February 23, 2005

By Patrick George, The Daily Texan

Gov. Rick Perry has a vision, a vision of a massive transportation system that runs from the Mexican border to Oklahoma. Called the Trans-Texas Corridor, the system was proposed in 2002 by Perry and has entered the planning phase.

However, the corridor has generated much controversy among many Texans, including two representatives who introduced a bill to solve some of the more frequent criticisms of the plan.

According to the Texas Department of Transportation's Web site, the planned Trans-Texas Corridor is to be 4,000 miles long and could cost between $145.2 billion to $183.5 billion. It will have six high-speed toll lanes, six rail lines and piping for gas, water, oil, electric and telecommunications lines. The corridor will run through East Texas, parallel to Interstate 35.

"It is still being worked out in legislation, but the state has authorized the Department of Transportation to move forward with it," said Gabby Garcia, a spokeswoman for TxDOT.

In June 2004, the Texas Republican Party adopted a platform that is specifically opposed to the corridor and urged a repeal of the bill behind it, House Bill 3588.

On Feb. 18, state representatives Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, and Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, filed HB 1273, which, if passed, would slim the corridor from 1,200 to 800 feet wide, require access to every state highway and FM road and ensure that toll fees are not exclusively left up to private developers.

Many groups, including the Texas Farm Bureau, are worried about water issues, economic damage to smaller towns and counties because of lack of exit ramps, use of private land by the state, national security and immigration issues and pollution.

Corridor Watch is one such group that has challenged the corridor and educated the public about its possible ramifications. According to its Web site, CorridorWatch.org, the group is opposed to the corridor, because "it is designed to generate revenue first ... and it doesn't solve the problem."

David Stall, spokesman for Corridor Watch, said he believes that the bill, if passed, would be a huge step forward in making the corridor more acceptable for Texans.

"It is an excellent starting point for addressing the myriad of concerns created by HB 3588 and the Trans-Texas Corridor," Stall said. "Representative Kolkhorst is to be applauded for seriously considering the concerns of Texans, not only in her district but across the entire state, and responding with the introduction of meaningful legislation."

Since the state estimates that the population of Texas will double in the next few decades, Perry said the corridor, as proposed, is essential to solve coming transportation problems.

"We need a transportation system that meets the needs of tomorrow, not one that struggles to keep up with the needs of yesterday," he said on his official Web site.