Compliments of corridorwatch.org
Posted on 02/04/2008 5:18:57 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
A big protest is planned for Monday afternoon, ahead of the latest public hearing on the proposed statewide tollway.
Lots of landowners are upset about the state’s plan to build a tollway from Mexico to northeast Texas.
There have already been several town hall meetings about the Trans-Texas Corridor.
Most of the people who have spoken out about the plan say it will put them out of business.
But state officials argue the tollway is necessary to keep up with the growing population in Texas.
Monday’s meeting is being held in Huntsville.
It starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Walker County Fairgrounds.
(Excerpt) Read more at khou.com ...
By Ben Wear | Monday, February 4, 2008, 08:23 AM
Count Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst among those skeptical about the Texas Department of Transportation’s claims that the till is nearly empty.
Dewhurst, whose main duty as lite guv is to preside over the 31-member Texas Senate, sent Texas Transportation Commission Chairwoman Hope Andrade a letter late Friday expressing his “concern” over what TxDOT “is portraying as a serious and immediate shortfall in funding for transportation projects.”
Dewhurst, in the letter, referenced TxDOT deputy executive director Steve Simmons saying the agency, based on the current spending plan and the agency’s estimates of incoming money, would have a $3.6 billion shortfall by 2015. How is that a problem, Dewhurst wondered, when the Legislature has given the agency mechanisms allowing it to borrow up to $9 billion additional dollars? He said that available money wasn’t included in the evaluation showing the shortfall.
He’s referring to $5 billion in general fund borrowing authorized by voters in November (although the Legislature would have to act to make that happen, Dewhurst and others have said that is a near certainty), $1.3 billion of additional borrowing capacity in the Texas Mobility Fund and $3 billion in additional authority to borrow against future gas tax revenues. Dewhurst said he and other legislative leaders made it clear last fall in private meetings with the late Ric Williamson, then chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission, that the Legislature would do whatever it took to back that borrowing as well.
“I’m at a loss to see why they’re saying (that) now when we’ve given them additional tools they’ve chosen not to take advantage of,” Dewhurst said in an interview late Friday afternoon. “It appears they haven’t used them. Maybe we’re wrong.”
TxDOT officials had little to say today about the Dewhurst letter.
“We anticipate funding issues will be raised at tomorrow’s legislative hearing(s) and we are prepared to address those issues at that time,” spokesman Mark Cross said in an e-mail.
TxDOT announced late last year that it would suspend awarding new construction contracts as of Feb. 1. By no means did that bring everything to a halt, however. Projects that already were under construction, or far enough down the procurement line, will still be finished. And there are other projects, such as the Trans-Texas Corridor tollways paralleling Interstate 35 and in the notional I-69 corridor, that are steaming ahead on their environmental and design work. And in the Dallas area, there is $3.2 billion available that the North Texas Tollway Authority just agreed to pay TxDOT for the right to build and profit from a key tollway. That money remains available.
But other projects — including several in the Austin area — have been put on hold, and legislators are both unhappy and suspicious about it all. So suspicious, in fact, that the Senate Finance and Transportation committees will hold a joint meeting Tuesday morning to grill TxDOT officials about all this.
More Trans-Texas Corridor Meetings Scheduled in February
Globalism being rammed down your throat ping...
Depending on where exactly they extend the George H.W. Bush tollway in east Dallas County I may end up losing my house.
Trans-Texas Corridor PING!
Don’t worry. An army of illegals will build you a new one.
Eminent Domain will be used willie nillie for the Corridor, whereas on the border fence DHS will piddle through the court system to avoid building it.
Compliments of corridorwatch.org
By traitors and corporate greedholders.
BTTT
I wish I had a picture of it but, there’s a 12 X 20 sign off SH 95 south of Elgin,Tx. It was written by the children of the landowners who have been there for many generations, begging TxDot not to take their land.
It’ll break your heart to read it.
BTW: It’s been there for several years.
“Count Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst among those skeptical about the Texas Department of Transportation’s claims that the till is nearly empty.”
Someone needs to be a skeptic. Texans authorized $5 billion in additional funds during our last special election. (still don’t know how that one passed)
Powers that be will lie like Clintons and spend like drunken McCains to push their Globalist agenda.
C’mon...the TTC is necessary for the health of the North American Union.
I don’t think that the Supreme Soviet had anything on TXDOT. A more corrupt, arrogant, and inept bunch has never existed in my lifetime.
My feeling toward TXDOT: “cherim.”
TxDOT is proof that there isn't a competent highway engineering program in the state. A high schooler could do a better job of designing the ramps and interchanges on US 75 in Dallas and Collin counties. An the new HOV lane has no way to exit from LBJ to almost the Allen city limit. It is useless for folks who live in DART cities. And, although there are separate north and southbound lanes, there is only a single reversible ramp connecting it to LBJ.
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