Trans-Texas Corridor
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THE ROAD TO
RUIN
The Trans-Texas Corridor is a bad, bad, bad
idea, not only for Texas but for the entire
United States of America as well. Here are
some reasons Governor Perry fails to
recognize or care about.

  1. An easy terrorist target.  200 foot
    utility zone for large underground
    water lines, natural gas and petrolium
    pipelines, telecommunication cables,
    fiberoptics and overhead high-voltage
    electrical transmission lines in a
    quart mile wide package spells easy
    pickings for terrorists.
  2. Private land becomes State land.  
    The TTC project authorizes the
    Commission to take private land from
    current land owners in record time - to
    lease it for any commercial, industrial
    or agricultural project it sees fit.  More
    then one million acres will rapidly
    become government property used to
    collect State revenue, and squashing
    out all private business in it's path.
  3. Money first, transportation second.  
    The Corridor plan is designed to
    provide transportation funds,not
    necessarily transportation. They do
    not and will not care where it is built
    or how many families, farms, and
    communities are affected provided it
    produces income.
  4. Heavy negative economic impact for
    Texas cities and towns.  Hundreds
    of Texas communities will be seeing
    business's shut down, layoffs and job
    loss.  As State contracts concessions
    will include food, gas, hotels, stores
    and more, and access to any small
    towns from the Corridor will be non-
    existent.  School districts will lose
    approximately 580,000 acres from
    their tax rolls. Local taxpayers will
    absorb the differences, as every mile
    of the Corridor will take approximately
    146 acres of land off school districts
    tax rolls each year.                
  5. A State divided.  Nearly a one-
    quarter mile wide corridor will cut
    through Texas, making it difficult to
    get from one place to another, and
    leaving many landowners unable to
    access their own property, thus
    forcing them to sell it to the
    government.
  6. Pollution and environmental
    hazards.  "Don't fix it, just move it"
    seems to be the approach Perry is
    opting for.  As the Corridor generates
    more air pollution, this time to the
    rural areas of Texas, it also threatens
    wildlife by hampering the migration of
    100% of all reptiles, rodents,
    amphibians and mammals that
    populate Texas.
  7. Open door.  Easy assess for Mexico
    & South American drug, weapon and
    human smuggling cartels as well as
    paramilitary groups to our Nations
    heartlands.

The dangers and disasters are numerous.  
Is Spain receiving funding really worth such a
high cost?
    
Facts taken from www.corridorwatch.org,
please click link to them for even more
detailed information.
AS BAD AS IT GETS?
FAST FACTS
The Trans-Texas Corridor is the largest
engineering project ever proposed for Texas.  
The statewide network of priority corridors
will stretch 4,000 miles and measure up to
1,200 feet wide.

Each segment of the corridor will contain:
  • Six 12-foot passenger vehicle lanes
    (80mph)
  • Four 13 foot truck lanes.
  • Two tracks for 200 mph high-speed
    passenger rail.
  • Two tracks for commuter passenger
    rail.
  • Two tracks for freight rail.
  • 200 foot utility zone for underground
    water lines, natural gas and petrolium
    pipelines, telecommunication cables
    and overhead high-voltage electric
    transmission lines.

Four Priority Corridors identified:  
  • TTC-35: I-35, I-37, I-69 from Denison
    to Rio Grande Valley.
  • TTC-69: I-69 from Texarkana to
    Houston to Loredo.
  • TTC-45: I-45 from Dallas-Fort Worth
    to Houston.
  • TTC-10: I-10 from El Paso to Orange.
These priority corridors account for
approximately half the total 8,000 miles of the
Trans-Texas Corridor.

The current Corridor plans will require 146
acres of right away per mile of corridor.  The
total anticipated right of way for 4,000 miles
of Corridor is 584,000 acres.

Estimated total cost of the Trans-Texas
Corridor is $145 billion to $183 billion dollars.
WHO'S IN CHARGE?
One thing is very clear, it won't be the United
States of America. Rather the Trans-Texas
Corridor will be controlled by a company from
Spain called "CINTRA".  This information was
withheld from the public by decision of Gov.
Perry and Cintra/Zachery, even though $3.5
million tax payer dollars is being given to
CINTRA's partner, Zachery, for planning.

When Attorney General Greg Abbott
attempted to make the documents public in
June, 2005. CINTRA/Zachry and the TxDOT
filed a lawsuit against the Attorney General in
July, 2005 to keep the documents secret.  
Why was this lawsuit needed if this project
was as legit as they claim?

Through this deal, Spain/CINTRA/Zachry will
control a half million acres of the richest
farmlands in Texas, a region known as "The
Blacklands."
Why don't you
try to explain
to them why
you are selling
out their
country?
WHO WILL BE AFFECTED?
Texas Landowners -
Approximately 580,000 acres (908 sq. miles)
of private land will be taken by the State for
the superhighway, bullet train and any other
use that TxDOT can lease or sell to generate
income for the TTC.

Those directly affected by land takings may
find they can no longer access portions of
their properties divided by the corridor
running  through their lands. There will be no
increase to adjacent property values through
any future commercial developments. By
design the Corridor will have no access to
adjacent property nor will it have frontage
roads.

Local Government -
New authority granted to TxDOT allows the
taking of city and country owned real property,
parkways, streets, highway alleys, or
reservations and prohibits TxDOT from
paying compensation for that land.
(HB-3588).

TxDOT may require a government entity to
pay a fee to use any part of the Trans-Texas
Corridor.

Cities across Texas will be devastated by
loss of traveler revenues captured by the
State concessions located on the Corridor.

Counties and School Districts will loose
approximately 146 acres of taxable land every
mile of the Trans-Texas Corridor that passes
through their jurisdiction.
DOCUMENTS
Planning Documents
CINTRA's Proposal

Legal Documents
         Texas House Bills
         Texas Senate Bills
     Joint Resolutions

Research Documents
TRANSPORTATION
ORGANIZATIONS
GREAT CONCERNS
Public Safety

Access for Emergency Services Will Be
Severely Challenged,  Response time             
     slowed, and  resources limited..

Given the severely limited access (by design)
will create a difficult, if not impossible,
means of response to emergencies for
emergency services on the TTC.  Access
points may be 10 miles or more apart for the
entire length of the Corridor, and due to
railroad components, at-grade crossings will
be impossible from at least one side.

With no feeder roads getting emergency
services to scenes of accidents, fires, spills,
pipeline ruptures, train derailments, and a
other emergency situations will be
tremendously challenging.

In addition, being away from urban centers
high level emergency services will not be
readily available.  

 Rural Location = More Victims

A train derailment or tractor-trailer accident
involving hazardous materials on isolated
stretches of the Corridor in rural Texas will
create a domino effect to risk of human lives.  
With no readily available escape routes,
hundreds, if not thousands, of vehicles will
be trapped on corridor traffic lanes with no
exits, no feeder roads, and no alternative
routes.  New victims will be driving into the
hazard zone at speeds of 80 mph.
High-speed rails will create barriers
containing motorists within 180 degree arcs.
Additional barriers will be in place to prevent
unauthorized entry, and thus trapping
motorists from being able to exit.  And if this
is not all enough, highways that do cross the
corridor will be elevated for quarter-mile
grade separation and inaccessible to
motorists who are on the corridor.  

Multiple Hazards Increase The Risk

With Transportation, utilities and
communication all lumped together along
the Corridor.  This adds to additional
problems of an enormous scale.

A train derailment anywhere along the
Corridor could and most likely would
immediately and physically impact adjacent
rails and potentially impact highway lanes or
utilities.

Pipeline leaks or explosions will be within
200 feet of commuter/freight rail tracks, within
275 feet of high speed passenger train rails,
and within 600 feet of highway lanes all
along the Trans-Texas Corridor.

Hazardous material leaks from rail cars or
tank cars will be within 150 feet from high
speed passenger trains and 250 feet from
highway lanes all along the Trans-Texas
Corridor.

This all adds up to a very dangerous
situation.

Homeland Security

The Corridor will be a very easy target for
terrorists or those seeking to do harm to the
United States of America.  Through the
concentration of potential military and
terrorist targets in one centralized location
(utilities, rail, and highways). Create tactical
choke points (1/4 mile long grade separated
crossings). And bring security breaches
across the entire width of the corridor at
regular intervals.  

Comprehensive Development
Agreements
The corridor plan is based on
design-build-operate-maintain contracts
known as Comprehensive Development
Agreements (CDA).  CDA's are new to the
United States but have been used in such
places as Chile, China, Columbia, Hungary,
Malaysia, and Mexico.  These contracts often
include equity guarantees, debt guarantees,
exchange rate guarantees, subordinated
loans, shadow toll payments, and minimum
revenue guarantees.  But the most troubling
is what is known as "revenue
enhancements" which limit competition and
allow for the development of ancillary
facilities.  State Senator Jon Lindsey had the
following to say:
 "Instead of building public projects based on
the best low bid, the state is adopting a policy
of building major projects based on the best
high bid.  When the state enters into one of
these agreements called a "comprehensive
development agreement" or CDA, the state
agrees to limit competition.  The investor gets
a guarantee that other roads will not be built
to compete in any way with the CDA toll road."

This could and would put Texas at a great
disadvantage and a great financial loss while
granting a huge advantage to certain entity or
entities.

Environment

                      Air Pollution
There is no reduction plans to reduce air
pollution anywhere in this plan, it simply
increases vehicle pollution in areas away
from the large urban districts pushing it out
into rural Texas.  With the additional number
of travel miles required to reach and leave
the corridor from Urban areas the amount of
generated air pollutants also increases.  Add
also to this an estimated additional annual
5.4 billion vehicle miles introduced by the
TTC over the long run will add to severe air
pollution issues in locations currently not
affected, and not aiding, but rather
increasing, in areas currently already heavily
affected.

Loss of Habitat and Open Wilderness

With the TxDOT Trans-Texas Corridor
Project, a required 580,000 currently open
areas will be taken up and paved over.  This
is six times greater than the Big Thicken
National Preserve in Texas.  

This will cause loss of many wildlife flora
species currently protected, endangered or
threatened by the State under layers of
unnecessary  concrete.  

Texas already has been deemed by the
National Resources Conservation Service in
1999 as having the highest land
consumption rate of any state in the United
States.  This project will certainly accelerate
that problem.

             Habitat Fragmentation

Fences and barriers will be required to
protect high-speed vehicle lanes and rail
tracks.  These fences and barriers will
prohibit the movement of wildlife across vast
areas of Texas.  This in turn could cause a
reduction in the diversity of species within the
State.  

This project could hamper natural migration
of many species, bring inaccessability to
current breeding locations, and will most
certainly cause many deaths along the
roadway to those unfortunate creatures that
do manage to skirt the fences and barriers
only to find themselves trapped in a virtual
death trap with no means of escape.

As Dick Kallerman, Transportation issue
Coordinator, Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter
stated:
"The Trans-Texas Corridor plan is not a
project of transportation professionals, urban
planners, sociologists and environmentalists
hammering out affordable infrastructure to
meet our 21st Century needs. Rather, it was
hatched in a smoke-filled room where
nobody worried about the needs of ordinary
Texans."

Public Finance

   Local Financial Losses and Costs

Today's current Interstate Highway system
was built with the mindset of providing
access to hundreds of communities along
their paths where there was before limited
travel transportation.  These communities in
turn provide services, especially emergency
services, necessary for the highway at no
cost to the state.  Local taxpayers have
always funded the fire and emergency
medical services which serve long stretches
of the current highway system.  These
communities also directly benefit from the
highway.  Gas stations, tow services,
restaurants, motels and stores aid the
traveler by providing them services.  This
enhances the local economy and trade of the
State.

The TTC will take away these highway
frontage towns and remove easy access for
travelers. There will be no benefit to local
communities from this project, and those
towns that will be caught in the path will
become ghost towns full of memories of
days past.  

Depending upon the placement of the TTC
and access points, local agencies will find it
difficult and costly to provide emergency
services, and when they do the local
taxpayers will be required to foot the inflated
and unnecessary bill it will generate.  

Private Profiteering Not Public Interest

Private sectors will be allowed to capture
excess toll revenues as private profit when
revenues generated should be used instead
for public transportation purposes.

The TxDOT is currently accepting toll road
proposals based on the highest bidder.  
What this means is that while private groups
have to pay a large sum to the State, they in
turn can pretty much turn around and charge
whatever they wish to the users unchecked.

                Double Taxation

"Motorists already pay for highways at the
gasoline pump, vehicle registration counter
and at auto supply retailers.  They should not
have to pay for highways again when they
exercise their right to travel on them."  
(Proposition 15, house briefing paper)

                  To Great A Cost

A $184 BILLION dollar project is simply to
much money for the Taxpayers of Texas to
afford.  Tolls, fees, and taxes create debt
(public or private) and the citizens of Texas
ultimately pay the tab.  Urban centers and
towns will be forced to pay even more to
address their own problems and be able to
connect their highways to the Corridor to risk
disappearance all together.  This is simply
unacceptable and unnecessary.

Business Impact
         
         Adverse Economic Impact

Business will be taken away from hundreds
of Texas communities by limiting traveler
access and providing, in its place, State
contracted concessions which include gas,
food, hotels, stores and more, without limit.  
This is Nationalizing the States travel and
tourism industry to the max.  

Sec 370.172(a)(2)
"...contract with a person for the use of part of
a transportation project, or lease or sell part
of the transportation project, including the
right-of-way adjoining the portion used to
transport people and property, for any
purpose, including placing on the adjoining
right-a-way a gas station, garage, store,hotel,
restaurant, parking facility, railroad track,
billboard, livestock pasturage, telephone line
or facility, telecommunication line or facility,
data transmission line or facility, or electric
line or facility, under terms set by the
authority."

Private Property Rights

     Private Land To State Land

The Trans-Texas Corridor project authorizes
the Commission to take private land away
from current owners to lease it to any
commercial, industrial or agricultural
purpose they deem worthy. This would mean
more than one-half million acres of current
private owned land would become
government owned property used not only for
Transportation but as State owned rental
property in direct competition with private
businesses.  

Unchecked the Commission will be given the
rights to acquire, in the name of the state,
public or private real estate property as they
determine to be necessary or convenient for
the construction, enlargement or operation of
the Trans-Texas Corridor.

In addition to this land grab, the Commission
also will be given permission to lease or sell
parts of that seized property, for any purpose,
including placing gas stations, garages,
stores, hotels, restaurants, parking facilities,
railroad tracks, or billboards under terms
they set.  If they so desire they can even
lease it back to the original owner or any
other private or public entity for unrelated
commercial or industrial purposes.

Sec. 227.082(d)
"Property may be leased or a franchise or
license granted for any purpose, including
using as a facility and use for unrelated
commercial, industrial, or agricultural
purposes."

Coby Chase, TxDOT Legislative Affairs
Director stated on November 18, 2004.
"The number of courts authorized to hear
eminent domain cases should be expanded."

With a consumption of 584,000 acres of land.
 146 acres required per corridor mile.  One
acre for every 36 feet of corridor.  This
certainly is not in the favor of Texas citizens.

    No Property Value Increase

By its own design the Trans-Texas Corridor
will not provide any easy, or in some cases
none at all, access to the communities it
passes by.  Unlike current Interstate
Highways, it is not designed to allow for
commercial development along its frontage
as there will be no frontage.  Property owners
will have no opportunities to develop new or
expanding businesses.  In it's provisions of
the plan and laws it has the right to place all
possible traveler services on the corridor
itself denying adjacent property owners from
having any opportunity to profit from the new
Corridor.

                 A State Divided

With the sheer expanse of the Corridor, along
with its very wide, very flat, extremely limited
access which is mostly toll highways, rail,
and utility based.  Crossing of the Corridor at
any point will require a quarter-mile long
overpass.  The quarter mile wide Corridor
will become a Great Wall, splicing Texas into
sections and making any travel from one
location to another extremely difficult.  

For unfortunate landowners, they will be
given two possible options.  Keeping
property they can not access, or sell it to the
State.

Juliet Briskin, Country World News on
November 4, 2004 had the jest of it.
"..With the right-of-way approximately 1,200
feet wide, the proposed corridor could
change the face of agriculture in Texas
forever as it swallows up thousands of
production acres of farmland."

It seems this is the plan according to Sec.
227.041(a) which states:
"....the commission has the same powers
and duties relating to the condemnation and
acquisition of real property for a facility of the
Trans-Texas Corridor that the commission
and the department have relating to the
condemnation or purpose of real property..."

Mr. Coby Chase, Texas Transportation
Commission TxDOT Legislative Affairs
Director, has made sure that the agenda to
discuss the Commission's legislative goals
clearly states that "the number of courts
authorized to hear eminent domain cases
should be expanded".  He reasons that due
to the large number of projects underway, or
in development, it would be more efficient to
allow state district courts, in addition to
country courts, to hear eminent domain
cases.

It is unnerving that TxDOT is anticipating so
many eminent domain cases (land taking)
that they feel additional courts are needed to
handle the flow.  

Tourism Industry

    Seeing Texas From The Corridor.

Hundreds of Texas communities spend
thousands of dollars each year to attract
visitors who will spend money and stay in
hotels/motels.  These communities will be
deeply affected by the loss of tourism each
year.

Rather then being allowed to stop in the
small towns, off the beaten path, and those
places that make Texas what Texas is.  
Visitors will be sent screaming past all but
the largest of metropolitan centers.  Those
that do stop for food, gas and lodging will be
doing so at state concessions which are
located on the corridor itself.  This design
has NO benefit for any of the communities in
the Corridors destructive path.

The TTC plan includes keeping all of the
highway revenue on the TTC.  The loss of
traffic and the associated revenues has a
very real potential of dooming many
communities across Texas who depend on
income generated by the traveling public.

Poor Transportation Spending

   Unsolved Congestion Problems

A very singular focused effort, the Corridor
plan will only build corridors to connect
regions of the state intentionally while
bypassing others, urban centers being part
of those.  Metropolitan areas will be left to
deal with their own traffic and mobility
problems, including now offering access to
the Corridor.   As the large cities in Texas are
known traffic generators and destination
points, the Corridor design will offer little if
any relief for the already pressing traffic
congestion, and will most likely only increase
the problem.

Lois Finkleman, Dallas City Councilwoman
spoke for many Texans when she made this
statement:
"We support the concept of the Trans Texas
Corridor, but we don't want it at the expense
of all the urban transportation improvement
that are needed."

Rather then provide transportation, the only
thing the Corridor plan will be designed to do
is provide Transportation funds.  The
designers do not care where it is built, what it
is built over, or who it impacts, so long as it
generates revenue.

Revenue First, Transportation Second

"Governor Perry and his friends spent a great
deal of time researching ideas to create more
revenue."
- Transportation Commissioner Rick
Williamson (March 25, 2003)

"... Concentrating on the four primary routes
first, is the beginning of generating the cash
flow..."
- Transportation Commissioner Ric
Williamson (June 27, 2002)

"...generating revenue, directly or indirectly,
for use in constructing or operating the
Trans-Texas Corridor from or for ancillary
facilities that directly benefit users of the
Trans-Texas Corridor."  (Sec. 227.041(b)(5))

When financial greed comes before good
planning. The plan created is a bad idea.

  Private Interest vs. Public Interest

Private investments and partnerships lead to
profit driven goals, not transportation.  Private
investments will involve bonds and
bondholders who will want to protect their
money and insist on terms and conditions
that benefit them, often contrary to public
good.  
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Listen up!
"... concentrating on the four primary routes
first, is the beginning of generating the
cash flow.." Texas Transportation
Commissioner Ric Williamson, appointed by
Gov. Rick Perry to govern TxDOT.

"Because there are issues of confiscation
of private land, State and National
sovereignty and other similiar concerns,
the Party urges the repeal of HB 3588
authorizing the Trans-Texas Corridor.  
Further, we urge the removal of all
authorization and powers granted the
Texas Transportation Commission and the
Texas Department of Transportation for the
construction and operation of the
Trans-Texas Corridor."  Republican Party of
Texas Platform says "NO" to Corridor.

"Governor Perry and his friends spent a
great deal of time researching ideas to
create more revenue". Texas
Transportation Commissioner Ric
Williamson, appointed by Gov. Perry to
govern TxDOT.

"Local citizens would suffer the negative
impact of such a corridor without receiving
any benefit." Diane Lacy, Jeff Davis County
Commissioner.

"It's going to kill agriculture.  Depending on
where it goes, that is part of my family's
land." Richard Cortese , Bell County
Commissioner.

"This would waste AG lands, and the
access and egress issues are of real
concern." - Judge Jerry Bearden, Mason
County.

"if there is no access to the small towns, it
will change the face of the state."  Will
Lowrance, Hillsboro Mayor.

"I am concerned about what this could do
to the country."  Richard Cortese, Bell
County Commissioner.

"If it is done the way it's proposed, it will
hurt us..." Carlos Vigil, Cooke County
Community Development Director.  

"With a right-of-way approximately 1,200
feet wide, the proposed corridor could
change the face of agriculture in Texas
forever as it swallows up thousands of
production acres of farmland."  Juliet
Briskin, Country World News.

"It's a terrifying nightmare. I'm scared to
death of this."  Bill Durst, Fayette County
Inspector.

"The government is out of control. They're
trying to take our property rights away
from us."  Rep. Harvey Hilderbran.

"Texas should not be sold out to foreign
interests. Texas farms and ranches should
be for Texas farmers and ranchers.  We
should not let a Europeans consortium take
our Texas birthright.  Our elected leaders
should not be asking us to give them our
land and then insist we should have to pay
to drive across it (as toll roads.)"  
Comptroller Carol Keeton Strayhorn.

"Once the Governor decided that this is
where we needed to head, he wanted to
remove it from the political flow of the
state,he wanted it to become policy as
opposed to politics, and that was one of the
reasons he asked us to move so fast, and
we've done an admirable job..."  Texas
Transportation Commissioner Ric
Williamson, appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to
govern TxDOT.
Alternatives Are Possible!
A&M Study: "Don't ned tolls; don't need to
raise gas tax."

Bandera Road Report

Highway 281 and 1604

Ways to Accelerate Projects

Creative Ways to Relieve Congrestion
Without TOLLS!
  • Reversible Lanes
  • Variable Speed Limits
  • Dynamic Lanes
  • Dedicated Lanes
  • Ramp Metering
  • Hard Shoulder Running
Who Benefits?
TxDOT:  Benefits by being able to strike the
roadways off their list of responsibilities while at the
same time maintaining the same gasoline and sales
tax revenue which could be applied to a smaller
number of roadways.

Governor Rick Perry: Who has received over
$1,000,000 from highway interests since 1997,
including $30,000 less than 1 week before signing a
$1.5 billion contract with Fluor Corporation. He will
also benefit by reducing the state budget demands
and potentially being able to divert the revenue to
other programs such as his massive Trans-Texas
Corridor project.

Jon Lindsay and Peggy Hamric along with
other local politicians who benefit by the greater
amounts of funds they will have to spend.  In
addition, if they own, their families own, or their
political friends own land in the areas along the new
corridors, there will be a tremendous financial
benefit to their land values.

Jerry Eversole, Robert Eckels, Steve
Radack, Sylvia Garcia, and El Franco Lee
who make up the Harris County Commissioners Court
benefit by the greater amount of funds they will
have to spend. In addition, Robert Eckels accepted
$93,250 in campaign contributions from road
builders and suburban developers including
roadway contractor Charles Beyer and Bob Perry of
Perry Homes.

Robert Tesch, Chairman of the Central Texas
Regional Mobility Authority bought land that has
increased in value since 2002 by over $3.7 million
since the approval of the US 183A toll project less
than 2 miles away from his properties.  Carole
Keeton Strayhorn the State Comptroller has called
for his resignation along with another board member
in the scathing Audit of the CTRMA.
NEWS AND
UPDATES