FORT WORTH -- A short distance from where the Texas Transportation Commission was meeting in Fort Worth, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Hank Gilbert Thursday afternoon revealed his much-anticipated transportation policy.

Entitled "Getting Texas Moving Again: A Plan To Address Texas' Transportation Needs In The 21st Century," the proposal includes sweeping reforms such as an elected transportation commission, a modest gasoline tax increase to fund transportation infrastructure and return Texas to a pay-as-you-go system for road building, and massive internal reform for the embattled Texas Department of Transportation.

"Texans have lost faith in TxDOT," Gilbert said. "The citizens of this state no longer have the faith that the policy and planning being formulated by TxDOT is in the best interests of our state," he continued. "The Trans-Texas Corridor is a major cause of the loss of faith in TxDOT, but it is far from the only thing," Gilbert said.

Gilbert, a Whitehouse small businessman who polled more votes than Texas Governor Rick Perry in a 2006 run for Texas Agriculture Commissioner, is the state's leading advocate of TxDOT reform and is credited with halting the Trans-Texas Corridor Concept along with Texans Uniting For Reform And Freedom (TURF), a group he co-founded with San Antonio activist Terri Hall after the 2006 election cycle.

"Governor Perry and Senator Hutchison have offered no solutions to solve the problems with TxDOT or our transportation infrastructure in Texas, and neither have my Democratic primary opponents," Gilbert said.  "Today, Texans finally have someone they can look to who actually has a plan," he said.

Among other things, Gilbert's plan:

Kills the Trans-Texas Corridor once and for all.

Provides for returning Texas to a pay-as-you go system for road building through a modest fuel tax increase of eight cents, coupled with annual indexation of the gas tax to the Highway Cost Index (HCI)-with annual increases capped at four percent.

Provides for a 14-member elected Texas Transportation Commission elected by region with a chair elected statewide.

Prohibits TxDOT and Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) from using any funds to hire lobbyists.

Provides mechanisms for an increased focus on rural transportation needs.

Increased state funding for public transportation in Texas.

Prohibits all new toll roads except those receiving voter approval in major metropolitan areas.     

The release of Gilbert's transportation policy, which you can download here, marks the campaign's third major policy release since mid-September. The campaign plans on rolling out several more detailed policy statements before the end of the year. No other candidates in the race for Texas governor have announced any policy initiatives.