Posted on 05/12/2006 7:21:53 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
The Trans-Texas Corridor project, proposing four to six toll truck lanes and four to six toll passenger lanes from Laredo to Oklahoma, may be as near as five years.
Greg Massey, a member of the Oklahoma Highway Authority, recently met with the Texas Department of Transportation. “We really didn't get any new information. The project is still proposed to cross over and connect with I-35 to come into Oklahoma. TxDOT did say they are five years out on the project,” Massey said.
Ten different routes are proposed for the corridor. The major variations in the routes follow the three represented on the map in light blue and dark blue.
Oklahomans are pushing for the widening of U.S. 69/75 to bring the traffic through Durant and up to Tulsa. Proposed routes 9, 10, 11 and 12 on the map represent the ones that may come our way. At the Texas border, these routes go south on U.S. 75 to U.S. 380 and connect with the other routes to Laredo.
Route number 5 on the map is TxDOT's recommended preferred alternative as described in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement document. This route has a centerline length of approximately 521 miles and an area of approximately 5,307 square miles. The northern point is at the Texas/Oklahoma border at I-35. The corridor heads southeast across US 75 near McKinney to US 380 where it curves southwest across I-30, I-20, I-45 and continues southwest near Temple, around Austin and ends at the Texas/Mexico border near Laredo.
This preferred alternative is subject to change pending the public hearing process, tentatively scheduled for Summer 2006.
The Texas Department of Transportation will take public comments by writing to: TxDOT Turnpike Authority Division, TTC-35 Comments, P.O. Box 14707, Austin, TX 78761-4704. More information on the proposal and another place for on-line public comments is at keeptexasmoving.com. Maps, population and traffic data are available on the Web site as well as the environmental impact study.
Some groups are for the proposal and others are against it. One group has formed to oppose the proposed route and established their own Web site at corridorwatch.org.
A historic agreement that is expected to result in regional transportation planning was recently inked by officials from North and Central Texas.
The ceremony was held at the Cleburne Civic Center but the seeds for the agreement were planted during a January meeting organized by City of Hillsboro officials.
Mayor Will Lowrance brought together legislators and transportation planners from North Central and Central Texas for the meeting.
Congressman Chet Edwards, State Representative Jim Pitts and State Senator Kip Averitt participated in the discussions.
Also present were representatives from the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), Heart of Texas Council of Governments (HOTCOG), Regional Transportation Council and Waco Metropolitan Planning Organization.
The joint memorandum of understanding signed between the North Central Texas and Heart of Texas regions recognizes the extreme importance of transporting people and goods across the regions.
“This is significant in that for the first time in history, transportation planning will not be limited to COG (council of governments) lines, but will be seamless from Collin and Dallas counties on the north to Hill and McLennan on the south.
“My goal is to see this planning effort eventually expand to include all of Central Texas to Austin and San Antonio. This will increase both efficiency and effectiveness of transportation planning,” Lowrance said.
Officials pledged to coordinate on the provision of public transportation, including future passenger rail service through the area.
“We made the case that when design and planning is done for the next 40 years, where commuter rail is concerned, the lines shouldn’t stop at Ellis and Johnson counties. They need to keep going through Central Texas,” the mayor pointed out.
They will also coordinate planning for intelligent transportation systems (ITS) along the Interstate 35 corridor.
The ITS would use state-of-the-art technologies to improve safety, time and efficiency in the transportation of people and materials.
Most importantly, there will be coordination between the organizations for moving truck and rail-freight goods through the area and work on the state’s Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC).
The Texas Department of Transportation recently announced a 10-mile area for further study on locating the TTC that parallels Interstate 35.
The TTC-35 study area currently crosses the southeast part of the county, taking in the cities of Mount Calm, Penelope, Malone, Irene and Mertens before going north around the east side of Dallas.
Hillsboro officials had supported a NCTCOG plan for TTC-35 that would bring the route within a few miles of Hillsboro.
It would then cross Interstate 35E and come up south of Arlington. The corridor would then connect with a proposed outer loop around both Fort Worth and Dallas.
The River of Trade Corridor Coalition (ROTCC), of which Hillsboro is a member, also supports the plan.
The ROTCC was created in 2004 to unite cities, counties, freight-movement entities and businesses along the traditional NAFTA trade route on I-35.
It has expanded outside its originally boundaries to include significant gateways for international trade, including Los Angeles, Laredo, Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.
The coalition has attempted to protect, maximize and expand commerce and economic vitality of the NAFTA corridor, while at the same time mitigating congestion and facilitating a cleaner environment.
The ROTCC held its quarterly meeting recently in Dallas and signed a memorandum of understanding with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 6.
The two groups will be working together to develop a “Green, Clean and Safe Multimodal Corridor.”
Richard Greene, Region 6 administrator, and Dallas council member Bill Blaydes signed the document.
The officials committed to a collaborative and focused partnership on improving quality of life issues along the entire River of Trade Corridor, such as improved air quality and more efficient trade movements.
A number of local city and county officials attended both the ROTCC meeting and the Cleburne signing ceremony.
Trans-Texas Corridor PING!
this project needs killing.
Another BIG DIG?
I know there's been talk about the Corridor but I haven't been following it, never the less lets start right here.
Could you explain why you think this project needs to be killed.
Government needs to get out of this as much as possible before I will support it.
As with any big project Government needs to get Regulations out of the way, and let Private Industry, Private Property Owners and Supply and Demand drive.
Way too much Power and Money to entrust to Government.
GMHO
TT
As I understand this it is to be a toll road, where a Spanish company is suppose to own and control it, a foreign company with the right to condemn and take private property. However, a foreign company cannot manage our ports. What a crock.
this project needs killing
I know there's been talk about the Corridor but I haven't been following it, never the less lets start right here.
Could you explain why you think this project needs to be killed.
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If you read about the people behind the plan -- what you see is a bunch of people dedicated to a north american superstate that combines Mexico the USA and Canada. (And this idea would be a stepping stone to a new world superstate which in turn would be a stepping stone to world government. The idea is to create a one world government piecemeal one step at a time rather than all at once.)
Even if you conceptually agree with the idea--it instantly becomes clear that the American taxpayer is exposed to unlimited liabilities in exchange for nothing.
Liabiabilities? The point of the toll road is to give mexicans unilimited unmonitored access to all of north america.
Its part of the methodology used to erase our border with Mexico. The corridor will hook up with Mexican corridors and chinese run ports there so China has a direct "goods movement corridor" from their ports to the heart of America.
China, Mexico, Spain and Australia will then control the flow of goods, in and out of the US.
These corridors are significant in the plan to integrate the US with Mexico, just as the transcontinental railway was key in the integration of the east and west coast states in the US in the 19th century. See the CFR document detailing the building of a North American Community.
You beat me to the post! Good points.
HA!
It'll be longer than that before Denton County widens a mile of the city's bypass!
I'm continually amazed at the total nonsense some on this board buy into. What you wrote is a complete load of crap. The Illuminati, Freemason, and New World Order have nothing to do with this road. Quite smoking Joe Farah's World Nut Daily dope.
Even if you conceptually agree with the idea--it instantly becomes clear that the American taxpayer is exposed to unlimited liabilities in exchange for nothing. Liabiabilities? The point of the toll road is to give mexicans unilimited unmonitored access to all of north america.
More baloney. The point of this road is to meet growing demand. Every year 250,000 new residents are added to the urban areas between the Red River and San Antonio. Do you understand that every 6 years more people than now live in the Austin area are added to this I-35 corridor? Not just more people than live in the city of Austin, but more people than currently live in the entire area between San Marcos to Georgetown and Bastrop to Marble Falls. With all that growth, do you really think we don't need to expand road capacity in this corridor?
The options are to expand I-35 or build another road. Expanding I-35 is expensive because it goes through many urban areas, so many people and businesses live along the road, their properties have higher values, and more overpasses would have to be replaced. Building a new road through rural areas is cheaper and would affect much fewer persons. Either way will require eminent domain because the I-35 right of way just isn't wide enough in many places for what is needed. But the latter choice can be built using tolls at no cost to TXDOT, in fact the private company is going to pay a $1.2 billion franchise fee for the operating rights.
Yes there is an increase in industrial traffic from Mexico, but that increase has been happening for years using our existing roads. So you think if they don't build this road that will change? You really think that more Mexicans will come into this country if there is a new road that will save them an hour or two? You really think that time differential is what will draw them?
So if we don't build this road, what is your solution to traffic on the already crowded I-35 corridor when 250,000 new people are added each year? And most of those are from births and Americans moving in. Even if we finally build the entire border wall, we are still going to see growth over 200,000 per year. What is your solution if we don't build this road? Be specific.
That's what they are doing, as much as possible. There are still numerous fed regs that the state can't avoid, though they've tried to shorten the process by bidding out this toll project to private companies. The state won't pay for the road, the private firm will (recouped via tolls) and will also pay the state $1.2 billion for an operating franchise (the state will still own the ROW and has a buyout clause on the op agreement, too.) The state is spending a few million on initial studies. Its about as privatized as it can get right now.
BTW, are you aware that the state hadn't planned on moving quite this soon, but the private company, CINTRA, approached the state with this proposal? After reviewing it, the state put the concept up for bid, and CINTRA had the highest bid and got the contract. So this is in part driven by the supply/demand, at least a private firm's perception of such.
The state will own the road and do the condemnation. The private firm, CINTRA/Zachary, bid on and won an operating franchise. The route and condemnation is in consulation with the state, which has the final say.
Would you prefer the state spend $6 billion in tax money to build it instead?
The way I see it, this is a done deal. I don't know anything about Mexico much other then a lot of companies have moved to just across the boarder to Mexico. Now whether these companies are equally distributed along the boarder I do not know but I'll take a wild guess that most of them are pretty close to where this Corridor is planning on being built. Also I don't know where the railroad lines in America are, but I'm guessing that this Corridor is linking up to them, That's probably why the proposed line is running just North of Ft. Worth, Dallas area. My guess is that there is a major railroad line near the end of this Corridor, Shipping stuff by railroad across the US is an incredibly cheaper then by truck. Also I notice that the Corridor is near the Gulf of Mexico, and my guess is that a lot of Cargo containers off of ships will be unloaded in Mexico some where close to this Corridor. The way I see it, the real purpose of this Corridor is to provide a slightly cheaper and more efficient way to get the cargo container goods into the US not just from Mexico but China and other countries etc through the use of cheaper ports in Mexico.
The Manufacturing companies are going to continue to shift to the south states, basically cheaper to heat and air condition(if your lucky)the factories in the south. Also the Southern states are not as pro Union as the North.
Also Mexico is a cheaper place to live, but not safe enough place for people to live in and retire in, but eventually I do believe in the next couple of decades Mexico will work on this and I can see a lot of retires in the US moving to retirement resorts/mini cities in Mexico near the Gulf of Mexico. And maybe in 50 years or so Mexico's standard of living will get closer to the US so that the Mexicans will stay in Mexico, but that's a whole another discussion.
Those goods already move through the port of LA, which is often backlogged now. The rest of the west coast ports are also reaching capacity. No real room for expansion in these high dollar west coast areas, so now companies are looking to move the overflow through new Mexican ports.
China, Mexico, Spain and Australia will then control the flow of goods, in and out of the US.
Hyperbole. Not much different than it is right now.Are you aware that TXDOT will own this road and can cancel the private firm's operating agreement at any time (with just compensation for whatever capital was invested)? How exactly is that a bad thing? Be specific.
These corridors are significant in the plan to integrate the US with Mexico, just as the transcontinental railway was key in the integration of the east and west coast states in the US in the 19th century. See the CFR document detailing the building of a North American Community.
You might want to look at a map, they are already connected by numerous roads and rail lines. Expanding capacity is simply meeting growth, not opening up some magic trap door for illegal aliens and the chinese to sneak under your bed.
Uh yeah, several countries want to increase free trade. That is nothing like what you portray. Some people in some countries want greater integration, that doesn't mean that it will come close to happening. This road has zero impact on whether or not we decide to lower our borders or politically integrate or build a giant wall. Those are separate issues, no matter how much you knee-jerk tinfoilers want to misrepresent and bogeyman every little thing regardless of actualities. We could build the needed wall tomorrow along the entire border, and it still doesn't reduce the need for this road. The only way to do that would be to restrict or shut down free trade, a separate issue that would be foolish. But even then, there would still be a strong need for this road just based on the in-state population growth.
2 separate issues.
Yeah, that already exists.
We aren't selling anything.
Yeah, and if the Russians invade, they can use our interstates to move their troops around. Did we build the interstates to facilitate a foreign army invading us?
Stop looking at the sun moving from east to west and concluding that it revolves around the earth.
But who am I kidding, you have always been a hardcore Buchananite who never let facts get in the way of your crackpot hyperbole and theories.
Plan stinks, it's going to force thousands of folks off their property.
I guess you didn't know that after the last work stoppage at the US ports, that the chi-com's started building large port's in mexico. So what you say has already started.
The highway tax hasn't increased in years, while inflation has. It now barely covers maintenance, though we'd have 1/3rd more if that wasn't diverted to education. Even then, it still wouldn't be enough to build the needed roads fast enough.
The private property is being taken because we need more roads. As I noted above, expanding I-35 would take more properties at a much higher cost, because some much of it is urbanized.
As for the "enrichment of a private firm", don't the democrats always use that line? Why do some conservatives shout for privatization (in the name of efficiency and smaller gov't) of education and various services except for roads?
See my posting on #19, I knew some one would probably mention this while I was working on my #19 response, it takes me awhile to type up my responses. I've got a lot I would like to say about this issue and others like it but I'm going to have to refrain from spending a lot of time typing up comments and posting them on articles that well basically will get lost in the volumes of articles on FR. God has not ordained me to be fast at typing and stuff like that.
My guess is that wages of the port workers and the unloading fees if any have more to do with them building the ports in Mexico then work stoppage in the US, and I'm sure you would concur with this.
You can use the I for italicizing in HTML if you want to italicize some ones else comments.
I know Will Lowrance. He is a good man.
But who am I kidding, you have always been a hardcore Buchananite who never let facts get in the way of your crackpot hyperbole and theories.
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You have to at least be able to pretend you have American interests at heart. You might as well go back to Turtle Bay if this is the best you can do.
Yeah, and if the Russians invade, they can use our interstates to move their troops around. Did we build the interstates to facilitate a foreign army invading us?
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actually there are certain laws of unintended consequences about the interstate highway system that americans in every small town in america have come to recognize as they have seen mexicans camp out on their door steps.
but in this case there is an intended consequence. And its a bad deal for americans.
I don't think there is more than the usual opposition to widening highways to facilitate commerce. But linking up to Mexico. That's another matter.
All you get for your trouble is a raid on ft knox.
most americans these days can go to any public facility and see that the place is crowded with foreigners getting goodies from the feds.
The US system is being thoroughly gamed by foreigners. And You're no help.
BTTT
Looks like the dark blue route runs right over my property.
Damn.
Keep in mind that the blue line is a 10-mile wide STUDY AREA. The actual right-of-way taken will be 800' wide or less, up to 1200' wide in a few areas such as interchanges. So the actual route will be 1/66th the size of that blue line.
I would prefer that the state and the federal government use the highway tax for what it was intended for
Its part of the methodology used to erase our border with Mexico. The corridor will hook up with Mexican corridors and chinese run ports there so China has a direct "goods movement corridor" from their ports to the heart of America.
Anytime you post on this topic, please ping me. I am interested in what you have to say about this issue.
Is that southern Mexican port at Los Mochis? Topolobambo or something close to that? I can't read the writing.
This may be started in 5 years, but it won't be finished ever (likely).
In Austin the Hw.71 and I-35 interchange took over 5 years to complete (maybe longer).
At issue from career politicians and the union hustlers is "How long can we play this out?".
On the other side of the world, Taiwan has built a 200 mile long high-speed rail line in just over 5 years. It is built to exacting tolerances because Taiwan has earthquakes weekly, some quite large.
The entire distance of the Taiwan High Speed Rail system is built either on elevated tracks or through tunnels.
Why and how can they do it so fast? A will, and no unions.
Oh, it is built along a "build-operate-transfer" model, meaning a private consortium builds it, operates it for 50 years, and then turns in over to the government.
The likelihood that the TransTexas Corridor will ever completed is not high.
Are you sure that rail line is 200 miles long? How big is Taiwan, anyhow?
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