By
MATTHEW STOFF The
Daily Sentinel
http://www.lufkindailynews.com/hp/content/region/ETtoday/stories/2008/02/15/ttc.html
Friday, February 15, 2008
NACOGDOCHES — The rows of
extra chairs brought into the The Fredonia's biggest meeting room
Thursday night were not enough to accommodate more than
750 people who attended an open house and
public hearing on the proposed TTC-69
highway.
Texas Department of Transportation officials heard
hours of public testimony that continued late
into the night overwhelmingly opposed to the
construction of new roadways through East Texas. Applause
throughout the hours-long meeting never swelled as loudly as it did
when the first speaker of the night, state
Rep. Wayne Christian, told TxDOT representatives emphatically
that "our answer is 'no' on the Trans Texas
Corridor."
By 5 p.m., hundreds had already piled into the convention space
at the hotel to pore over copies of the inches-thick Tier One Draft
Environment Impact Statement, the official document that defines
proposed routes of the superhighway and identifies the preferred
corridor alternative route, which swings several miles east of
Nacogdoches before splitting off to meet the national Interstate 69
highway near Shreveport, La. Enlargements of maps and charts
explaining the intricate planning process sat on easels throughout
the room for the crowd to scrutinize.
Dozens of staffers were also on hand to answer questions about
the project and de-mystify some of the confusing concepts, like the
difference between the TTC and a federal interstate, or the
selection of businesses to be placed along the route. Many asked the
representatives hard questions about project oversight and how their
private land would be affected by the highway.
"They answer to the best of their knowledge," said Annie Hoya, of
Nacogdoches, who supports enlarging the footprint of U.S. Hwy 59 as
an alternative to building the TTC. "That doesn't mean they're
answering to our satisfaction," she said.
Jack Heiss, a project manager for the TTC-69 was one of
the many experts on hand to address some of the public's concerns.
Expanding Hwy. 59, for instance, is a priority for TxDOT, he
said, though he explained that it would be much harder to do than
building an entirely new road.
"Enlarging an existing footprint is not a painless exercise by
any means," he said.
Though many shared their formal testimony with state officials
through written forms, court reporters and brief speeches at the
hearing, most attendees were not shy about expressing their thoughts
on the corridor beforehand. Many sported anti-TTC buttons and
stickers on their clothes; others lined up to collect
literature from anti-corridor groups who had set up small
rallies at their tables along one side of the room.
Objections to the TTC project were plentiful Thursday night.
Perhaps the most adamant were those whose private land would be
bisected or erased completely by thick corridors TxDOT officials say
need to be developed to modernize the state's transportation system.
Landowners say no amount of money offered through the acquisition
process is enough compensation for their homes, which they note, are
not for sale.
The cost of the project was another major concern. Heiss said
each mile of corridor, if developed with all the planned facilities,
would cost $33 million. At that price, the entire 650 mile project
would cost over $21 billion, an amount many said the state cannot
afford.
Others at the meeting questioned the necessity of a quarter-mile
wide path for utilities, six rail lines and 10 automobile lanes in
rural East Texas. Concerns about tolling, terrorism and foreign
investment in the development of the project accompanied other less
intelligible arguments as well. One man decried the "selfish Austin
politicians" and "greedy foreign investors" he said were pushing the
highway on unwilling taxpayers.
There was at least one attendee, however, who
testified in support of the project. Tommy Ellison, CEO of
Commercial Bank of Texas, said he was sympathetic to
landowners, but said the area would benefit from improved
transportation provided by the corridor.
"I'm supportive of a project that would bring better
transportation out of Houston up through rural East Texas," he said.
Ellison said improved rail infrastructure in particular would
benefit the area.
TxDOT officials promised that all "substantive" comments
submitted at the meetings, by mail and online will be considered and
addressed in future impact statements. Substantive comments, an
informational video said, are those that provide new and useful
information about the project.
And the public has provided new and useful information.
Heiss said his agency had not previously considered concerns about
the risk of terrorist attacks on the corridor.
"With the number of comments we got, we're definitely looking
into that," he said. "We'll have to make a risk assessment about how
realistic a concern it is."
Beyond the specific and controversial issues of the day,
Thursday's meeting illustrated a powerful communal connection
spanning a wide swath of East Texas. Brought together to
share information, and unified by fear and anger, many who
arrived at the meeting ready to fight the project seemed familiar
with each other and the complicated ideas involved. Some
had already shared their ideas at community meetings about TTC-69
held earlier this month in Martinsville and Libby.
For more information about the TTC project and related local
news, visit dailysentinel.com/ttc.
The official Web site of the TTC is www.keeptexasmoving.com.
