Posted on 03/23/2007 4:34:04 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
In the political world, rapid change only occurs when the public focuses attention on a specific issue.
We have that situation right now in Austin. Public and legislative attention is focused on the Texas Department of Transportation and a proposed moratorium on the Comprehensive Development Agreement process, including the recently announced CDA to construct State Highway 121 in Collin County. This public and legislative attention may offer an opportunity for Texas to reaffirm our commitment to focus government spending on core functions in this case, transportation.
There are many subplots swirling in this complex CDA moratorium issue reining in TxDOT, stopping the Trans Texas Corridor, protecting the North Texas Tollway Authority, stopping the announced CDA contract to build Highway 121 in Collin and Denton counties, and determining whether the Highway 121 CDA contract is a "good deal." I will address only the potential damage to the economic development of Collin County, if some equally beneficial and timely funding source is not quickly identified to build Highway 121.
Highway 121 received strong support from Sen. Florence Shapiro following my testimony Wednesday before the Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committee. Representing Collin County on the committee, she strongly assured the citizens of our county that she is "absolutely not here to kill the road" and that she will work to fund the construction in the most economical way possible.
Simply put, a two-year delay in Highway 121 construction is unacceptable. The rapidly growing population in Collin County will overwhelm the existing transportation network and bring our explosive growth to an end, costing our county many millions of dollars in economic development and the tremendous economic momentum that we have today.
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
You're welcome. :-)
bump.
Has to be somewhere else; they're driving British-style
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