Perry, White would take different roads to highway spending

Dallas-area voters wondering whether their vote for governor will make any difference to them need look no further than the roads they drive to work each day – or in their wallets.

After nearly 10 years in office, Gov. Rick Perry has left his stamp as deeply on transportation, especially in North Texas, as he has anywhere in state government.

Most of those changes have been about building more roads, especially in big cities where billions in new borrowing and an explosion of new tolls have triggered a construction boom that will speed commutes even as it drains many drivers' checking accounts.

He said he'll keep to the same course if elected to a record third full term on Nov. 2.

But the debt has grown so high that even TxDOT warns that by 2012 it will run out of money for new projects and have to reduce maintenance – thanks in part to rising debt payments, though officials there say the real culprit is the lack of new funding.

In 2010, the agency owed $11.3 billion as part of three major road-building programs – all approved by voters since 2001. It owes another $2.6 billion for a toll road system in Austin.

His Democratic opponent, former Houston Mayor Bill White, says if he is governor Texans will have greater say over whether they see tolls on their highways, will borrow less to build highways and will see more project decisions made at local levels.

"If Rick Perry thinks TxDOT has performed well under his stewardship, then he is out of touch," White said in a recent interview. "They failed to plan ahead with a plan for the future, they failed to plan ahead on how the debt would be repaid without cannibalizing the operations and maintenance of Texas roads, and failed to establish trust and confidence."