Posted on 02/10/2007 5:20:32 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
News Release
Contact: Randall Dillard
Telephone: (512) 463-8588
Interstate 69 from Texas to Michigan is included on a short list of interstate corridors being considered for fast track development by federal transportation officials, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary. E. Peters has announced.
If I-69 is selected by the U.S. Department of Transportation this summer as part of the Corridors of the Future program, the federal department will aggressively support the project to move it “from the drawing board to completion faster than ever before,” according to the announcement.
The Texas segment of I-69 is being developed as part of the Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC-69) and extends from Northeast Texas to Mexico. The goal of TTC-69 is to increase mobility, safety and economic development opportunities through a multi-use transportation system that includes roads, rail and utilities.
“The continued federal interest in I-69 highlights how important the corridor is for national congestion relief,” said Amadeo Saenz, assistant executive director for the Texas Department of Transportation. “It also shows how Texas is leading the way in innovative project delivery to accelerate needed transportation improvements.”
Despite the national need, federal funds are not available to cover the cost of the corridor, Saenz said.
“In Texas, we are developing TTC-69 so that once we have environmental approval, it can be built as needed and as private sector resources make it feasible,” he said.
TxDOT will hold hearings later this year along the possible corridor from the Rio Grande Valley and Laredo to Texarkana to get public input on the environmental process. That effort will dictate if and where TTC-69 is built.
In addition, TxDOT is considering private sector proposals to finance and build TTC-69 once environmental approval is obtained from the USDOT.
“Inviting the private sector to invest in our transportation system is one of our strategies to meet the growing transportation needs of Texas,” said Saenz. “Our five goals are to reduce congestion, enhance safety, expand economic opportunity, improve air quality and increase the value of our transportation assets.”
For more information on TTC-69, visit our Trans-Texas Corridor Web site.
Nobody is giving anything, the state is LEASING the rights to build, operate, and maintain the road. A private company is paying more than $7 billion for that lease, but the state will still own the road.
Not really any different than if a city leases out its garbage collection or when the state let's private companies bid on road construction projects. In this case instead of taxes paying for the construction, the private company will front all the construction costs and then recoup that and a profit through tolls. BTW, the 50-year lease can be canceled by the state at any time.
Secondly, it is going to lower the wages of American truckers because Mexicans will be driving the trucks.
Thirdly, no real American wants to be merged with Mexico and Canada with a super highway.
Fourthly, once they make these corrupt arrangements, like a fifty year lease, they never get rid of them.
No, the road will be state-owned the entire time. The state is simply using private financing instead of taxpayer financing.
...that is going to make it easier to bring illegal Mexicans and aliens with drugs and terrorism into the country.
How so? The road will only be built in the US, doesn't add a new border crossing, and doesn't change border procedures. From 2015 to at least 2025 it will only be a road from San Antonio to Dallas, with the extensions to be added later when enough traffic builds to warrant extension. You do realize that there are already roads criss-crossing Texas and crosssing the border, yes? Why would drug smugglers and terrorists give up using these mostly unsupervised roads to risk using a new one with monitored and recorded cameras at toll booths and all along the way?
Secondly, it is going to lower the wages of American truckers because Mexicans will be driving the trucks.
Really? There are special laws just for this road? Of course not, any laws/regulations regarding Mexican truckers would apply equally to all roads, and thus that issue has nothing to do with the TTC.
Thirdly, no real American wants to be merged with Mexico and Canada with a super highway.
A road doesn't merge countries, only treaties can do that. Good roads can make it cheaper to travel between and do business with other countries, but these roads also do the same between all the states, counties, and cities along the way. I don't want Canada and Mexico to become part of the US, but I do 100% support the TTC. What you are claiming is kinda like saying that eliminating cancer in the US will cause illegal immigration to increase. So I should be against finding a cure for cancers? Ridiculous faux-logic.
Fourthly, once they make these corrupt arrangements, like a fifty year lease, they never get rid of them.
It isn't corrupt, over time everything has been made public and several years after being proposed we still are in the public hearing phase. If Texans don't want the lease, they can always vote in a governor or legislature that can cancel the lease. That is stated in the contract. Might be a good idea to read it, someone has mislead you with a load of lies.
Add to the mix the "all trade is bad we should grow our own coffee" folks, and our alleged slide into Third World status will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
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What's "racist trash " about connecting those dots?
What's "racist trash " about making an observation -- and asking if there might be a connection between those dots?
I believe that about sums it up. Having traveled I-75 from Michigan's upper peninsula to mid-Florida, I can easily see several places more needing of a superhighway than the barren mid-section of this country.
Cities like Atlanta & Knoxville present enormous bottlenecks to the free movement of traffic. And, I'm certain that there are hundreds of similar bottlenecks around every major city in the country. These are the areas that need major road work.
As an alternative, to alleviate a good deal of the traffic problems in many major cities, we can not only quit importing illegals into our population, but also get rid of the ones that are here. It's obvious that there are too many cars and not enough roadway in most cities.
Furthermore, I do not have an irrational fear of Foreign Direct Investment in our transportation infrastructure. As has been pointed out countless times, even if we default on the note, what happens? The concrete is poured. Who holds what cards then?
"even if we default on the note, what happens?"
We have one big, unfinished mess streched across Texas. Example, though small. the unfinished Intel project in downtown Austin. The taxpayers of Austin now have to fit the bill for it's distruction. Not only have the revenues been absent but now, the debt is increasing. This is a example of how this Globalism thing stinks on a smaller, local scale. Day by day, We work ourselves deeper into the hole.
* White Bill Clinton
* White Pee Wee Herman
* White TXnMA
Using your kook logic, should we connect those dots, too?
"we can not only quit importing illegals into our population, but also get rid of the ones that are here. It's obvious that there are too many cars and not enough roadway in most cities."
This is an important connection that I failed to make. Moreover, moving violations and accidents very often involve 'unregistered' drivers without insurance. Gee, ya think maybe they're illegals?
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It is you who is using "kook logic":
Since the only tool in your debate kit is ad hominem attack, why do you continue to pollute these discussions of Texas' future?
Please do not ping me for the length of the short time that will define the remainder of your stay at FreeRepublic.
I won't go as far as to say you are using "kook" logic, but you are are making an observation based on ethnicity, and using it to disparage the chosen group. I suppose the kook stuff comes in from your conclusion.
Hopefully we'll have the balls to seize their U.S. assets in such a scenario.
So instead of a NAU conspiracy, it is now an Hispanic conspiracy?
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