CorridorWatch.org - Challenging the Wisdom of the Trans-Texas Corridor.

TxDOT Myth Versus Reality

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TxDOT Myth 1: TTC-35 will be 10 miles wide.

TxDOT Myth 2: TxDOT already knows the location of the project and will direct Cintra Zachry where to build it.

TxDOT Myth 3: By taking thousands of acres off the tax rolls, the corridor will remove thousands of dollars and cripple local governments' ability to provide services.

TxDOT Myth 4: TTC-35 will make it impossible for small communities to exist due to access issues.

TxDOT Myth 5: TTC-35 will wipe out entire towns and communities.

TxDOT Myth Number 2

TxDOT already knows the location of the project and will direct Cintra Zachry where to build it.

TxDOT’s Response: No. The location of TTC-35 is not yet known. Like all transportation projects, TTC-35 must go through a federally-required environmental study to identify a route. Property cannot be purchased and construction cannot begin unless TTC-35 has been environmentally approved by the Federal Highway Administration.

CorridorWatch: Maybe and No. Cintra Zachry has submitted a proposal to build more than 300 miles of TTC-35 facilities and in doing so they calculated a cost associated with that work. Does anyone really suspect that Cintra Zachry did that without looking at a map and determining, even if in relatively general terms, the location of that road? There are physical constraints created by topography and design criteria for roads and rail that dictate the most suitable and economic routes. Those are engineering and economic driven design decisions. Potential environmental impact is also reduced to an economic decision; the cost of avoidance versus the cost of mitigation. Unfortunately, every indication is that TxDOT will not direct Cintra Zachry where to build it.

TxDOT Myth 6: Counties will have to pay to build crossings over the corridor and residents will have to pay to cross.

TxDOT Myth 7: All land will be acquired under eminent domain at pennies on the dollar.

TxDOT Myth 8: TxDOT has the authority to condemn property for private use and operate commercial facilities associated with the Trans-Texas Corridor.

TxDOT Myth 9: TxDOT will transfer its eminent domain authority to a private entity hired to develop the corridor.

TxDOT Myth 10: All land will be owned by the Spanish government.

TxDOT Myth 11: TTC-35 will open up the borders to Mexico and allow unlimited access for Mexican immigrants.

TxDOT Myth 12: Tolls on TTC will be set at whatever Cintra Zachry wants.

TxDOT Myth 13: Traffic is not bad and can be handled by upgrading existing facilities.

TxDOT Myth 14: The Cintra Zachry contract is a big secret and no details have been made available to the public.

TxDOT Myth 15: TTC will pave over cemeteries and destroy historic properties.

TxDOT Myth 16: Large tracts of land will be taken only to wait decades for the corridor to be built.

TxDOT Myth 17: If a developer is unable to make payments to its lien holders, the road would be shut down and the state would have to bail out the developer.

TxDOT Myth 18: TxDOT has the authority to pump groundwater and strip the minerals beneath the surface.