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Here's What Lower Oil and Gas Prices Mean for Texas Roads

Oil and gas prices are down, so what does that mean for Texas roadways?

From Texas Standard:


While this is great for fueling up our cars, trucks, mopeds and motorcycles, it's not the best news for the roads we have to drive on. That's because a big chunk of the money used to fix those roads comes from the  Rainy Day Fund, which is partly funded through taxes charged on the production of oil and gas in Texas.


Back in 2014, Texans voted on sending half that money to the State Highway Fund. It was  approved overwhelmingly, because people were thinking, "Oh, more money for roads and I don't have to pay more taxes out of my pocket? Sounds like a good deal."





"This funding stream didn't even exist until literally two years ago,” Hegar says. “It was more or less the ‘cream on top.’”


"There is no type of tax that's a guaranteed stable supply. Economies do better, they do worse,” Hegar says. “In 2016 we're tied… to an extremely connected national and global economy."


