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Locked down is a strong word - it basically means the road is still there (like the Roman Viaducts), it's just that it will never be expanded, even as Lufkin grows, due to the non-compete clause. Thus, it will get heavily congested and only be useful for local travel.

That's what's really ticked me off about Perry - he can have every foreign company in the world that he wants come here and build toll roads - but it's these non-compete clauses that essentially lock-down the capacity of existing roads that irks me (and believe me, no private company is dumb enough to sign this type of contract without an iron-clad non-compete clause).

It's really no different, well maybe worse since we're talking 50+ years, than politicians that sign union contracts with huge pension provisions. The politicians can leave office fat, dumb, and happy - but years later the citizens have to live with the mess that they made in signing these open-ended contracts.

I fail to see why you'd expect a private firm put up approx. $12 billion of its own money (instead of money from your pocket, or from people who have no intention of using the road in the first place) and not expect some sort of promise not to get screwed by a succeeding Administration.