Alternative plans for Trans-Texas Corridor take shape

The Cameron Herald ^ | March 3, 2005 | Curtis Chubb

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

The Texas Department of Transportation is continuing its work on the Trans-Texas Corridor which may have a major impact on Milam County.

Although it started out as Rick Perry's dream in 2002, it is quickly becoming reality.

The 'Corridor' that may have a direct effect on Milam County has been named TTC-35 because it extends from Oklahoma to Mexico and parallels I-35.

TTC-35 would be up to 1,200-feet wide and have six lanes for passenger vehicles and four lanes for trucks. Also, it would include six rail lines and a 200-foot utility zone. TTC-35 would be 800 miles long.

In the Trans-Texas Corridor web site (www.transtx.com), TxDOT states the following: "The original study area was approximately 50-60 miles wide. Through environmental studies and the public scoping meetings held in Spring 2004, the study area was refined. The study area now includes all or portions of 77 Texas counties. Several corridor alternatives were discussed during public meetings held Oct. 19 - Nov.18.

Another round of public meetings is scheduled for Feb. 7- March 29 as evaluation of possible routes for the Oklahoma-Mexico/ Gulf Coast (TTC-35) continues."

The map accompanying this article reveals the routes under consideration at present that affect Milam County. The map is also available on the CorridorWatch.org web site (http://corridorwatch. org/ttc/index.htm).

CorridorWatch.org estimates that TTC-35 could require 5,800 acres of Milam County land to build.

If you want to provide input about TTC-35, you may want to contact your state representatives and senators.

And you may want to attend the TxDOT Public Meeting about TTC-35 on March 3 in Rockdale at the Patterson Civic Center. The meetings are held in an open-house format from 5 to 8 PM.

The TTC-35 corridor alternatives in and near Milam County are identified as CA, CB, CC, CD, CE, and CF. A picture of the entire length of TTC-35 can be seen on the Corridor Watch.org web site.

Find out more!
There will be a public meeting regarding the Corridor Thursday, March 3, 5-8 p.m. at the Patterson Civic Center in Rockdale.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

The eastern edge of the eastern-most proposed route of the Trans-Texas Transportation Corridor (TTC-35) could brush the Cameron City Limits on the west.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

And from KCEN-TV:

Temple citizens asked for opinons on superhighway

March 1, 2005

A public meeting was held Tuesday night in Temple for the proposed Trans-Texas Corridor.

Citizens were asked to give their input on where they think the superhighway should be built.

The proposed 182-billion-dollar system of roads is expected to alleviate congestion on I-35. The biggest concern for residents is just where it will be built.

Some models have the highway running near temple..while other plans have it five-to-ten miles away from the city.

Gabby Garcia with TxDOT says, "Tonight's all about public input, it's all about getting their comments, learning and listening from what they have to say, what their issue are, what their concerns are, taking all that back into the analysis, environmental analysis and determining that later on, probably sometime next fall where this actually could go."

TxDOT will hold many more public meetings to guage the public's interest on the future of Texas roads and where they should be built.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

And, this perhaps overly-optimistic item from the Heartland Institute:

Three Lessons in Highway Privatization

Written By: Robert W. Poole, Jr.
Published In: Budget & Tax News
Publication Date: March 1, 2005
Publisher: The Heartland Institute

---

1. At the very time state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) are desperately short of funds for highway investment, global capital markets are awash with capital for economically sound highway projects. Wise governments will take advantage of this.

2. Long terms (50- to 99-year leases) make it feasible for the private sector to pay significantly more for a highway project, because of the potential of large long-term gains. This applies not only to existing assets such as the $1.8 billion Chicago Skyway deal, but also to new projects.

In December 2004, the Texas DOT selected the winning bidder to develop the first Trans-Texas Corridor. CINTRA--an international group of engineering, construction, and financial firms--has committed $7.2 billion for this project, of which $6 billion will be used to construct the 316-mile, four-lane toll road. The other $1.2 billion is a franchise fee, to be paid to the Texas DOT over the decade or more of construction, in exchange for the right to charge tolls for 50 years.

3. Although the idea of investor-owned highways strikes people as odd, because it's unfamiliar, it is no more radical than investor-owned electric utilities or investor-owned telecommunication firms. All are vital elements of infrastructure that we use every day. The long U.S. history of success with investor-owned utilities (contrasted with state-owned utilities in most other countries for most of the twentieth century) should give us confidence that the market can handle highways, too.

---

Robert Poole (bobp@reason.org) is director of transportation studies and founder of Reason Foundation.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Trans-Texas Corridor PING!

[deport]

CorridorWatch.org estimates that TTC-35 could require 5,800 acres of Milam County land to build.

---

Does the web site claim the above figure of 5,800 arcres? I don't know as I don't frequent it... I like to think the news writer made a mistake but then who knows when the fight takes place....

[hedgetrimmer]

Gabby Garcia with TxDOT says, "Tonight's all about public input, it's all about getting their comments, learning and listening from what they have to say, what their issue are, what their concerns are, taking all that back into the analysis, environmental analysis and determining that later on, probably sometime next fall where this actually could go."

Its all about facilitation and consensus.

[ArtyFO]

I'll bet that a lot of the East-West roads that the corridor crosses will be terminated at the junction of the road with the corridor. There will be no bridges built to cross the corridor to resume travel on the other portion of the road. I smell a rat.

[ArtyFO]

Small villages and families will be isolated by the corridor. Ambulances and firefighters will not have quick access to isolated areas made by the corridor.

[ArtyFO]

People will have to travel several miles to cross the corridor at a convenient (for the road owners/builders) crossing point.

[deport]

I"m sure some will be.... Especially the smaller two lane roads just above a dirt/gravel type road. But I suspect most FM/State/US/etc roads will be routed over or under.... We'll see as the plans develop.

[BobL]

"3. Although the idea of investor-owned highways strikes people as odd, because it's unfamiliar, it is no more radical than investor-owned electric utilities or investor-owned telecommunication firms."

If that were true, the country would be crisscrossed with private highways. This is one BIZZIARE concept, and I just wish the druggies at Reason could find another state to try out their experiments on (like California). Until recently Texas did quite well with its freeway system.

As far as the comparison to investor-owned utilities are concerned. That's fine, I would only wish they'd complete the analogy by explaining that utilities that are given monopoly protection are also highly regulated. The utilities are not free to charge their customers whatever they can squeeze out of them, while this insane toll road scheme could give Cintra full authority over the tolls it charges to drivers - just like they have in Canada.

[BobL]

"1. At the very time state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) are desperately short of funds for highway investment, global capital markets are awash with capital for economically sound highway projects. Wise governments will take advantage of this."


One or the other, ehhh. Well how about some middle ground. Instead of inviting Cintra over here to rape Texas drivers for the purpose of building more condos on the French Riviera (for their investors), why doesn't the state of Texas simply build the roads itself - as toll roads (if the governor really tolls to satisfy some craving he has). After all, capital is capital, and if all this money is looking for an investment, why not have the state do it? Then at least the money stays in the state and could maybe be used to offset other taxes or build new roads.

Better yet, build them as freeways, using the state to guarantee payment. That makes the bonds tax free, so their interest rate can be much lower, and it also eliminate tolling, which cuts the cost of the highway by at least 1/3.

But to Mr. Poole, none of that matters - he, no doubt has an extra $5,000 or more of extra cash lying around (per year), so he's not really affected by these tolls. But if the roads are built quickly, he does get to drive on them. And that is probably the bottom line - he's one of a bunch of people that have more money than they know what to do with, who simply want their own highways - they're sick of having to drive around with us "little people".

[ken21]

i was thinking about this today, driving down the freeway:

how much would you have to increase the gasoline taxes to pay for this? bonds issued, etc.

why do we have to make some people richer at the expense of taxpayers.

what if the gasoline was $3.50 a gallon? $4.00?

fine.

[BobL]

"how much would you have to increase the gasoline taxes to pay for this? bonds issued, etc."

To build new freeways at a reasonable clip, an increase of about 20 cents per gallon for gasoline would do the trick. That would bring in roughly $3 Billion per year, and allow about 250 miles of new 6-lane freeway to be built (in rural areas). Using that formula, you could complete much of the TTC in about 16 years.

The nice thing about the gas tax is that everyone who drives pays, not just the people who use it. And no one gets to rob the drivers blind (like Cintra continues to do in Canada).

Building these highways as freeways would virtually assure no more traffic jams in Texas - but if you build them as toll roads, so many trucks and cars will be pushed on to what's left of the crubling freeways that everyone (except the filthy rich) will suffer.

[ken21]

where do i sign the petition?

[BobL]

"what if the gasoline was $3.50 a gallon? $4.00?"

You start hitting (actually exceeding) those numbers when you drive on Cintra roads (figuring their tolls as added gas tax).

For example, if your car gets 20 miles per gallon, Cintra charges 22 cents per mile, and gas is at $2.00 per gallon - your equivalent gasoline price (after factoring in tolls) comes in at $6.40 per gallon (or close to $100 to buy 15 gallons of gas).

Now you're starting to make me think that the toll road advocates in Austin may just be reincarnated people who always felt that we pay too little for gas in this country (versus Europe), and this is just their (indirect) way of making us pay world-class prices to drive.

[ken21]

i just threw the $3.50 and $4.00 figures out as a what-if?

i have no idea what the cost would be.

i was pleasantly surprised at your 20 cents per gallon.

if it could be done that cheaply, then why not?

no doubt the "keep austin weird" people should be re-named:

"keep austin stupid and on the democrat plantation".

[BobL]

"where do i sign the petition?"

Tell the Austin people!! If they would just do the math, we could solve this problem once and for all.

But I really think that there is a (legitimate) concern about being labeled as tax increasers, simply because they raise the gas tax enough to cover for 15 years of inflation and non-highway diversions. There are a lot of Republicans that will slam any increase in any taxes (even if it's for a true need), no matter what. I think they're as much of the problem as anyone on this issue. They need to step up to the problem and help solve it, rather than making a bunch of European investors rich, at our expense.

[Paleo Conservative]

Pro TTC Ping!

This is a pro Trans-Texas Corridor ping list.

Please let me know by Freepmail if you want on or off the list.

[Paleo Conservative]

A map of possible alternatives for TTC-35.