Fiscal Notes: Transportation Infrastructure

(AUSTIN) — In the May issue of Fiscal Notes, released today, the Comptroller’s office examines the funding and needs associated with the roads, rail lines, airports and seaports that connect the Texas economy with customers and suppliers around the world.

With the Texas population expected to double by 2050, the Texas Department of Transportation estimates Texas will require about $21 billion annually to keep the state’s various transportation modes in a good state of repair.

“We’ve got nearly 314,000 miles of roads and highways, more than 10,400 miles of rail lines, nearly 400 airports and 21 seaports,” Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar said. “Maintaining and expanding this infrastructure is a tremendous task, yet the expenditure may be necessary if we want to remain prosperous.”

May Fiscal Notes also looks at state government employee turnover. Texas’ fast-growing economy means state agencies are competing for talent in one of the tightest job markets in the nation. This issue is felt most acutely as agencies try to attract and retain employees working in highly stressful environments like those of the Juvenile Justice Department and the Department of State Health Services.

Fiscal Notes is available online and also can be received by subscribing via the Comptroller’s website.

Fiscal Notes helps promote and further explain the Comptroller’s constitutional responsibility to monitor the state’s economy and estimate state government revenues. It has been published since 1975, featuring in-depth analysis concerning state finances and original research by subject-matter experts in the Comptroller’s office.