Free Republic

ENNIS — Texas Turnpike Authority director Phillip E. Russell provided an update on the Trans-Texas Corridor 35 to members of the Ennis Chamber of Commerce on Monday. Noting the upcoming public hearings, Russell said the Texas Department of Transportation, which oversees the Texas Turnpike Authority, continues to seek input regarding the proposed thoroughfare. In Ellis County, hearings will be held in Ennis on July 10 and in Waxahachie on July 12. Each public hearing will begin with an informal, open house from 5-6:30 p.m., followed by the public hearing itself at 6:30. Fifty-four hearings in all are scheduled from July...

The Texas Department of Transportation's fight to guard the financial details of the Trans-Texas Corridor has sparked a rallying cry for corridor opponents and resulted in a court battle over open records. Corridor watchdogs argue that the state should make public its financial and development master plans with Cintra Zachry LP, the group chosen by the state to help plan and build the first section of a proposed transportation network that would criss-cross the state with roads, railways and utility infrastructure. “This is the largest land grab in Texas history, and to not let the people see the financial details...

AUSTIN – It's the Trans-Texas Corridor's size that sets it apart. While the state has amassed thousands of miles of land for roadways since the early 1900s, never has it sought to clear a path as wide as 7 football fields. Texas Department of Transportation officials laid out the framework for how the department will appraise and acquire land for the proposed tollway project at a Wednesday meeting of the Trans-Texas Corridor Citizen's Advisory Committee. “We are talking about a significant amount of land and how it's going to impact landowners,” said John Zimmerman, head of the department's acquisition section....

CorridorWatch.org – IN THE NEWS (08.25.05) KCEN-TV CHANNEL 6 NBC AFFILIATE TO AIR TTC SPECIAL FRIDAY A locally produced special report, "The Road to Change," will air at 6:30pm Friday, August 26, 2005, immediately following the six o'clock news throughout Central Texas including Waco, Temple, and Killeen. The special will preempt the popular Wheel of Fortune and should attract a large Texas audience. CorridorWatch.org co-founder David Stall and TxDOT Turnpike Authority Director Phillip Russell will discuss the TTC with KCEN-TV anchorwoman Kelley Barr. Also appearing in a segment of the special is Blackland Coalition President Chris Hammel. KCEN-TV has a...