As the legislative session nears its end in Austin, attention is focused on partisan redistricting, and key initiatives for more highway funding are mired in committees. Meanwhile, the North Texas population boom is stretching the highway system to the breaking point. In four years, the region has experienced increases in population by 10 percent, employment by 15 percent and vehicle miles traveled by 20 percent. During that time, the number of new roads has increased 2 percent, and congestion has increased 57 percent. What concerns me is we are becoming more strapped at the same time.
Drivers say they are becoming more frustrated with traffic and with the unpredictable road system.
It can take you 15 minutes, or it can take you an hour, depending on whether there's a wreck or not. She said she spends more than 36 hours a year in traffic. The Texas Transportation Institute advocates a wide- ranging approach to traffic management, including adding roads, installing computerized monitoring systems to help traffic flow and expanding capacity through ideas such as high occupancy vehicle lanes. Kienitz, however, said road building will not solve the congestion problem. The Surface Transportation Policy Project compared traffic in cities that added roads with traffic in cities that did not.