Center for Public Integrity has researched and identified all the lobbyists for transportation at the federal level in an interactive map which also shows what they are being paid. They’ve discovered $45 billion in lobbying is being spent for a share of the $500 billion federal transportation bill.
Link to the site here and see more [...]

Article linked here.

9/19/2009
Congress Renews Ban on Texas Toll Roads
Federal transportation appropriations legislation renews prohibition on new toll roads in Texas.The US Senate on Thursday voted to renew a prohibition on the tolling of existing freeways in the state of Texas. The measure was adopted as part of a larger $123 billion transportation appropriations bill [...]

9/14/2009
Federal Proposal Would Spend $154 Million on Vehicle Tracking Tax
Oregon congressman wants to spend taxpayer money to develop nationwide vehicle tracking and taxing technologies.
A Member of Congress proposes to use taxpayer money to fund the development of technology to track motorists as part of a new form of taxation. US Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) introduced [...]

Highway Bill Extension Includes $20 Billion Trust Fund Boost
Texas Insider
September 17, 2009
Bill reimburses trust fund for interest not paid since 1999.
The Senate is expected to bring to the floor a bill that would extend the surface transportation law by 18 months and include a transfer of almost $20 billion from the general fund to [...]

To view a map that shows the multi-state network, view the original article here.
E-ZPass expansion connects Midwest and East Coast
By Larry Copeland, USA TODAY
September 16, 2009
The USA moves one step closer to a nationwide highway tolling system next month when the Ohio Turnpike joins a network covering the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
The move on Oct. [...]

Link to editorial here. Link to KTSA initial story on the blunder here.
KTSA reported the TxDOT blunder first. TxDOT’s response to them initially was essentially that it simply didn’t rank. Then, by the time the Express News printed a story on it, they were already acknowledging something was amiss. Now the Editorial Board is chiming [...]

Link to article here.
Aggressive traffic projections are coming home to roost these days, as motorists shun the extra toll taxes to get to work. Now toll operators are turning on the their own industry and suing companies who overpromise and underdeliver traffic for toll roads. The blood is in the water…here come the sharks!
[...]

Link to article here.
Rick Perry brought public private partnership toll roads to Texas in 2003. Now public private partnerships are spreading to real estate. Even worse, this version allows China to buy-up distressed U.S. real estate using public money.
China Ramps Up To Buy Cheap U.S. Real Estate
Thursday, September 10, 2009 3:29 PM
By: Julie Crawshaw [...]

TxDOT inks LBJ toll deal with foreign toll operator, Cintra
By Terri Hall
Examiner.com
September 10, 2009
Is there ANY elected official looking out for the taxpayers anymore? So much for taxpayer protections and oversight from Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott. Even after Abbott held-up several controversial comprehensive development agreements (CDAs, also known as public private partnerships, PPPs) for [...]

Link to article here.
Don’t think someone won’t try this to avoid paying tolls. too.
Man Dons Mask for Speed-Camera Photos
AOL.com
September 8, 2009

(Sept. – An Arizona man who has been served 37 speeding tickets in the mail is refusing to pay them because he says the pictures captured by the state’s photo-enforcement cameras don’t show [...]