But the sudden availability of up to $2 billion in additional Texas transportation funds is raising eyebrows in Austin. State lawmakers haven't forgotten that just a few years ago officials at the Texas Department of Transportation claimed they were nearly broke -- barely able to maintain existing roads and fresh out of money to do virtually any new road work other than projects with a toll component.
State transportation department officials say there's no magic to their newfound wealth. Officials at the agency, which typically spends about $7.5 billion a year mostly on highways, say they have taken a closer look at their internal budget estimates and determined they were being way too conservative.
