Gohmert: Progress Seen in New I-69 Plan but Concerns Remain

June 11, 2008

KLTV News

Following the Texas Department of Transportation's (TxDOT) announcement today that it will recommend narrowing the study area for the I-69/Trans-Texas Corridor project, U.S. Congressman Louie Gohmert (TX-01) released the following statement:

"TxDOT's announcement today that it will recommend the use of existing highways for the I-69 corridor appears to be a bit of silver lining in the stormy debate surrounding the highway, but as east Texans continually express to me, there are still serious concerns regarding this issue. It truly is a victory, though, that our citizens' overwhelming feedback has caused TxDOT to scrap their plans of swallowing the land of east Texas with the massive footprint of the original Trans-Texas Corridor. This shows that a person's voice really can make a difference, and I am glad the department finally listened. However, our top priority is to ensure that the sovereignty of the United States and our border security are not compromised, and we still have to get reassurance that these values will be protected under this project. I will to continue to speak with TxDOT officials to gain further clarity on these matters, but for now, we're pleased with this announcement."

The proposed path of the Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC) will run directly through several counties, including Angelina, Nacogdoches, Shelby, Panola, Harrison, Marion, and Cass, located in Rep. Gohmert's Congressional district. Gohmert continues to fight for the concerns of east Texans regarding the need to preserve national sovereignty and border security, as well the protection of citizens' private property from being overwhelmed by a massive TTC footprint. He can be reached at www.gohmert.house.gov.