Ted Houghton, Chair of the Texas Transportation Commission, participated in a Q&A with the El Paso Inc., Ted Houghton gives his thoughts on the MCA Foundation and the development of the MCA campus. Below is an excerpt of that Q&A.

There have probably never been more transportation projects started in El Paso than since Ted Houghton became the first El Pasoan to serve on the Texas Transportation Commission in 2003.

Houghton's colleagues say that's no coincidence. His position has enabled him to bring a little Far West Texas perspective to the commission.

And in October, Houghton was named chair of the commission - a position that was previously held by Deirdre Delisi, who joined the presidential campaign staff of Gov. Rick Perry.

The commission oversees the statewide activities of the Texas Department of Transportation.

With Houghton's voice on the commission and state Rep. Joe Pickett's voice on the Texas House Transportation Committee, El Paso may never have had more advocates for transportation in Austin than it does right now.

The timing couldn't have been much better, with El Paso facing a glut of transportation challenges at a time when competition is growing ever-more fierce over a shrinking pot of state transportation dollars.

Houghton's colleagues say his behind the scenes work was crucial in securing El Paso almost $80 million to widen Transmountain Road in West El Paso, part of an overall plan to complete El Paso's outer loop.

Meanwhile, the Far Eastside "spaghetti bowl" interchange is rising at the intersection of I-10 and Loop 375, a new entrance to UTEP is under construction, and new lanes are being added to the Border Highway.

Another project will build direct connectors where Zaragosa and Montwood intersect Loop 375 in Far East El Paso to help alleviate congestion at one of the most dangerous intersections in the city.

And, most recently, Houghton says he has probably found the $1 million needed to complete a feasibility study that is a key first step in bringing El Paso's historic trolleys back to Downtown.

Houghton's term on the transportation commission ends in February 2015, although he can be reappointed at the pleasure of the governor.

Q: Historically, Texas has not been a state that has supported mass transit; the emphasis is on asphalt and concrete. Do you think mass transit can play a larger role in Texas' future?

It has to. You have to look at other communities. You have San Antonio that's building a trolley system in the Downtown corridor. You have Houston now with light rail from the medical center to Downtown; it's basically a straight line, but now they are adding to it.

You've got the DART, which is now a huge system in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. They'll have a line that will go out to Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. There are like 5 to 6 million people in the metroplex area, and they understand you can't pave your way to prosperity - it's not going to work.

Q: You mentioned trolleys. Some would like to bring them back to Downtown El Paso.

That's going to get studied. As a matter of fact, I think we are going to give the MPO around $1 million to study a possible line between Downtown and the medical center and Downtown and UTEP.

Q: El Paso's influence on key boards and commissions has been growing in general. Paul Foster is a UT System regent, Rick Francis is a Texas Tech regent, Harold Hahn is on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Robert Brown has been on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission, Larry Patton and Cindy Lyons are on the Finance Commission of Texas. What has brought about the change?

We've gotten involved. We haven't been saying "gimme, gimme, gimme," and we have coalesced around candidates. And without that I don't believe you would have a four-year medical school in El Paso.

We believe the economic opportunity for this generation and the next generation, permanent jobs in this community, will be around the Texas Tech medical school and now the nursing school and now, hopefully, the dental school. These are permanent high-paying jobs. When you look at why we did it, that was why we did it. That's going to be the answer beyond Fort Bliss, and it is going to be bigger.

Q: El Paso appears to be reaping rewards from having influence on these boards and commissions, but, as terms expire, do you see anybody else in El Paso poised to pick up the baton?

I think so. There's a younger crowd that is moving up and looking to take leadership roles. Some of those folks are involved in the Hispanic chamber, some are involved in the Paso del Norte Group. You have pockets of people who are doing the things they like to do to move this community forward.

Emma Schwartz at the Medical Center of the Americas Foundation - she has her own group down there that is involved. Like I said, there was a nucleus of us that got together and said we've got to get that medical school; and here we are - we have a four-year medical school. Now you are going to have the MCA down there which ties in University Medical Center, the teaching hospital.

Q: I imagine all you've been talking about, including the incredible Fort Bliss growth, is creating transportation challenges with the growth it is causing in El Paso.

Yeah. Spur 601, the one we built for $360 million for seven miles...

Q: $360 million?

Gov. Perry told the U.S. Department of Defense if you come, we'll build it to get soldiers in and out of Fort Bliss. Not only has it done that for the Army, now they're putting the new William Beaumont (Army Medical Center) at the corner of Spur 601 and Loop 375. The offshoot of that is Spur 601 is now an alternative route to the interstate.

Read the complete article at http://www.elpasoinc.com/news/q_and_a/article_56519cf0-1f91-11e1-9e69-001a4bcf6878.html.