County leaders urged to oppose highway plan

A statewide super-highway project called Trans-Texas Corridor drew fire from separate speakers Monday, and they urged Victoria County leaders to oppose the project.

“We’re very concerned about it,” Russell Pruitt told the Victoria County Commissioners Court. “This is being run through without a vote.”

Pruitt, speaking on behalf of Citizens for Responsible Government, said that group will have a public meeting before the end of February. He said it will solicit help in drafting a resolution opposing the Trans-Texas Corridor.

That resolution will then be provided to the commissioners court and the Victoria City Council with the request they pass it. Russell said he’s also hopeful the resolution and public meeting will help clear up false information about the project.

“There is a lot of misinformation out there,” he said. “I think that hurts us all.”

Kenneth Schustereit, with the Water Research Group, said originally the state had plans to build Interstate 69 along U.S. 59 north of Victoria and along US. 59 or U.S. 77 south of the city. It now appears the state is saying the I-69 and the Trans-Texas Corridor project are the same project, he said.

“I am here today to say I support I-69,” he said. “The prospect of turning the existing right of way of U.S. 59 into I-69 would be great for Victoria.”

But the Texas Department of Transportation is causing confusion by calling it the TTC/69 project and he opposes Trans-Texas Corridor, he said.

District Engineer Lonnie Gregorcyk said last week that I-69 started out as a separate project. But he said because of the lack of funding for such projects, I-69 will not be built unless it is part of the Trans-Texas Corridor.

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