Several reasons. Forgive the list-style response.
1. Just a couple months ago one of our lawmakers based in Dallas announced that the state has a $1 billion highway budge shortfall. He also proposed a tax hike to pay for it.
2. Based on the referendums that were on the ballot (allowing police to check immigration status and regarding some new ID, and one regarding government office budgets) roughly 95% of Texans are tired of illegal immigration and want to put a stop to fraud and waste in the state. I fall into this 95% group.
3. I may be off-base but I wager that the $1b. shortfall was at least partially due to the state’s recent emphasis on building toll roads. Note that our toll roads are not owned by the state. We pay to build them, then we pay to drive on them.
4. The town hall meetings which I mentioned previously wherein it doesn’t really matter what the people think or how much they oppose it; the NAU and SPP must proceed according to plan, funded by Texans.
5. If we have a $1b. shortfall and feel the need to sell off our toll roads to other interests then how the hell are we going to build a quarter mile wide highway clear across the state? And furthermore, why the hell would we if we have a big enough problem with illegals and coyotes as is?
That roughly sums it up.
You forgot the secrecy and denial that surrounded all the planning a couple of years ago. ;-)
That's incorrect.
The TTC is entirely paid for by the private consortium at no taxpayer expense, or if there is any, it's very indirect and minimal.
It is owned by the state, however the consortium is given a 50 year window to operate the tollway and collect the revenue to recoup the investment.
At the end of 50 years, the consortium is out of the picture. Government being what it is, the TTC probably remains a tollway after 50 years, run by TXDOT. It never left state hands, and you never paid a dime unless you voluntarily chose to drive on it.