1986-08-11 Regular Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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• STATE HIGHWAY FUNDING • The Texas economy is troubled and in transition. Primary causes of these changes are continuing decline in oil prices and production - and what amounts to a depression in agriculture. When oil and agriculture are in trouble, we are all in trouble. We obviously have problems to deal with. The Texas economy has to diversify - and grow in other areas to take up the slack. One of the strongest assets of the Texas economy is our transportation system. It is a well kept secret that Texas is Number One in transportation. * Texas has 250,000 miles of roads and streets - more than any other state. * Texas {gas more miles of railroads than any other state - 13,000 miles. ~~* Texas has 1200 airports - more than any other state. * Texas has 426 miles of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, the longest segment of any state, and ten major seaports. * Texas leads the nation with more than 200,000 miles of oil and gas pipelines. According to the Texas Transportation Institute, transportation accounts for 25 percent of the value of all goods and services in our gross state product. Transportation is the key to our economic well being in Texas. Any economic development program that fails to recognize that basic fact is not likely to succeed. This year - 1986 - as we observe the Texas Sesquicentennial - more than 38 million tourists will come to the Lone Star State. These visitors will spend about $16 billion while they are in Texas. They will provide 279,000 jobs for Texans with hotels, motels, restaurants, retail stores, and other businesses. Most of those visitors (about 85~) will arrive in Texas in automobiles and buses on Texas highways. The others will arrive at airports. To put it very simply, without transportation, there would be no tourist industry. The highway construction industry itself is a major generator of jobs. The current level of highway construction in Texas creates or sustains 120,000 jobs. That includes 60,000 jobs on and off site in construction and allied industry and another 60,000 indirect jobs created under a multiplier effect as a result of highway construction expenditures in local communities. This level of emaloyment is the result of $2 billion in highway construc- tion contracts that will be awarded this year - and that will be a new record in dollar volume. Add to the number of jobs related to highway transportation in Texas 523,700 in the truck and bus industry, 194,349 in motor vehicle manufacturing,