I-35: The road to trouble

San Antonio Express-News ^ | February 19, 2006 | Patrick Driscoll

[zeugma]

Looks like Perry contracted someone to do some cheerleading for his retirement plan.

[zeugma]

Look at the dying towns in West Texas that would love to have the economic boon new roads might bring -- and then look at the plans to make the mega tollroad closed to the communities it bypasses.

Yup. It's going to be a huge boondoggle that will completely bypass and further isolate all the small towns along its route. They plan to have concessions just like they do on some Yankee tollroads I've been on, where those with pull can get in, but those without cannot. Of course, all concessions will be paid to the foreign company Perry has contracted to build out his retirement plan.

[TXnMA]

Look at the dying towns in West Texas that would love to have the economic boon new roads might bring -- and then look at the plans to make the mega tollroad closed to the communities it bypasses.

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BULLSEYE!!!

there would be no access roads to feed urban sprawl.

And no access to rural towns to feed economic opportunity.

The TTC will make rural Texas, "Flyover Drive-past Country". And rural Texas will be the victim of the biggest land-grab since T.J. Rusk and his cronies. But the city-folks and NAFTA-lovers (who won't have to sacrifice for it) waaaannnt it...

Texas is facing a rural vs urban civil war!

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[Rte66]

I-35 is overloaded from San Antonio to Dallas, state officials say.

Then tell me WHY IN THE WORLD the wonderful Turkey Shop cafeteria in Abbott had to close, after nearly 30 years of being the very best of the roadside eateries anyone could want? Tell me WHY! It doesn't make sense!

And they also want to run up 281 and ruin Blanco? And Dripping Springs - and then Wimberley will be next, then Luckenbach. They'll probably put up a wall along the ridge on Devil's Backbone and make you pay to stop at a lookout tower to see the Blanco River Valley! This is horrible!

Couldn't Austin declare itself "null and void" and make Marfa the new Capital of the Great State of Texas?

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

You're welcome. :-)

[E.G.C.]

BTTT

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Isn't I-69 supposed to include what is now US 281, starting north from ?McAllen?

From Interstate 69 Texas:

I-69 is the combination of two federally designated High Priority Corridors. Corridor 18 extends from Michigan and Illinois south through Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and terminating at the terminus of U.S. 77 and U.S. 281 in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Corridor 20 is designated as U.S. 59 from Texarkana to Laredo.

Also, from aaroads.com:

Interstate 69's Three-Way Split

Interstate 69 has several southern termini planned, all of which are likely to be constructed:

• Laredo via U.S. 59 (Interstate 69)
• Rio Grande Valley via U.S. 281 (Interstate 69 Central)
• Rio Grande Valley/Brownsville via U.S. 77 (Interstate 69 East)

Note that the Laredo segment is not referred to as "Interstate 69 West." It seems like these three routes would merge someplace near Beeville or Victoria. If each segment is constructed as planned, it is possible that U.S. 59, 77, and 281 may be curtailed on their concurrent sections with the future Interstate 69 and its central and east segments.

For a map and much more details, see Texas Freeways: Interstate 69 (Erik Slotboom).

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Correction:

For a map and much more details, see Texas Freeways: Interstate 69 (Erik Slotboom).

[JABBERBONK]

Here in Florida they wanted high speed rail to carry folk from Tampa to Orlando, onward south to Ft. Lauderdale, and Miami. The problem? it will take 3 to 4 times more time to get from Tampa to Miami even if the Train can go 200 mph, that it can to take a 50 minute express flight from Tampa to Miami. Even trains that can go 200 mph still have to stop and let off and take on commuters. The fix in Texas should be either a toll expressway parallel to the interstate like in S.W. Florida, or an upper level limited access expressway over the current I 35 , like the Selmon expressway in Tampa, but on a much larger scale.

[ConservativeMan55]

bttt

[sam_paine]

By all means! As I-35 descends into the abyss over the next 20 years, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE choose US281 as the CONSTRUCTION SITE for a new mega-monster highway!!!

Perfect planning. Take the only viable San Antonio/Austin -to- DFW backup road out of commission during the same period where I35 will also be impassable.

(I support buying a new corridor outside of existing ones since Rick Perry is spending everyone's toll money for them.)

[wolfcreek]

I live just north of Austin and all these plans do is guarantee me congestion and construction until the day I die. I'V GOTTA GET OUT OF THIS PLACE! IF IT'S THE LAST THING I EVER DO!

[texas_mrs]

Texas is facing a rural vs urban civil war!

Agreed! I am fearful this will spell the death of the West in Texas. I hate to see it.

[deport]

Agreed! I am fearful this will spell the death of the West in Texas.

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Explain the death of west Texas due to roads in Central and East Texas?

Texas will survive and continue to grow. It just may not be the same as you would like to remember it or the same as the good old days as we grew up. jmo.