001.

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