My name is David Stall. I am a citizen of Texas, a landowner, a
taxpayer and a voter. Opponents of the Trans Texas Corridor are
labeled as having narrow interests. I am here tonight to tell you
that my interests are far from narrow. My interest is a quarter mile
wide and 4,000 miles long.
Mobility is important to everyone. And we all
recognize that sometimes sacrifices are necessary to achieve the
greater goals.
We need highways. We need new highways. We need
better and safer highways. We need truck lanes. We need improved
freight systems, including rail. We need mass transit in our urban
centers. And, we need our fair share of federal highway dollars.
What we don’t need is the Trans Texas Corridor.
The Trans Texas Corridor is cloaked with much
needed and necessary projects such as I-69. And yes those projects
should move forward. But don’t let them be the sheep’s clothing on
the Corridor wolf.
The Trans Texas Corridor isn’t about
transportation or mobility. It’s about revenue. This grand plan
adopted by the Transportation Commission is not driven by
well-defined demands for transportation. It is driven by the
opportunity to generate revenue for transportation. In that respect,
the Trans Texas Corridor isn’t even a highway at all. In fact,
Commission Chairman Ric Williamson calls it a ‘State of Mind.’
The Trans Texas Corridor is highway alchemy. The
Governor wants to turn your land into state gold.
Listen to the Governor, listen to the
Transportation Commission, and the record will reflect that the
number one virtue of the Trans Texas Corridor is its perceived
ability to generate revenue.
Well, I live and work in cattle country. I can
look out any window of my house and see a cow. I know cows. And let
me tell you, the Trans Texas Corridor is no cash cow – it’s just
bull !
The Trans Texas Corridor is more than just
conceptual – it’s on the way. TxDOT officials are aggressively
searching for investors and they’re finding interest.
On February 12th last month, the same
day that TxDOT officials were holding a Trans Texas Corridor meeting
in Bastrop and twenty-three other counties, a delegation from Spain
was scheduled to stop in Houston to hear a program titled,
"Presentation of Projects: I-69 Corridor, I-10 Corridor, I-45
Corridor [and] Other Projects." Their US visit had been scheduled to
begin in Austin where the very first program was a presentation from
TxDOT titled, "Trans Texas Corridor – Opportunities for the
Companies."
I was greatly disturbed to learn that TxDOT is
actively offering the I-10 Corridor as a potential project at the
same time a TxDOT official stood before the citizens and officials
of Colorado County and said the I-10 corridor is and I quote, "20,
30 or 40 years away."
Laredo has arguably the worst truck traffic
congestion problem in Texas.
Three years ago a toll road opened allowing
trucks to bypass the congestion and connect directly with I-35. The
road was applauded by state and local officials. TxDOT praised the
toll road as a very good alternative. Consultants and engineers
projected at lease 1,500 vehicles a day would use the new road.
Given the bright future, investors put $90 million dollars into the
highway.
After operating for three years, the toll road
attracted less than 15 percent of its traffic projection. The road
that held so much promise failed, and investors lost near $70
million dollars.
Fortunately, that toll road didn’t have TxDOT as
a partner nor the revenue enhancements being offered Trans Texas
Corridor investors.
In Laredo the need was clear and present, yet the
project failed. Today the need for the Trans Texas Corridor is
neither clear nor present. TxDOT does not have a crystal ball.
We don’t need the Trans Texas Corridor.
This plan is dangerous.
This plan is dangerous to the immediate mobility
needs of our state’s biggest cities. This plan is dangerous to
homeland security. This plan is dangerous to free enterprise. This
plan is dangerous to the Texas tourism industry. This plan is
dangerous to local economies. This plan is dangerous to individual
property rights.
This plan is dangerous to all Texans.
