TxDOT Dropping Orignial TTC-69 Corridor
Plan; Now To Follow Existing Highways
CorridorWatch has learned that on Wednesday, June 11, the Texas
Department of Transportation will hold a press conference in
Victoria to announce that they are now "recommending that the
I-69/Trans-Texas Corridor Project be developed using existing
highway facilities wherever possible." This is a tremendous
victory for opponents of the TTC and especially property owners who
were in the path of the original 1,200-foot corridor.
The official
press release reads,
"Citing Public Recommendation, Project Would Follow Existing
Roads." TxDOT is acknowledging the overwhelming
public opposition to TTC-69. That's a good public relations
position and certainly appreciated by anyone running for office in
November, but it lacks sincerity at TxDOT.
Faced with pressure from state and
federal officials, an unhappy Sunset Advisory Commission, and
pending report from the State Auditor, it was
time for TxDOT to find something they
could give up. Hello TTC-69.
The new kinder, smaller I-69/TTC
is a welcome move in the right direction, but it's not all
roses.
Tomorrow's announcement will remind us
that all new lanes will be toll-lanes.
The project will continue to be a
public-private partnership that will drive tolls to the
highest level possible to generate as much revenue as possible from
the motoring public.
While this move to scale back TTC-69 to a much more reasonable
project let's not forget about TTC-35. More than
14,000 Texans objected to that project, just as stridently as those
along TTC-69. In 2006, the then Transportation Commission Chairman
Ric Williamson declared that Perry's TTC-35 trumps such opposition.
Apparently it still does.
Now would be a good time for TxDOT to demonstrate that their
TTC-69 announcement is much more that just public relations.
It's time for TxDOT to throw the towel
in on TTC-35 and narrow that study area as
well. Commissioner Houghton touts that public involvement
and local commitment are essential and we agree. So lets
take a step back and restart the discussion about TTC-35 and give
the citizens and communities along that corridor the same respect as
those along TTC-69.
