Texas Begins a Huge Highway Project; Not All Are Happy

The New York Times ^ | January 1, 2005 | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

AUSTIN, Tex., Dec. 31 (AP) - Texas has embarked on a project to build superhighways so large and so complex that they will make ordinary Interstates look like cowpaths.

As envisioned by Gov. Rick Perry, the project, the Trans-Texas Corridor, would be a 4,000-mile transportation network costing $175 billion over 50 years and financed mostly, if not entirely, with private money. The builders would then charge motorists tolls.

These would be megahighways: corridors up to a quarter-mile across, consisting of as many as six lanes for cars and four for trucks, plus railroad tracks, oil and gas pipelines, water and other utility lines, even broadband transmission cables.

Supporters say the corridors are needed to handle the expected Nafta-driven boom in the flow of goods to and from Mexico and to enable freight haulers to bypass urban centers on straight highways that cut across the countryside.

The number of corridors and exactly where they would run have yet to be worked out. But on Dec. 16 the Texas Transportation Commission opened negotiations with the Cintra consortium to start the first phase of the project, a $7.5 billion, 800-mile corridor from Oklahoma to Mexico that would parallel Interstate 35.

"Some thought the Trans-Texas Corridor was a pie-in-the-sky idea that would never see the light of day," said Governor Perry, a Republican who has compared his plan to the Interstate system. "We have seen the future, and it's here today."

But some have called the project a Texas-size boondoggle. Environmentalists say they worry about its effect on the countryside, and ranchers and farmers who stand to lose their land through eminent domain are mobilizing against it. Small towns and big cities alike fear a loss of business when traffic is diverted around them.

Even the governor's own party opposes the plan. The platform drafted at last summer's state Republican convention rejected it because of its effect on property rights.

The tolls would represent a sharp departure for Texas, which has traditionally relied on federal highway money from gasoline taxes to build roads. But supporters of the Trans-Texas Corridor say its combination of tolls and private money would allow Texas to lay concrete at a rate that would be impossible through gasoline taxes alone.

The corridors could generate about $135 billion for the state over the 50-year span and lure new industry by offering efficient shipping routes for goods and utilities, Ray Perryman, a Texas economist, said.

In addition, Robert Black, a spokesman for Mr. Perry said, the new rail lines could lower the risk of chemical spills in urban areas.

For the Oklahoma-Mexico corridor, Cintra plans to spend $6 billion for about 300 miles of four-lane highway from Dallas to San Antonio and give the state an additional $1.2 billion for improvements along the route. In return, Cintra, which is based in Spain, wants to maintain and operate the toll road for 50 years.

The Texas Farm Bureau, generally regarded as an ally of Mr. Perry, opposes the project, with the organization's president, Kenneth Dierschke, saying: "They're proposing going primarily through farm and ranch lands. If someone comes in and cuts your property in half, that's no good."

Officials promise that property owners will be fairly compensated for any land seized. And a special provision put in for the benefit of rural Texas would allow some property owners to negotiate for a share of the revenue generated by traffic on the corridor.

[MeekOneGOP]

Sorry I'm so slow getting here. Pinging my Texas list here .....

Texas Begins a Huge Highway Project;
Not All Are Happy

Excerpt:

AUSTIN, Tex., Dec. 31 (AP) - Texas has embarked on a project to build superhighways so large and so complex that they will make ordinary Interstates look like cowpaths.

As envisioned by Gov. Rick Perry, the project, the Trans-Texas Corridor, would be a 4,000-mile transportation network costing $175 billion over 50 years and financed mostly, if not entirely, with private money. The builders would then charge motorists tolls.

These would be megahighways: corridors up to a quarter-mile across, consisting of as many as six lanes for cars and four for trucks, plus railroad tracks, oil and gas pipelines, water and other utility lines, even broadband transmission cables.

Supporters say the corridors are needed to handle the expected Nafta-driven boom in the flow of goods to and from Mexico and to enable freight haulers to bypass urban centers on straight highways that cut across the countryside.

The number of corridors and exactly where they would run have yet to be worked out. But on Dec. 16 the Texas Transportation Commission opened negotiations with the Cintra consortium to start the first phase of the project, a $7.5 billion, 800-mile corridor from Oklahoma to Mexico that would parallel Interstate 35.

"Some thought the Trans-Texas Corridor was a pie-in-the-sky idea that would never see the light of day," said Governor Perry, a Republican who has compared his plan to the Interstate system. "We have seen the future, and it's here today."

Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my Texas ping list!. . .don't be shy.
No, you don't HAVE to be a Texan to get on this list!

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!!!

[Rightly Biased]

It'll be a nightmare Sure glad I live off the corridor

On the other hand I have always wondered why the State when they built a highway didn't put in Dark fiber for communications and lease it out to the highest bidder. Those ditches are wide and straight. Lots of room and then the state doesn't have to worry about Time Warner or SBC wanting to work in thier easement.

[DainBramage]

Renamed the super collider. Takes everybodies land and produces nothing in return.

[Brownie74]

A fiasco bump.

[Tuxedo]

Please add me to your list as I am moving to San Antonio in a week.

Where is the corridor supposed to run? Are they upgrading US281, or US77? They could also extend I-44 from Wichita Falls to the south.

[shellshocked]

The ""Illegal Alien Super Highway".

[MeekOneGOP]

I've added you. Thanks. :^)

I'm not sure regarding the details about the routes for the highways. Sorry.

The article referred to a Dallas to San Antonio line, but it's more than that I'm sure.

[BJClinton]

Both of them will push for a State Income Tax.

Egad. I haven't heard of that. Is there a source for that info?

[anymouse]

Boy what a "prisoner's dilemma."

Gov. Perry is blessed with even worse potential opponents.

Texas GOP seriously needs to think about growing some stronger contenders for the upcoming Governor's, Senator and Comptroller races.

If they don't the Democrats just might find an acceptable alternative. Thankfully the TX Rats race for the left cliff every election, thus ensuring even the weakest Republican victory.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

I'm not a Texan; I'm just really interested in highways and the Trans-Texas Corridor. However, on the website OKRoads.com, there are a couple of Texas speed limit signs where the nighttime speed limit is (I believe) 65.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

They should retime the lights to slow down traffic on the frontage roads.

That just proves the point of the pro-freeway argument. In order to get people to take the toll roads, you have to make them miserable on the free ones.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Doesn't 610 have about half the radius of Beltway 8? That seemed to be what was showing on maps of the area, IIRC.

[BobL]

Yea - but neither highway has changed its alignment (highway talk) since being built, as implied by the earlier post, as I read it.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

I'd take thoes direct connector interchanges anyday over some backed-up cloverleaf. Fod example, there's an interchange (in Memphis, if I remember correctly) where I-55 northbound leaves one mainline and enters another via a cloverleaf. Guess how traffic is at this interchange.

[ken21]

yeah, guess so.

i lived in socal for 18 years, and traffic is a given.

i just don't like the appearance of the 4-tier interchanges, whether they're in denver, las vegas, phoenix, los angeles, austin, dallas, etc.


the whole country looks alike now. maybe it's snowing in the north, raining in the south, or sun in the west, but the 4-tier interchanges look alike.

[ArmyBratproud]

Yeah...every interview they give where they run from the question.

Also...I have had the "joy" of listening to them speak at some conferences.

There was a County Commissioners conference in Houston where the issue was laid out on the table....And the idea of both of them seeing a "need" for it was spoken of with a solid tone.

If ya think that is bad...you should see Kay run from abortion questions. She was recently in Texas Monthly...and dodged the pro life question pretty hard.

But her view on that is no big secret.

[BJClinton]

How come Texas, supposedly one of the most conservative states, doesn't have a candidate like Sanford in SC?

[ArmyBratproud]

They are all conservative until they get elected.

So keep an eye on the boy in SC.

Actually, our JR. Senator has been pretty conservative.

He refers to himself as a recovering lawyer.

[BJClinton]

Sanford is the real deal. Cornyn is great, I worked on his campaign, but I don't believe he's looking to be Gov.