What's next for Texas' superhighway?

NewsOK.com ^ | April 20, 2008 | Nolan Clay

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

For years, Texas has been planning a privately financed super turnpike from Mexico to the Oklahoma border.

But like rush-hour traffic, the plan for a Trans-Texas Corridor is only inching along.

"It ran into a firestorm of controversy in Texas,” said Neal McCaleb, a former Oklahoma transportation secretary.

Critics have a wide range of concerns about the corridor, which has a key stretch that would parallel Interstate 35. (Another stretch would extend from the Texarkana/Shreveport area to Mexico.)

Particularly upset are landowners who may be in the corridor's path.

The Texas Transportation Department calls many concerns myths. The department says, for instance, that property owners will be paid fair market value and entire towns will not be wiped out.

How would it affect Oklahoma?

Still, the critics, including former Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, got the attention of Texas legislators. Last year, legislators approved a partial moratorium on private toll road deals. How the corridor — if it ever is built in Texas — would affect Oklahoma is unclear.

McCaleb was a consultant for a company that was seeking to build the corridor along I-35. The company proposed extending the corridor through Oklahoma.

"The Oklahoma arm never got off the ground because our proposal was not selected. And the other proposals had no provision for anything in Oklahoma,” McCaleb said.

‘There's a lot of misinformation'

Oklahoma transportation officials say they have no plans to extend the corridor through Oklahoma. They say existing roads could be used to take the traffic. Oklahoma officials also say most of the planning in Texas is on the stretch of corridor between Dallas and San Antonio.

"It appears to be that's where their focus is,” said David C. Streb, engineering director for the Oklahoma Transportation Department. "These things take a long time.”

Streb said of the criticism, "There's a lot of misinformation.”

Oklahomans organize opposition to plan

Opponents of the corridor going into Oklahoma already have organized. A group, Oklahomans for Sovereignty and Free Enterprise, incorporated last year.

"We heard of all the various problems with it,” said George Wallace, president of the group. "In Oklahoma ... at least 33,000 acres would be taken by eminent domain. ... It will be a private company running this and they can set their tolls at whatever they want.”

Wallace is skeptical of claims the corridor may not be built in Oklahoma.

"The corridors that we're talking about in Texas are up to 1,200 feet wide,” Wallace said. "They have lanes dedicated to trucks, lanes dedicated to passenger vehicles, rail lines, power lines, water lines, oil lines ... Let's say it comes up to the Red River. Is it just going to stop?

"Doesn't make much sense, right?”

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Editorial: Another run for Perry?

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Trans-Texas Corridor PING!

[mylife]

We have an 8 billion dollar surplus and TXDOT fudged the numbers by over a billion to look like they were out of funds.

Damn right there is a controversy

[mylife]

I WONT vote Perry again!

[levotb]

The TTC MUST be stopped AT ALL COSTS!! Where are oour fellow Texans on this issue? They’re being mauled and run over by Perry and the pro-TTC folks they stupidly elected. Now the pressure is mounting on OK legislators to allow TTC to cut thru the OK Panhandle. OK must stop it once again!! The TTC must NEVER be completed, even if it does get built in TX.

[WildWeasel]

Latest map on the preferred Trans Texas Corridor route doesn’t even show the proposed road close to Oklahoma. It’s through SE Texas to the SW border of Arkansas.

Don’t know what McCaleb is worried about.

[mylife]

Perry lies. I voted for him to stop Chris Bell and Perry thanks me with lies and shenanigans.

Hmmppp!

[org.whodat]

What’s new for toll road, purchases by the Saudis and their associates. Simple buy more politicians and government employees.

[deport]

Just get the traffic to OK, AR, LA and get the parking lots on our roadways moving and they can deal with it in their states as they see fit.......

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

It’s hilarious when politicians get burned big time by public outrage, so they insist that the public was “misinformed” or were “misled” by those opposed to what the politicians wanted.

You hear it most of the time when the State pols push for some measure on a referendum, and just get slaughtered at the polls.

To make matters worse for them, it is usually when they were trying to be greedy or crafty and got caught.

[mylife]

Remember last year when Perry said he was lowering property taxes? Well, Home values are down and property taxes are up.

Perry sucks

Now he wants us to pay tolls AND taxes to drive on our roads.
Meanwhile TXDOT Squanders money

[purpleraine]

I am far from an expert on this topic, but what’s wrong with building a couple of bypasses around several cities and widening I-35 or I-29?

[deport]

Your assessed valuation on your home went down?..... hasn’t happened where I live.

[Liz]

In Mexico for trade talks, Gov Perry blasts immigration policies
Houston Chronicle, Mexico City Bureau | Aug. 28, 2007 | DUDLEY ALTHAUS
Posted on 08/28/2007 5:35:20 PM PDT by Dubya

MEXICO CITY — Leading a large delegation of Texas executives trying to drum up business in Mexico, Gov. Rick Perry on Tuesday criticized the U.S. Congress for failing to pass an immigration bill that would legalize millions of workers. "I don't think this is that difficult an issue if Congress would have the maturity to sit down and really discuss it and cut out all the mean rhetoric," Perry said during a break in the third day of meetings with Mexican officials and business executives. (Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...

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COMMENT Gov Rick Perry does a Dixie Chick---he criticizes the US while in a foreign country. Is Perry collaborating with a foreign government to influence the policies of the US government on the issue of amnesty for illegals? Gov Perry endorsed Giuliani's candidacy-----does candidate Giuliani agree with collaborating with foreign governments to change US policies? We need rational leaders who understand the dimensions of the problem. Perry and Giuliani are not among this group.

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DO GIULIANI AND PERRY HAVE SIMILAR PLANS FOR US HIGHWAYS? Giuliani and Perry's idea of "border security:" using eminent domain to take US properties from taxpayers and give them to foreign entities.

NASCO TEXAS-CANADA-MEXICO TRADE CORRIDOR BROKERED BY Bracewell & Giuliani

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY MAP----TERRORIST ENTRY POINTS

NEWS STORY Bracewell & Giuliani Firm Advises Cintra in First Privatization of Toll Road in Texas
DALLAS (March 1, 2007) Bracewell & Giuliani LLP (Rudy's Texas-based law firm with global connections) advised Cintra Concesiones de Infraestructuras de Transporte, S.A., a Spanish transportation company, in its successful bid to develop State Highway 121 into a toll road through Collin and Denton counties ("trade road" is four football fields wide). The award to Cintra, approved by the Texas Transportation Commission, is the first privatization of a Texas toll road. Bracewell is acting as project counsel to Cintra with respect to the 50-year concession from the Texas Department of Transportation. Cintra will pay a $2.1 billion upfront and annual lease payments totaling $700 million. "Cintra was awarded this project because of its proven expertise and competitive proposal," said Thomas O. Moore, partner with Bracewell & Giuliani. "This is the largest transportation deal of 2007. This is one of only five deals in the country."

[mylife]

The market in general is stagnant or down nationwide

[mylife]

Giulliani and Perry are in bushiness together on the TTC

[mylife]

Business

[deport]

Even so my assessed property value for tax purposes hasn’t gone down......

[purpleraine]

I think there’s another plot afoot. Close the major American ports, unload in Mexico and truck north from Mexico. Longshoremen out of work.

[Liz]

Good point——and Perry and Giuliani get a cut of everything-—under the table.