Diddle, you're my FRiend. Apologies if I chewed on you too harshly. I feel strongly about this, and, yes, I've researched it and will be getting deeper into the fight as time goes on.
I know there's some wacko stuff out there, but this TTC plan does indeed sacrifice a big hunk of Texas heritage to international trade. And the national security implications are distressing.
You weren't too harsh, for me blunt is good, makes it easier for me to understand how others feel and view something.
I just don't see any nat'l security issues. The porous border is a completely different problem, unaffected by this road (which doesn't create any new border crossings and doesn't cross the border, but rather ends short of existing crossing facilities.) The road is likely to have cameras all along its length, both at toll plazas and for safety and traffic monitoring. Why would anyone with nefarious intentions use that road when they could use unmonitored and lightly patrolled backroads?
The road will be 800' wide, so only the biggest bomb would close it for more than a few days (with traffic rerouted or staged while waiting on repairs.) Why would terrorists waste a huge bomb on a road/rail/utilities facility that might kill a few dozen when such could be deployed in a city to kill tens of thousands? They can knock out utilities on that trunk line for a few days, but that just reduces capacity temprorarily during repairs, since those lines will be in addition to what currently exists. Bridges are more vulnerable, but there aren't many places requiring large ones, and it would take a huge bomb to knock out all the parallel bridges and lines. Again, that would just reduce capacity until repairs are done. The Sunshine Skyway south of St. Petersburg, FL was a far bigger chokepoint, but when it was knocked down by a boat in fog the area adjusted until it was repaired.
I just don't see big security problems worthy of abandoning the project.