At the request of Fayette County Judge Ed Janecka, the Texas Department of Transportation will hold a meeting in LaGrange this month to explain the Trans Texas Corridor.

The corridor is a 4,000-mile network of tollroads, rail and utilities that TxDOT says will allow for much faster and safer transportation of people and goods. The plan approved and set in motion will require more than 580,000 acres of land across rural Texas and will pass through at least 117 Texas counties.

During the month February hearings were held across Texas to gather public input on potential routes.  For most communities this was the first that they had heard about the Trans Texas Corridor.

Members of the public as well as local government officials across the state have expressed concern about the corridor and the impact it will have to their communities. Such was also the case at the hearings held in Columbus and LaGrange last month.

When TxDOT officials were unprepared to answer questions at the LaGrange meeting, Fayette County Judge Janecka requested that the District Engineer hold another meeting and invite the Governor and Chairman of the Transportation Commission attend and answer community questions. 

CorridorWatch, a statewide citizen's watchdog group, has confirmed that TxDOT Executive Director Michael Behrens, will be in attendance to address questions at the requested meeting.

Linda Stall of CorridorWatch warns officials that, "for every mile of corridor that cuts your county in half, TxDOT will take 146 acres of land. That's thousands of acres that will come off your tax rolls."

CorridorWatch estimates that the planned corridors will take approximately 4,000 acres in Fayette County, 6,500 acres in Austin County, and near 7,000 acres in Bastrop County.

"It's extremely important that the public be well informed," said Stall. "Citizens and officials need to express their concerns and be sure that they have their input now, at the beginning of the project."

All interested citizens, particularly those in Fayette, Bastrop, Austin, Colorado, Lee and Washington counties are urged to attend the meeting to be held at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 190 S Brown Street, LaGrange, at 7:00 pm Tuesday, March 23rd.

For additional information call Judge Janecka's office in LaGrange or visit CorridorWatch dot O-R-G on the Internet.

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