Posted on 02/23/2006 1:32:53 PM PST by Willie Green
For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.
Texans should know the proposed route of the Trans-Texas Corridor toll road from the Metroplex to San Antonio in three to six weeks, state officials said Wednesday.
An environmental study that began two years ago was supposed to be made public last month, but state and federal officials realized some of the documentation was incomplete, said Michael Behrens, executive director of the Texas Department of Transportation.
The 4,000-page study will show the path of the proposed high-speed road within a 10-mile study area. That's narrow enough for cities between Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio to determine whether the route will benefit them economically, and for property owners to know whether their land may be taken.
But before the study can be released, state officials must provide more information about potential "secondary" effects of the proposed road on economic development, water, air quality and other issues, said Amadeo Saenz, the state Transportation Department's assistant executive director for engineering operations.
"If we build a road and there is economic development, will the economic development have an impact on the environment? Will it require more utilities? You've got to address what impact it might have," Saenz said Wednesday.
Once the plan is made public, copies will be available at www.keeptexasmoving.org and at Transportation Department district offices and libraries statewide.
More than 50 public hearings will be held beginning in May in cities along the corridor route.
The agency hopes to submit a final environmental impact statement to the Federal Highway Administration by the end of the year, potentially clearing the way for construction to begin in 2007.
The Trans-Texas Corridor is Gov. Rick Perry's plan to build 4,000 miles of toll roads, high-speed rail lines and utilities crisscrossing the state.
But many Texans say they disagree with the concept of paying for roads with tolls.
If we build a road and when there is economic development strangulation, will the economic development strangulation have an impact on the development citizens of rural and small-town Texas?
That's always possible, I suppose. I got the link to my version from "Google Alerts."
Thanks for the ping!
You're welcome. :-)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.