The latest transportation news from The Texas Tribune.
The Texas Department of Transportation began posting notices Tuesday letting homeless Austin residents know they must leave encampments under state overpasses by early next week. Full Story
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Historic black neighborhoods like Independence Heights and the Fifth Ward are in the crosshairs of Houston highway plans, decades after expressways separated communities from the rest of the city. Full Story
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As road congestion worsens in Texas cities, public transit authorities are racing to raise money for vast expansions of light rail and buses to transport the state's growing population. Full Story
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A new law increased the punishment for failing to stop and render aid to match the sentence for DWI manslaughter. The goal is to deter drunken drivers from leaving the scene of an accident. Full Story
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More than 600,000 Texans will immediately be eligible to have their driver's licenses reinstated after the program's Sept. 1 repeal. The system was widely criticized for adding additional annual fees on top of the price of tickets, but all pending surcharges will soon be waived. Full Story
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Abbott said the measure "is an unnecessary invasion of parental rights and an unfortunate example of over-criminalization." Full Story
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The money will be used to hire more employees, give a raise to current staffers and open two new driver’s license offices in Angleton and Denton. The Department of Public Safety's management of the offices has drawn criticism, but lawmakers stopped short of moving those duties to another agency. Full Story
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Although it cut some provisions from the Senate version, the House committee substitute to Senate Bill 421 keeps public meeting requirements and protects against low-ball offers for landowners facing eminent domain actions. Full Story
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The legislation includes a provision to allow local governments to continue operating cameras until they finish out any contracts in effect as of May 7. Full Story
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The bill to end the unpopular program, which adds annual surcharges on top of traffic fines — and prompts the suspension of millions of driver's licenses — is headed for Gov. Greg Abbott's desk. If he signs it, pending surcharges will be dropped. Full Story
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Legal battles over whether the developer can use eminent domain still loom over the project. Full Story
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Supporters say the $8 billion plan for one of the state’s most notorious stretches of highway is necessary to fight congestion. But critics say new lanes won’t end traffic — and worry the plan undercuts Austin’s goal to reduce single-occupancy car trips. Full Story
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But an amendment to the bill could keep the devices in place until cities' contracts with vendors expire. Camera proponents say they make intersections safer, but critics say they undermine due process. Full Story
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The legislation wouldn't remove tolls from roads that have had their construction costs paid off. But its author calls the required disclosure of revenues and expenses an act of transparency. Full Story
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The upper chamber passed a bill Wednesday that would add several restrictions on the popular, but controversial, machines. The measure would require scooter renters to be at least 16 years old and it would prohibit more than one person from riding at a time. Full Story
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Bills aimed at making a dent in traffic deaths have gotten mixed results at the Texas Legislature this year. Full Story
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Lawmakers are pushing more measures than ever before that could delay the Dallas-Houston bullet train project — and there’s even a special subcommittee tackling the topic. Full Story
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Juan Pablo Garnham, who has 14 years of experience as a reporter, editor and journalism teacher in Latin America and the United States, starts at The Texas Tribune on June 3. Full Story
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Although Texas Central isn't planning on using state funds for its Dallas-Houston line, it says language in the spending plan could impede the project until a court definitively affirms the company's ability to use eminent domain. Full Story
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Lawmakers in both chambers and parties want to fix the controversial Driver Responsibility Program, but the program funds state trauma centers. Where will they find $144 million to fill the gap? Full Story
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