Trans-Texas Cooridor on track for completion
By STEPHEN MONAHAN, Register Staff Writer
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDot) held its first open house meeting of 2005 at the Civic Center Thursday night regarding to the construction of the Trans-Texas Corridor.
The Trans-Texas Corridor, in its initial phase, is a 10-mile wide network that stretches from the North Texas area to Mexico and/or the Gulf Coast and will be used as a transportation alternative for motorists and freight lines. The area will be narrowed to 1200 feet wide by the time construction is ready to begin.
TxDot's meeting Thursday allowed the public to view and conceive their own opinions of the superhighway's existence by use of standing placards and illustrations of the proposed area for the corridor's occupancy.
TxDot is using a tiered environmental study called Tier One which focuses on the project as a whole. The current study for the Oklahoma to Mexico/Gulf Coast encompasses about 800 miles long and includes 77 counties. Upon completion of the environmental study, the project size could be narrowed down to nearly 10 miles wide.
The environmental study is conducted according to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and is scheduled to be completed by spring 2006 with either a preferred corridor selected for construction or a no build option.
Doug Booher, TxDot's environmental manager of the Texas Turnpike Authority Division, said the idea of the corridor stems from three challenges Texas residents face in the next 50 years. The first, he said, is TxDot envisions a problem of population growth with an estimated 33,000,000 people in Texas by 2030.
Another challenge Texans face, Booher said, is the "level of service on the existing facilities is declining and there are congestion issues on the roadway."
A third challenge residents face is "truck and freight movement by rail will increase in the next 50 years," Booher said. "The State is trying to plan for the future transportation for Texas," he added.
The corridor's maximum capacity (10 miles wide) would consist of four lanes for trucks (semi's), six passenger lanes, two freight rails, two high-speed passenger rails, two commuter rails and a 200-foot utility zone consisting of water, electric, natural gas, petroleum, fiber optic and/or telecommunication lines.
But Booher frankly added that these lanes and rail lines will not be constructed unless there is a need.
As for the cost of the corridor's construction, it's a hefty one.
"The estimated cost for the construction of corridor for all modes of transportation is around $36,000,000 per mile," Booher said. "But if it's just for a truck or passenger facility, of course, it would be less."
The public was encouraged to also leave their feedback and comments by either writing or speaking their mind.
"On the whole, in general, it's positive," said Booher on the public's response to the corridor's construction. "There are certainly people who are negative, but we welcome all opinions. It's really in the hands of the citizens of Texas for this to go forth."
Cooridor. The Daily Register strikes again!