Posted on 01/29/2008 3:50:52 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
BELLVILLE — In what is becoming a regular occurrence in Southeast Texas, more than 1,000 Austin County residents and interested outsiders jammed a county fairgrounds exhibit hall Monday night to let a panel of state transportation officials know that the Trans-Texas Corridor was not welcome here.
State Rep. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, opened the public remarks to thunderous applause when she told the panel, "You all thought I was crazy in Austin when I said my people don't want it and I don't want it."
The panel, which included Texas Department of Transportation Executive Director Amadeo Saenz and Deputy Executive Director Steve Simmons, have been hearing that a lot lately. The officials are in the midst of a town hall tour of Southeast Texas where the planned I-69/Trans-Texas Corridor is slated to run from Texarkana to Corpus Christi and on to Brownsville and Laredo.
Officials have said they have been hearing from residents in all of the town hall meetings that the I-69/TTC corridor should stay close to U.S. 59.
Maps at Monday's meeting, which was intended to explain the project and gather public comment, show the controversial corridor cutting through the far southeast corner of Austin County, southeast of Bellville.
TxDOT has said it wants to keep the corridor as close as possible to towns and businesses, but says it is difficult and costly to acquire right of way to expand highways in built-up areas.
Similar meetings last week in Hempstead, Rosenberg and Huntsville were packed with residents and local officials who questioned the need for the project and the motives of its supporters.
Supporters envision the Trans-Texas Corridor as a network of broad corridors linking major cities, with toll roads for cars and trucks, rail tracks for freight and passenger trains, and space for pipelines and power lines.
Such supporters were in short supply Monday night.
"Have you found anyone in this part of the county who is in favor of the corridor?" Sealy Mayor Koym Russell asked the panel.
Simmons got a laugh when he replied that he did not know of anyone who would stand up there and say so.
Opponents include farmers and ranchers who do not want their land divided, merchants who fear loss of business to new routes, and others who oppose trucks from Mexico doing business in the United States, or the long-term leases of U.S. highways to foreign companies.
Each of those perspectives was voiced Monday.
County Judge Carolyn Bilski got a laugh when she said one resident asked her, "If it comes through my land, will I have to pay a toll to feed my cows?"
Many of the residents' questions centered on the potential loss of farm and ranch lands, some of which have been in families for more than 100 years.
"Does the fair market value or what they call 'just compensation' cover that?" resident Joan Gentry asked.
"I'll be honest with you," Simmons replied. "There is no way we can compensate for that."
When another local asked why it was necessary to cut through farms and ranches to build the road, Saenz said it was not the first choice. When planning a route, engineers would first look at building it along existing roadways. If necessary, he said, they would try to place it between property lines. Going through ranches and farms would be a last resort.
"We're still trying to identify, does this corridor need to be built, and, if so, where," Saenz said.
The town hall meetings will continue this month and be followed by two months of formal public hearings.
Group fights to stop massive highway from destroying historic cemeteries
Trans-Texas Corridor PING!
Luckily in Texas elected officials don’t have to listen to the public.
...shows what you get when you re-elected Perry, simply because he was a Republican.
Obviously I don’t mean you, Tol, I meant the public in general, and conservatives that don’t think before voting in particular.
Not me my dear! I was cheering you on EVERY day!
Lois is MY state rep and she REALLY did herself proud int he last legislative secession IMHO!
Rick Perry and friends STRONGLY disagree!
Building highway systems always ends up requiring the government take (purchase) the property of individuals.
That's what the majority of people this highway directly effects are concerned about.
I don't blame them.
However, Texas is also experiencing a lot of population growth, and does need to expand it's highway system to support economic growth.
The Trans-Texas Corridor may not be the right answer, but regardless of how the roads are built, there will be landowners who are going to loose some of their property.
The politicians have to expect that there will be some opposition to any highway project. The question for them is if the projects are really needed, and if the need is strong enough to justify the adverse effects on some of their citizens.
Perry's point was that everybody loves the FM system now...nobody can get along without it.....and we will love the TTC just as much...when we get to know it....with junk mexican trucks carring mystery cargos plying the road 24/7/365.
His condensention and arrogance were astounding....to hell with what the people want....and nothing happened to Dolph Brisco, bless his heart...who to this day runs a bank down at Uvalde.
No argument there - but most people would rather have accountable governments build these highways (toll roads or not), and DEFINITELY have the state retain control of its existing highways (which they sign away in non-compete clauses).
The problem is that Texas essentially let its gas tax lapse by not increasing it since about 1990. Had the gas tax kept up with inflation, then we would have built and widened hundreds of miles of highways and would not have to cede control of our existing highways to foreign entities who are only interested in extracting the most money out of Texans as possible, so as to please their shareholders (the only people they answer to).
Even though something needs to be done, in this case, the cure is MUCH, MUCH, worse than the problem.
I think it would be a very safe bet to assume that if these highways were built as freeways (i.e., with overpasses less than 10+ miles apart), the landowners would, in most cases, gladly give up their property, due to the increased value of neighboring land.
This issue is a lot bigger than people just losing their land...This is a matter of whether the State of Texas turns its highway system into an unregulated monopoly...and, unfortunately, that seems to be the plan. It’s a grand experiment, and nearly EVERY Texan does not want to be part of it.
Absolutely sick comparison (by Perry). I’d say there are several differences, with the first being the lack of toll booths on the FM roads. The second being that state still retains control over its FM roads and all other existing roads. The third being that you generally could not build a city inside the right-of-way of an FM road.
Obviously lots more comparisons. It is a shame to have a governor hell-bent on destroying this state...too bad the legislature wasn’t able to come through.
They also spend 1/4 of the gas tax on schools, and another 4 cents/gallon on non-road uses.
True...I was just getting lazy or I would have pointed it out.
The reason we Texans are opposed to the Trans Texas Cooridor is that it is a cover for our dishonest President’s scheme to merge the USA into mexico and Canada.
More specifically I am tired of arrogant government agencies trying to shove their stuff down my throat.
I believe that is a lie. They already have decided to build this thing. These "town hall" meetings are nothing but dog and pony shows to make the locals think someone in government gives a damn about what they have to say.
BTTT
Build the Wall and extend it all the way round Texas.
We’re growing because we have the most entrance points from Mexico.
We’re growing because the *Snowbirds* have figured out Texas is a nice place to retire.
We’re growing because we allow businesses here no one else wants in their state.
We’re growing because California is already full of illegals and it’s too expensive to live there.
We’re growing because Texans are some of the nicest people in the world.
We want to grow on our own terms so, DON’T MESS WITH TEXAS!
I wonder if the goobers in charge of this thing are recognizing a pattern here???
Whoa, B.O.
The Texas farm road (later called “farm-to-market”) system was in place long before Briscoe was governor, God bless him.
I don’t know who pushed it through. Maybe Shivers or Connally? Some older Texas Freeper may remember.
The first Texas farm-to-market road was completed in January 1937 between Mount Enterprise and Shiloh. The route was 5.8 miles (9.1 km) long and cost $48,000. In 1945, the highway commission authorised the construction of 7,500 miles (12,000 km) of farm-to-market roadway, to be shared by the federal and state government. The popularity of the program and the vast, isolated central and western areas of the state of Texas prompted the passing of the Colson-Briscoe Act in 1949, which allowed for the creation of an extensive system of secondary roads to provide access to the rural areas of the state and to allow farmers and ranchers to bring their goods to market. The act provided $15 million per year for local highway construction. In 1962, the Texas legislature increased this amount to no less than $23 million, and expanded the farm-to-market system from 35,000 to 50,000 miles (54,000 to 80,000 km). The system includes both farm-to-market roads and ranch-to-market roads, and now accounts for over half of the Texas Department of Transportation system.
Thanks for the info, Bigun.
Your first name wouldn’t be “Iva,” would it? ;)
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