Posted on 03/10/2005 3:59:58 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Speed bumps
With opponents turning up the heat, Trans-Texas Corridor planners need to fill in many blanks as the colossal project nears liftoff.
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
WHEN first announced, Gov. Rick Perry's $175 billion, 4,000-mile transitway proposal seemed more visionary than practicable. Now that the project is on the verge of transforming itself from political rhetoric to concrete reality, opposition from a nonpartisan range of interests has taken on a sudden urgency. The opponents are discovering just how much they don't know about the biggest transit project to hit Texas since the creation of the interstate highway system.
The plan to allow a foreign consortium, Spain's Cintra, the right to build and operate massive tollways across the state for a half century has created an unlikely coalition of opponents. They range from Republicans concerned with property rights to small-town officials fearing the loss of highway commerce to environmentalists worried about the toll the concrete rivers will take on the state's ecology. And don't leave out agricultural interests appalled by the potential paving over of millions of acres of arable Texas land and the splintering of hundreds of farms and ranches that eventually will fall in the corridors' path.
As Texas transportation officials negotiate details of a plan for implementing the first stages of the corridor project, many basic questions remain unanswered. They include details of project financing and decision-making, the public's right to information about construction and operational decisions, and the taxpayers' liability if the deal goes sour.
Gov. Perry touts the creation of the developer-funded system of 1,200-foot-wide corridors running from the Mexican border to Oklahoma as a revolutionary solution to the state's commercial transport needs. The super highways would divert traffic from urban areas along high-speed truck and auto lanes as well as multiple rail lines, alleviating big city gridlock and reducing pollution. The wide rights of way would provide ample space for communications cable and energy pipelines. Land condemned through the exercise of eminent domain by the state would allow the corridor operators to franchise roadside amenities such as hotels, restaurants and other businesses to supplement toll fees charged system users.
Cintra would put up $6 billion to construct the first link of the system running between San Antonio and Dallas paralleling I-35. According to project supporters, that so-called design and build formula would allow the construction of a new generation of tollways without using taxpayer dollars.
The governor's motives are open to question in light of the large campaign contributions he received from interests boosting the privatized corridors. One of Perry's top aides, Dan Shelley, recently worked for Cintra and introduced officials from the consortium to Texas transportation officials before a Perry-appointed highway commission awarded Cintra the project contract in December.
Although the governor's brainchild has enjoyed a high-speed trip down the legislative highway, the road gets rougher from here on out. Supporters must explain how the corridors will turn a profit. The one previous private tollway in Texas, Laredo's Camino Columbia turnpike, went bankrupt several years ago. An attempt to build a privately funded high-speed rail line in Texas in the 1980s foundered when studies revealed it was not economically feasible.
Texas lawmakers are readying a number of legislative amendments to Perry's corridor plan, including narrowing the rights of way, requiring frequent on and off ramps to guarantee easy access to nearby communities, and limiting commercial development along the corridors to private owners rather than the tollway operators.
Former Houston Mayor Bob Lanier, a past Texas Highway Commission chairman, says that the design and build contract awarded Cintra can pose big oversight problems for the state, because agencies will be hard-pressed to play watchdog on plans formulated by the contractors. There's also the question of the deal's lack of transparency. It is not clear whether Texas' open government statutes would apply to the project.
"They are granting to the contractor without competitive dollar bid the right to make a whole lot of public decisions now and in the future," Lanier said. "The state should proceed very, very cautiously."
It's getting late in the process, but Texas lawmakers should ask the right questions now and get satisfactory answers before they allow the Trans-Texas Corridor to continue on its fast track to construction. If this is to be the premier transit project of an era, let's make certain it's going to be a boon rather than a boondoggle.
Trans-Texas Corridor PING!
yuk, yuk. i knew the whole thing stunk.
Don't Mess With Texas--and this goes for the Governor, too!
I have a lot of concerns about this project. I do wonder though why the Houston Chronicle couldn't find anything wrong with Metro's rail scam. They are still trying to promote more of the Metro rail scam.
I do wonder though why the Houston Chronicle couldn't find anything wrong with Metro's rail scam. They are still trying to promote more of the Metro rail scam.
Is there a real justification for this? I've driven the Interstates in Texas and they seem entirely adequate.
On the other hand, no one is spending the money to keep up the current infrastructure. Does it make sense to keep building new highway when we're not taking care of what we have?
I believe the logic behind Governor Perry's vision is that Texas in 2050 is going to be much more populous than present-day Texas and therefore, Texas needs this network of corridors.
"On the other hand, no one is spending the money to keep up the current infrastructure."
??? - Do you do much traveling in Texas?
I read recently an interview of a TXDOT official in which he said that highway construction activity in Texas is at the highest level in 30 years.
I think it is evident that most of these activities are in repair and upgrade of existing highways, in other words, "keeping up the current infrastructure."
This is all about the New World Order implementing open borders, leading to an eventual merger of the United States and Mexico.
on klbj today the trio interviewed carol keeton stayhorn.
i like her. she came on like gangbusters. she made news because she said that the new advisory board on new 183 tollroad was crooked. a guy that owns land near the tollroad has already realized over a 600% gain in the value of his property. she says he should resign. others argue that the decisions to build the were made before he gained a seat on the board. but she argues the decisions he will make will be influenced by his ownership of this land.
sheriff sam says, just one more sign that "good ol' boys control texas politics."
Thanks for the ping!
The timetable is spelled-out in HB3588 which may be read in full here:
http://www.corridorwatch.com
The whole idea was to get the state into irrevocable contracts before the next election cycle.
See #14. Also note the Mexicans will soon be offloading ships bypassing California for Texas and beyond. Anything to screw the American worker.
BTTT!!!!!!
It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Its obvious Texas and America as a whole are going to need major infrastructure upgrades, and repairs.
But at the same time state, local and federal government is burdened with entitlements, social programs, debt, pension obligations etc. Not to mention unions, and bureaucracy that prevent work from being done.
So the logical and only step is to turn to major private conglomerates. But as we all know government contracts too often end up as pork barrelling or disasters.
Btw I just looked up the population of Texas in 1990 and 2000. In 1990 the state had 16,986,510 people. And in 2000 it had 20,851,820, for a real change of 3,865,310 people.
Or a 22.76% gain in population. Now assuming Texas gained another 3.8 million a decade by 2050, they'd have almost doubled from the 2000 number.
But if they continue growing at 22% the population would almost triple by 2050. Of course America as a whole grew by 13.5% in the 1990's so I think sustaining 22% would be difficult.
Still we are talking about serious numbers of people.
Carolyn
Like my mom used to say, 'this stinks to high heaven.' Perry knows he is a gonner next election so he is in a big hurry to get his and get it big.
This whole TTC thing makes me wanna puke. I am so ashamed of our state politicians, er, sharks I mean.
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