Transportation and the Texas Economy

This project summary report summarizes the research performed in Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Project 0-4871. The purpose of this two-year project was to analyze and evaluate some aspects of the state¿s transportation system and its role in the Texas economy. The research used existing national and Texas data to provide an economic profile of the importance of the transportation system and its services within the state. Researchers reviewed and analyzed current studies, reviewed economic methods of measuring the transportation system, evaluated various state-level economic models, and developed a methodology for estimating transportation values in Texas. Researchers found that studying the relationship between the state¿s annual transportation costs and the gross Texas product (GTP) could be a valuable way to understand the value of transportation as a component of the Texas economy. Researchers developed a means to forecast transportation costs for Texas by evaluating estimates of GTP, constant-dollar average national gasoline prices, Texas population, Consumer Price Index, and number of new passenger cars (not including trucks) purchased by Texans. The research results for this project illustrate the significance of the transportation network in Texas and its impact on the economy.