It's shocking just how little Texans know about this massive
super-toll-highway-rail-utility project initiated by
Governor Perry. At his direction, and in less than six
months, TxDOT drafted a plan to build the Trans-Texas
Corridor. Thereafter the Transportation Commission promptly
adopted the plan in 2002. They did so without any
substantive discussion or debate; without public comment or
input; without conferring with local transportation experts;
and without seeking input from local community leaders.
Today that plan is being implemented through a comprehensive
development agreement with a private concessionaire.
Unfortunately the financial and design elements of that
agreement is being withheld from public disclosure to
protect the interests of the private concessionaire. Texans
who already know very little about the TTC are now being
prevented from learning the most important details – how it
is going to be built and what it is going to cost.
TTC 35, 69
and priority corridors
Although four years have passed, the original TTC plan
remains virtually unchanged and serves as the basis for
concession agreements to construct TTC-35 and TTC-69. The
Trans Texas Corridor includes within its 1,000 to 1,200-foot
wide path ten vehicle lanes, six rail tracks, utilities,
pipelines, and state concessions (gas stations, restaurants,
motels, stores, warehouses, etc.). The length of corridors
proposed in the plan total as much as 8,000 miles. If fully
constructed those corridors will consume more than one
million acres of Texas. Every mile of Corridor will consume
146 acres of land. That's private property that will become
state owned property - removed from county and school
district tax rolls everywhere it extends.
This isn't another Interstate Highway. It not just a
jumbo-sized highway or turnpike. This Corridor project is a
very wide, very flat, extremely limited access, mostly if
not entirely toll, highway-rail-utility corridor. The TTC is
three times wider than the full width (including feeder
roads) of the typical Texas Interstate highway passing
through our urban centers, yet it will provide fewer traffic
lanes. To cross the Corridor at any point will require a one
quarter-mile long overpass, and with the new authority
granted TxDOT you may even pay a toll to cross. In the plan
TxDOT identifies 4,000 miles as Priority Corridors. TTC-35,
TTC-69 and TTC-10 are among those.
The TTC will connect to Interstate and other major highways.
However, by design it will not provide easy, if any access
to the communities it passes by. It will not spur commercial
development along its frontage like our Interstate Highways.
There will be no frontage roads. There will be extremely
limited opportunity for the owners of property it abuts to
develop new or expanded businesses with access to the
Corridor. Moreover, it has provisions to place all possible
traveler services on the corridor itself.
Communities with travel and tourism based economies will
lose access to those travelers. If the Corridor is
successful in attracting traffic away from existing highways
communities will suffer significant economic losses.
Existing transportation hubs within metropolitan areas are
equally at risk of being bypassed.
The Trans-Texas Corridor is an all around Bad Idea
for Texas.
Here are just a few reasons why:
- Turns private land into State land. More than one-half
million acres will become government property used not only
for transportation but also as State owned rental property
in direct competition with private development.
- It's designed to generate revenue first and provide
transportation second.
- The Plan is based on uncertain assumptions. Predicated
on Texas population growth, not traffic projections.
- Doesn't solve the urban congestion & traffic problem.
- Adverse economic impact.Taking economic assets away from
Texas communities by rerouting the flow of commercial trucks
and limiting traveler access to local services, lodging and
attractions.
- Private Interests v. Public Interests. Puts private
state partners revenues ahead of legitimate public
interests.
- Loss of local property taxes. State owned TTC land will
be removed from county and school district tax rolls.
- Creates a 'soft' terrorism target.This is not the time
to put so many critical infrastructure elements in one
place.
- Dividing the State.Corridors will divide rural Texas
making it more difficult to get from one place to another.
- Potential for tremendous liabilities created by secret
Comprehensive Development Agreements.
- High cost of tolls.Tolls are projected to equate to
$3.85 per gallon of gasoline.
- Air pollution.Increased highway speeds (80 MPH) mean
greater fuel consumption and more air pollution.
CorridorWatch.org,
Inc.
Fayetteville, TX 78940-5468 "Challenging the Wisdom of the
Trans-Texas Corridor"
For More Information Visit Us on the
Internet:
www.CorridorWatch.org
