Posted on 02/23/2008 7:17:59 AM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
HEMPSTEAD -- The Trans Texas Corridor may be the most controversial highway ever built in Texas.
That is, if it ever gets built.
All month, there have been public hearings throughout the area where people have been showing up in droves to oppose it.
People don’t drive very fast on Odis Styers’ family ranch near Hempstead, but TxDOT wants that to change.
“It’s quiet, it’s peaceful,” Styers said. “It’s a shame a road is gonna mess it up.”
The road is the Trans Texas Corridor. The plans call for it to come through here, and with it: separate lanes for cars and trucks, speeds topping 70 mph, trains and tolls.
So far, you’ve only seen part of the story of where it came from and why so many Texans have come forward to oppose it. But you may not realize that what we know as the Trans Texas Corridor is actually two huge highways.
The first is Trans Texas 35, which parallels I-35, from Laredo to north of Dallas. That project is further along than Trans Texas 69, which would run from Laredo through counties west and north of Houston. Both would likely be toll roads developed by private companies — companies that brought lots of money to the table.
Back in 2004 a Spanish company, Cintra, offered to pay TxDOT a billion dollars to build the first leg of the Corridor.
In exchange, Cintra would set the tolls and collect them for half a century.
“It’s a lot of money,” TxDOT spokesman Ric Williamson said.
TxDOT took the offer, and the controversy began.
Videos lampooning Gov. Rick Perry cropped up on YouTube. One of the people behind it was Gov. Perry’s election-day challenger, Carole Strayhorn.
(Excerpt) Read more at khou.com ...
Trans-Texas Corridor PING!
If any of the TTC does get shot down (and there are too many billions to be spread around to think that it will), it will be because of Ric and Rick and their heavy handed technique.
If any of the TTC does get shot down (and there are too many billions to be spread around to think that it will), it will be because of Ric and Rick and their heavy handed technique.
I suspect they wish now that they would have never put out the grand plans of all the potential corridors with all the exotic transportation schemes included. If they would have taken this as a road construction project for that particular route and left out the grand plan of things I believe it would have been more readily acceptable to the people. In the final analysis some roadways will have to be built it’s just a matter of how, where and when.
And some politcians just aren’t smart enough to stay away from Perry.
http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/listening_post/
BTTT
Well, I suspect that one way or the other, Ric doesn't really care anymore.
But it shows the arrogance of the Country Club set - the big plans were to promote it to the big money types in Houston and NYC. They didn't really care (and still don't) what the 'little people' think.
That link should be this:
I-87 in NYS goes through my old back yard. It is not a toll road, however. Old Rt. 9 was the only route to Canada prior to the building of I-87, aka “The Northway.” I-87 has provided a mix of results, depending on what’s important to whom. It’s a little different in that it goes through the Adirondack Park where there is very little development north of the Glens Falls area. The only city north of Glens Falls is Plattsburgh, which is close to the Canadian border.
Even though the old winding Rt. 9 has been widened here and there, it could never handle the truck traffic we have now, nor could it handle commuter traffic out of Albany. There are still bottlenecks at bridge areas.
I-87 has allowed communities that wish to remain small to do so. It has also allowed those who want to grow their area to do that. (Outside the Adirondack Park, anyway).
Traffic from Albany to Glens Falls has steadily increased, especially over the past few years, but it drops dramatically north of Glens Falls for the reason stated above. There are only hamlets between GF and Plattsburgh.
Houston PING
"little people" = populists.
What did you think of Hillary's populist manifesto that was released on Monday. She and Obama say that they will be building "free" roads.
Audit TXDOT NOW!
Why should they care? What are we going to do if they continue not caring?
Keep holding our nose and voting for them. We are just as much on their plantation as black voters are on the democrat plantation.
Alaska is waiting. The Siberia-Alaska tunnel needs to be connected to something.
My position is TSR caused the RAGE. LOL!
If you’d only kept this to yourself.
Since a lot of our current infrastructure is outdated, sub par and crumbling, might be a good idea to put money into their revision. I all the bridges begin to fall down those fancy new toll roads would be largely worthless. Side note: The definition of *Revisionist* is interesting. Kind of like a Libertarian.
Well....because it’s being built before it was approved...because the money doesn’t stay in Texas and because we weren’t asked?
Why the rage???
hehehe, rage is going to be the least of their concerns...
Maybe if we worked with them to find a way to just stop the project and never allow it to rear its ugly head again would help this end in a peacful manner...
I’m game to help that effort...
Ahhhhh, mannnnn...
What’d ya have to go and ruffle feathers like that for??? Geesh...
I wanted to do that!!! Mannnnn, you beat me to it!!!
hehehe
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