LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 80TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

April 23, 2007

TO:	Honorable Mike Krusee, Chair, House Committee on Transportation
FROM:	John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	HB3831 by Hardcastle (Relating to the criteria for selecting a route for a segment of the Trans-Texas Corridor.), As Introduced

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would amend the Transportation Code to specify that a route for a segment of the Trans-Texas Corridor may not be constructed in a county that is located between the northern border of this state and the northern boundary of a county with a population greater than 430,000 in which no city with a population greater than 83,000 is located until after one or more additional lanes are added to the portion of an existing highway in that county that is designated as an interstate highway or United States highway.

TxDOT indicates that the provisions of the bill would apply to Denton County, which contains approximately 116 miles of interstate and U.S. highway, and would require TxDOT to add at least one additional lane to the applicable segments of such highways in the county at an estimated cost of $2.9 billion ($25 million per mile) before a segment of the Trans-Texas Corridor could be built in the county. It is assumed TxDOT would reallocate funding and resources from other transportation projects to accommodate any costs associated with implementing the provisions of the bill.

The bill would take effect immediately upon receiving a vote of two-thirds of all members elected to each house or otherwise on September 1, 2007.

Local Government Impact

Because the bill would not have statewide impact on units of local government of the same type or class, no comment from this office is required by the rules of the House/Senate as to its probable fiscal implication on units of local government.

Source Agencies:

601 Department of Transportation

LBB Staff:

JOB, MW, TG, KJG