Free Republic

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...

HOUSTON -- It did not take long Tuesday for the Texas Department of Transportation to find out what the Houstonians at a public hearing thought about the proposed 600-mile Trans-Texas Corridor, KPRC Local 2 reported. "George Washington, Sam Houston would vomit on you people," one attendee said. Chris Zora, who opposes the plan, attended the hearing at the Arabia Shrine Center in Southwest Houston. "I'd like to see a show of hands here of anybody that approves of this corridor," Zora said. "Is there anyone in this room who approves of this corridor? Raise your hands if you approve of...

McALLEN — As long as the Trans Texas Corridor has been in the works, Project Manager Jack Heiss has been answering questions about what’s taking so long. "I get that question from people sometimes," he said. "What people need to understand is that this is 4,000 miles. For a project of this size, it’s a very short period of their lives." The corridor project has remained locked in the environmental survey phase for close to three years and will remain so until the summer of 2006. But on Tuesday night, Heiss and other TxDOT representatives fielded questions at a public...