Posted on 09/16/2007 5:27:18 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
The Interstate 69 corridor is one of six highways selected for a new federal program to develop multi-state corridors to help reduce congestion, according to Texas transportation officials.
Interstate 69 from Texas to Michigan, and Interstate 10 from California through Texas to Florida, were among the highways selected by the U.S. Department of Transportation as part of its "Corridors of the Future" program.It is aimed at developing innovative national and regional approaches to reduce congestion and improve efficiency of freight delivery, according to Marcus Sandifer, spokesman for the Texas Department of Transportation's Atlanta District.
Eight states, including Texas, will divide $800,000 to be used for an Interstate 69 innovative financing study, he said. Estimated cost of the multi-state project is $17 billion, with the Texas segment costing about $6 billion, he said.
"This means that this is a high priority project not only for the state of Texas but also the top 10 projects in the nation," said Sandifer.
The proposed 2,680-mile corridor would be an international trade route from Mexico to Canada and would facilitate trade from the North American Free Trade Agreement, according to the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.
The Texas segment, also known as Trans-Texas Corridor 69, extends from the Texarkana area through Northeast Texas to Houston and on to the Texas-Mexico border, Sandifer said.
Trans-Texas corridor 69 would combine the Interstate Highway with rail and electrical lines, according Alliance I-69, a group of Texas supporters for the concept.
A definite route has yet to be determined. Harrison County officials have lobbied in recent years for the corridor to pass near Marshall. U.S. 59, a major north-south arterial, handled nearly 23,000 vehicles a day on the north side of its interchange with Interstate 20 in 2005, Sandifer reports. That represented a 24.5 percent increase in traffic since 1995.
"It definitely shows that traffic is increasing over the years, and it's going to keep getting worse and worse as it goes along," Sandifer said. "This does show that there is a need for this project, and that the federal government is ready to fund it.
"Of course, our part will probably be the last part to be built."
That's because state transportation officials will likely begin construction in South Texas, where the corridor is most needed because of congestion, he said. Completion of a three-year environmental study to help determine the route from Victoria is expected by the end of this year, according to the Caller-Times.
I just got back from N.Carolina. (back home to TX) It’s obvious Tenn. and Arkansas know how to spend their HW $s. Money diverted from Texas HW funds has taken it’s toll. (pardon the pun) IMO, this was done to make people believe we need the new super HWs and toll roads when all we needed was an overall upgrade.
Bastards!
Bullseye! That's a favorite TXDOT scam/scare/aggravation tactic
I recently drove from DFW back to Hillsboro on I-35E. For miles, coming out of Dallas, there are (at least) two brand new (and, apparently usable) lanes running down the midle of 35, walled off with Jersey barriers and unused. The sense of being "hemmed in" and overcrowded is awful!
And, I did not see a single soul (much less a TXDOT employee) working on that entire unusable stretch of new roadway...
Like most liberals, Rick and Ricky, thrive on creating a feeling of discontent among the voters.
I don’t have a problem with transit in general. I do have a problem with using gas tax money to fund it. If transit can be privatized without putting it out of the reach of people who cannot afford cars, so much the better.
It’s six passenger vehicle lanes, not twelve (although the pics indicate room for more lanes as needed).
I think you’ve come to the right conclusion. Now, what do you do about it? What can you do about it? For every one of you there are literally tens of thousands of folks who think it sounds reasonable to double or triple pay for roads. You’ll find them right here on this forum.
It really pi—es me off!
Oh, so that’s it...we’re fixing congestion — I feel better already, it has nothing to do with ramming a North American Union down our throats. (What a bunch of liars.) They dress it up in new language, but it’s still a pig.
Not so much in Texas. There’s a big drive to de-fang the DOT. (and de-nut the Governor)
Most on this forum have ulterior motives....freetraitors...globalists...OBL and the like.
Well, good luck down there. We’ve got similar problems out here.
I10 has been chosen...I am shocked I tell ya, shocked. Oh crap...right through my neck of the woods...that’s just great.
Isn’t your gas tax being mainly squandered on OTR (Other Than Roads)?
Absolutely. Among other things it’s been used to build public transportation that mostly serves illegal aliens and people without cars.
Very little of it is being spent on roads. I will tell you that I drove over a toll road in Orange county some years back, and was amazed to see how nicely that was kept up.
The bumps had even been shaved. What a crock. We paid for our roads, and the state lets them rot to spend the money on liberal boondoggles.
>>Eight states, including Texas, will divide $800,000 to be used for an Interstate 69 innovative financing study, he said.<<
$100,000 per state - can the government do anything for that little money?
It’s six passenger vehicle lanes, not twelve
TSR- can you direct me to that info? I did the cut-n-paste directly off of the Texas Toll Party web site.
Thanx
According to http://www.hooverdambypass.org/, the approaches on both sides, from Nevada and Arizon, are four lane highways, two lanes each way.
There are plans for a Boulder City Bypass. It was planned and studied at the same time as the bridge. Bucks for bridge, no bucks to bypass the bottleneck of Boulder City, where I live, until the next transportation bill in 5 years.
yitbos
Check out the cross section on Page 3 for TTC-35. There are only six passenger vehicle lanes drawn. And most of the conceptual illustrations I've seen have six passenger vehicle lanes as well.
I doubt that they'll need twelve passenger vehicle lanes. There are not that many people willing to pay 15 cents a mile, as far as I know.
In December 2007 I read through a federal environmental draft impact statement for I-69 through Arkansas.
It lists the federal agencies involved for this “limited access” or toll road from Mexico to Canada.
It states that elected officials have already been briefed on the project.
I don’t quite get your reference to liberals. This issue isn’t about anything except money and control.
Super corridors will used to bring goods from India and China into Mexico, the US and Canada. That is the stated purpose in a federal draft environmental impact statement that I read for a portion of I-69 through Arkansas.
As for funding, US tax dollars will be funneled to private companies who will build and own the roads. Emminent domain will be used to take the land.
My concern is that, the more terms like liberal and conservative are used, the less people can see that we are in this together. It’s just about money. It will make the rich super rich. The big name political parties are both party to this.
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