As printed in the Statesman Today

Strama & McCracken, who both voted to toll roads
we've already paid for, are seen here.

AS PRINTED IN THE AAS TODAY:

Toll numbers inflated

Austin City Council Member Brewster McCracken's tax-funded review of Austin's "freeway tolls" has been hijacked by tollers. The pro-toll committee is allowing the toll authority to hire a company to fluff traffic forecast numbers.

That company, URS Corp., has a magnificent record of failed tollways and inflated traffic forecasts. URS has inaccurately forecasted nearly a half-dozen failed projects in Florida. One of those, the Suncoast Parkway, was projected for $70 million in year one. It produced $7 million.

The failed Camino Colombia tollway promised to be a "generator of regional economic activity." URS forecasted $9 million for year one — but it produced $500,000, which was 6 percent of the URS forecast.

We can only memorize the names on the toll committee: McCracken, state Rep. Mike Krusee, state Rep. Mark Strama, Travis County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty, Austin City Council Member Betty Dunkerley and fire them in upcoming elections for a sham "review."

SAL COSTELLO
Founder of People for Efficient Transportation
imacsal@aol.com

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What the Statesman cut out and other details:

Forbes, in 9/3/01 put it best, "It has become painfully clear to bondholders and politicians that many of the public toll-supported projects built in the past decade, the majority blessed by URS and its ilk, have become financial albatrosses."

Standard and Poor's bond analysts, after reviewing forecasting case studies for years, have concluded "Optimism bias remains a consistent feature of toll road traffic forecasting."

Read the expanded version here.