Posted on 03/26/2008 5:37:17 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
State Rep. Jim McReynolds has sent a letter to the Texas Department of Transportation saying he thinks TxDOT should drop the idea of tying the Trans-Texas Corridor in with plans for routing Interstate 69 through East Texas.
McReynolds says tremendous negative outcry from his constituents and other East Texas residents has made it clear to him no one wants infrastructure that massive and disruptive to the quality of life to be built, taking big swaths out of the Pineywoods countryside.
"Within the past several weeks, I have personally attended every TxDOT hearing held in my district regarding this proposed corridor," McReynolds said in a March 18 letter sent to Ed Pensock of TxDOT. "I have also encouraged all to attend and to voice their concerns and to receive answers to their questions. People came, people spoke and the answer is unmistakably clear — I along with 99.9 percent of East Texans adamantly oppose the I-69/TTC.
"On the House Appropriations Committee this past session, we discussed at length provisions of HB 3588 passed during the 78th session, as well as TxDOT's contracting with private industry. And I along my fellow House members proudly voted to put in place a moratorium on your agency for further contracting on new projects during the interim.
"For many years, East Texans have followed the TxDOT plans for the I-69 corridor. I have attended many meetings regarding this proposed thoroughfare. Make no mistakes, we support infrastructure and highway building — but all of us expected this to be within existing footprints of existing highways. None of us ever dreamed of combining the TTC with I-69 which TxDOT has recently done in the hearings.
"As a vice chairman of the Rural Caucus for the past decade, when the idea of the TTC was conceived in 2002, we had grave concerns about it because we are, have been and I hope will always be a private property rights state. I hope that the management at TxDOT has not forgotten this.
"The comments in my district about the proposed I-69/TTC corridor include many serious concerns: loss of cherished property, cemeteries, agriculture, antiquities, water, game, noise, air and light pollution, access, emergency, loss of business, loss of property tax base for schools and county, homeland security and NAFTA concerns to only mention a few. As far as I know, TxDOT is not taking into serious consideration high speed rail, or whether or not Texans or visitors to our state will even need this type of infrastructure 20 or 30 years from now.
"I believe that I represent every member of the East Texas delegation who serve in both the Texas House and Senate when I say, please lay this I-69/TTC absurdity to rest and begin holding hearings on Tier I which allows for building highway infrastructure within existing footprints. I believe that you will find a much more pleasant reception among us who are proud to call East Texas home."
Recent meetings held in Lufkin, Diboll, Nacogdoches and Center sparked crowds of property owners who voiced their concerns similar to those of McReynolds regarding the massive highway project. A public response deadline has been extended through April 18 by TxDOT, online at www.keeptexasmoving com. or via regular mail at I-69/TTC, P.O. Box 14428, Austin TX 78761.
By GORDON DICKSON
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
Posted on Wed, Mar. 26, 2008
FORT WORTH -- A pair of powerful rural lawmakers got a dose of big-city traffic problems Tuesday.
North Texas officials visited with state Reps. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa, and Carl Isett, R-Lubbock, for about two hours.
Chisum is chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, which controls the purse strings for state agencies. Isett is chairman of the Sunset Advisory Commission, which is studying ways to revamp the Texas Department of Transportation.
The meeting and brief tour of Alliance Airport and surrounding roads was hosted by state Rep. Vicki Truitt, R-Keller, who wants to ensure that plans to improve traffic flow in the western Metroplex aren't hurt by any statewide changes in highway funding.
"Perspective is really important," Truitt said, "and the transportation issues we have in North Texas are vastly different than what exists in West Texas or the Panhandle."
Transportation Department officials have come under fire recently for overestimating available highway funding by $1 billion, proceeding to plan the controversial Trans-Texas Corridor and attempting to lease toll road projects to private, foreign-owned companies.
But in the Fort Worth area, tolls and other alternative funding sources have been embraced on projects such as:
Proposed new toll and nontoll lanes on Interstate 35W in Fort Worth, and Loop 820, Airport Freeway and Texas 114/121 in Northeast Tarrant County.
The planned Southwest Parkway toll road from downtown to southwest Fort Worth and eventually Cleburne.
A proposal to relieve train traffic at the congested Tower 55 railroad intersection near downtown Fort Worth.
Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief and Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley were among 30 or so people who greeted the lawmakers.
Chisum applauded them for working together and said: "The Legislature itself is incapable of solving the problem without your support. We need you to come to us with the solutions, and we'll assist you in changing the law."
Ogden: Texas can solve the problem of financing road construction
State Sen. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, TEXAS SENATE
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Austin American-Statesman
Recently, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), in its effort to address the highway construction needs of our state, alarmed many in the Legislature and many more in my district. This is counter-productive and unnecessary. I want to report to you what can be done to get things back on track.
TxDOT is not "out of money" and can lift its current moratorium on new construction by selling $1.5 billion of voter-approved bonds. Concerns have been raised on repayment of this large sum of money. In response, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, House Speaker Tom Craddick, House Appropriations Chairman Warren Chisum, and myself as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee recently wrote a letter to TxDOT Chairwoman Hope Andrade. We informed her that $300 million has been appropriated to TxDOT for debt service and committed to increase funding for TxDOT in the next biennial budget.
Last November, Texans overwhelmingly approved another $5 billion in general obligation bonds for highway improvements. During the next session, which begins in January, the Legislature will pass a bill authorizing TxDOT to sell these bonds and use the proceeds for new road construction.
Later this month, the Senate Finance Committee will examine additional financing methods. Specifically, I want to explore the possibility of investing a portion of our state's trust funds (i.e., Employees Retirement System, Teachers Retirement System, Permanent School Fund, Permanent University Fund) in TxDOT toll projects. The argument for this is straightforward. If it is such a great idea for foreign companies to invest in and profit from our roads, why isn't it a good idea for our retired teachers and state employees to invest their trust funds in and profit from these roads?
These same trust funds currently make large investments in real estate and infrastructure outside of Texas. I think some of this money should be invested in Texas and that this would be a "win-win-win" situation. Roads will be built, the trust funds will get a guaranteed return on their investment, and the toll revenue would benefit public education in Texas.
The problem of financing the construction of Texas roadways can be solved. The solutions that I propose do not require new taxes, sales to private concerns, or destruction of the countryside with Trans-Texas Corridors a thousand feet wide. Let's stop arguing and get to work on solutions that Texans will support.
Ogden is the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.
State extends comment time for TTC plan to April 18
Trans-Texas Corridor PING!
BTTT
Hopefully Eltife will put something out soon too.
I have to really wonder if they are ever going to get the message from 99.9% of the people...
I’m worried that the 0.1% is going to trump our 99.9%
Its a shame that they’ve wasted all this money and time so far on this debacle...NOT a shame...Just a waste...
Wonder if they’ll just quietly revise the Texas Transprotation Code again and take away all that beaurecratic gobble-dee-goop like the TTC never existed...
Just a fantasy...
Like the time I dreamed I was on top of a Mayan pyramid in my sun-god regalia, with thousands of beautiful, adoring, screaming (nakid) women clawing their way up to me, throwing dill pickles at me...
I haven’t figured out the dill pickle angle there...Any psycho-analytical types out there???
Yep...I am not as smart as Laslo, but I could be partly as smartly...;-)
Bravo State Rep. Jim McReynolds! That is exactly the message we’ve been trying to get across to TxDOT.
McReynold's constituents don't matter. Neither do anyone else's. The Texas legislature had transcended constituencies.
But, because the adjoining land is relatively high price, you get far less capacity for the same amount of dollars.
Plus, in 30 years you have a road that can't be expanded unless you buy more of that relatively expensive adjoining land.
With as strong a level of opposition as exists to the TTC, building a traditional Interstate is a more practical option at this time. The Texas DOT does have funding issues, and bypasses of places like Victoria and Lufkin may have to be tolled, as well as the Grand Parkway. It may also be time to either increase the gasoline tax or dedicate the tax entirely to road construction. The best is the enemy of the good at times. The TTC will provide better service, but it is not politically feasible.
I dreamed I was a pornstar last night but, I won't embellish.
1. More ROW should of been bought when the Interstates were originally planned. If they/we have to pay more now, so be it and this time, buy plenty. 2. This whole TTC was a scam from the beginning. Perry, other officials and developers got *big eyes* when they were approached by these foreign consortiums with billions of up front dollars. Enough money to sell us down the river.
I cannot embelish on that at all...
Except in my dreams as a pornstar, I was really that good...
Wait a second...Weren’t we talking about illegals, guns, taxes, government corruption, infidelity or something???
Ohh, I forgot...Its all porn anyway...;-)
In the article above, Ogdan suggests that Texas retirement funds should be invested to build these roads. The question that follows that suggestion is, if the foreign investors offer a better deal than the teacher retirement fund offers, who should be awarded? And the next question is, if the teacher retirement fund invests in the roads, is not the state ultimately liable.
First answer: to Heck with foreign investors (but you knew I would say that)
Second: Does the state pay into the TRF? I know they’re not eligable for SS and have a lot of their monies invested in rather risky markets.
I don’t see why investing in what will inevitably be toll roads is such a bad move. The foreigners seem to like it.
Or, as they say in Mexico, them damn gringos are going to own everything.
I did some business with them here in the Austin area. They needed work at 6 shopping centers they owned.
In the SA Express article yesterday, the head of the teacher retirement fund says that they can make a better return investing in China's roads.
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