The Facts
* The Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) current biennial budget of $22 billion covers more than 12,000 employees and provides vast resources to maintain and build roads.
* Total dollars spent per 1,000 miles driven amounts to $20.15, ranking Texas near the middle of the pack at 20th in the nation and 12% above the national average.
* Design-build contracting is estimated to have saved Texas taxpayers 22% over the last six years and 14% more in time savings versus a design-bid-build method.
* In 2013, HB 22 would have freed TxDOT to achieve design-build savings by eliminating the restrictions on these contracts.
Recommendations
* Remove governmental restrictions on the development of innovative practices in the financing, design, building, and private ownership/operation of Texas’ transportation infrastructure.
* Extend and expand design-build contracting after it expires in August 2015.