Grass Root Opponents To TTC Not Going Away

6/11/08

by Donna McCollum, KTRE

During Trans Texas Corridor hearings before the Texas Department of Transportation you found ranchers to business owners. There were retirees to school children.  And strict conservatives to far left liberals. More than 28,000 of them united in the fight against the Trans Texas Corridor. Their hard work paid off. Jan Tracy, a landowner and advocate said,  "We're thrilled that TxDot has come to their senses and that they have decided to sue the existing footprint of 59. I mean that is wonderful news, certainly for our school district and for our area."

We first visited Tracy in her elementary classroom where children wrote letters to state and national leaders. She sees TX-Dot's decision as a victory for their future. Tracy said,  "Not having a 1200 foot swath coming through here is great news for all of us here."

But no one is removing their Say No To TTC signs just yet. There are still serious concerns regarding this issue. Larry Shelton, President of the Piney Woods Alliance said,  "As long as there is still a highway of this magnitude that is coming through Nacogdoches County we have every reason to stay involved, so the Piney Woods Sub-Regional Planning Commission is not going to go away. We're going to continue to engage the planning process and protect the local interest here."

A Corridor Watch newsletter criticizes TxDot for its lack of sincerity writing, "Faced with pressure from state and federal officials, an unhappy Sunset Advisory Commission, and pending report from the state auditor, it was time for TxDot to find something they could give up. Hello TTC-I 69." Shelton said, "The decision you see today has not as much to do with listening to the people as it does with election year politics. There are a lot of politicians that are afraid of losing their jobs come November."

A changed route for TTC is a won battle for East Texas landowners, but they're far from saying the TTC war is over.