01044238

Component

An estimated 400,000 Texas residents, most of whom are legal citizens of the United States, currently live under poor conditions in underdeveloped neighborhoods called colonias, along the Texas-Mexico border. They are challenged daily with the simple tasks of seeing their children off to school, going to work, obtaining water for daily use, buying groceries, obtaining quality health care, and having their trash removed. A major link in all of these basic needs is sufficient and affordable transportation. While many areas are gradually working to provide desperately needed infrastructure to these communities, the process is slow and expensive. Innovative and cost-effective solutions are needed to solve immediate transportation needs to help support these Texans in daily life. This research attempts to assess and document innovative, affordable, and cost-effective methods for meeting some of the unique transportation challenges facing residents of the colonias. The overall approach is to provide resources that may help improve the quality of life for these citizens by meeting their transportation needs on a daily basis.

01042056

07-3190

English

19p

2007

Transportation Research Board 86th Annual Meeting

CD-ROM

Maps; Photos; References (18)

Border regions; Cost effectiveness; Infrastructure; Innovation; International borders; Life styles; Low income groups; Needs assessment; Persons by socioeconomic levels; Quality of life; Socioeconomic development; Socioeconomic factors

Colonias

Texas-Mexico Border region; United States-Mexico Border

Economics; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Security and Emergencies; Society; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2007 Paper #07-3190

TRIS, TRB

Feb 8 2007 7:54PM