The latest transportation news from The Texas Tribune.
Ongoing school finance litigation will likely prevent the Legislature from discussing education funding issues this session, two Republican budget leaders said at a TribLive event Thursday. Full Story
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As lawmakers look for a way to fix infrastructure crumbling under the weight of a drilling boom, talk of reducing the tax money that feeds the state's Rainy Day Fund is drawing attention. Full Story
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At a briefing Tuesday, lawmakers and relatives of people killed while texting and driving renewed a push to make the practice illegal. A proposal passed during the last session but was vetoed by Gov. Rick Perry. Full Story
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In search of new revenue for road construction and maintenance, Texas lawmakers are weighing whether to raise fees on electric cars, a move that is gaining ground in some other states. Full Story
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Momentum is growing for Texas lawmakers to commit large amounts of money to address the state's long-term infrastructure needs, particularly water and transportation. Full Story
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In a wide-ranging interview, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst talked about the state budget, education, immigration, water, transportation, and his hopes and plans for the legislative session that began this week. Full Story
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An upcoming expansion of the Panama Canal will boost Texas exports but not do as much for imports, according to a report commissioned by the Texas Department of Transportation. Full Story
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Drought, oil and gas production, fast lanes and toll lanes made headlines in 2012 in the Tribune. Here's a look back at the year's biggest stories on energy and the environment and transportation. Full Story
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The courts aren't expected to finish their work on school finance until after the regular legislative session, giving lawmakers an excuse for leaving some expensive work incomplete for now. Full Story
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TIFIA, a popular transportation-focused federal loan program, has $17 billion ready to dole out and Texas is jumping at the chance to tap billions of dollars in credit. Full Story
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For this week's nonscientific survey of insiders in government and politics, we asked about big-ticket infrastructure issues — whether lawmakers will approve any of them and where they might look for money. Full Story
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Though the controversial proposal to build a 4,000-mile network of highways and rail lines across Texas never came to fruition, the Trans-Texas Corridor proposal helped usher a change in how the state builds roads. Full Story
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Already a fixture in Houston, toll lane projects are set to spread to cities across Texas. Officials in urban areas say the lanes are a key way to address congestion, but some deride the projects as "Lexus lanes." Full Story
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Amid a lack of public financing to meet the state's transportation needs, Texas officials are increasingly looking to toll projects, some boosted by investments by private firms. Full Story
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Our interactive map highlights every existing toll road in Texas and all toll projects currently in development. Charging drivers for the ability to avoid traffic is spreading from the state's biggest cities to every corner of the state. Full Story
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Lawmakers are once again working to end a surcharge program they say is ineffective and unfair. But the program also provides millions of dollars to trauma centers across Texas. Full Story
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Before anything can be done on transportation funding, What constitutes a budget diversion? Is a fee increase the same thing as a tax hike? The debate over transportation funding next session could hinge on how Full Story
More cities in Texas are passing texting-and-driving bans, but some say such laws are ineffective and infringe on personal freedom. Full Story
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The newly opened stretch of State Highway 130 from Austin to Seguin has an 85 mph speed limit, the fastest in the country. Beyond the debate over whether it's safe, what's it like to drive? Full Story
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Two ideas are gaining momentum as Texas lawmakers consider ways to raise more money for road projects: raising the vehicle registration fee by $50 and dedicating the sales tax on car purchases to transportation. Full Story