Texas Trans Corridors

[Anonymous]

I noticed in today's newspaper that the Texas Transportation Commission have approved Governor Perry's Texas Trans Corridor. See the Texas Government's web site at http://www. dot.state.tx.us/ttc/ttc_report_full.pdf

It is a vision the orginial interstate highway system should have been based on. A wide stretch of real estate incorporating a 6 lane turnpike for cars, and a separate 4 lane turnpike for trucks, with medians three times as wide as the interstate highway system, leaving room for utility lines, gas and water pipelines, fiber optic lines, and most importantly a double track high speed rail line capable of speeds up to 200 mph, a double track for fast freight, and a double track for slow freight. The 50 year project would cost around $180 billion, with routes paralleling major highways and skirting major cities around 10-20 miles off the current highways. Right of way would be purchased not with cash on hand but through royalties. Environmental impact studies for the first two lines, paralleling I-35 to the east, and paralleling I-45 to the west will be finished by January 2003. Governor Perry will ask for the original feeder funds in the next legislature, and the Texas DOT will have to have legislation allowing them to purchase right of way for other infrastructure needs besides highways. The focus is that the first two lines of the corridors can be built in the next ten years.........

As I have stated before, VISION is so very important!

[Anonymous]

I read about that in the newspapers. Now, if only we had president and other elected national reps who realized what the Texas gov. has, we'd be in GREAT shape.

[Anonymous]

Like a one size fits all corridor will work. What happens when they come to a hill, will they take the highway route over the hill and stall the fright trains, or the rail route around and add extra miles to the highway. Also high speed passenger trains need very long sweeping curves and fright trains can take tighter curves. Then utilities is another story, so 4 corridors with there own needs will not work together but in a few places, you know west Texas is not completely flat, and after spending millions of our tax dollars they will have a corridor that will ineffective or just uesless. Save the taxes let the railroads and utilities improve there right of way, and build roadways that are efficient and safe.

gwl
http://photosbygreg.20m.com

[Anonymous]

Yes, but no one in Texas espects high speed rail will ever be built west of Dallas/Fort Worth, Ausin, or San Antonio...However, east of the I-35 corridor, the land is flat enough for high speed rail. In the TTC report, tolls on the new turnpikes will be 20 to 30 cents per mile. A trip down the turnpike from Dallas to Houston will cost over $60 in tolls. All of a sudden high speed rails looks favorable, eh? Keep in mind, the Texas DOT is also thinking about changing the freeways into turnpikes too, when it comes time to completely rebuild them, in both urban and rural environments. In other words there is a very good chance that I-35 and I-45 will be turnpikes before the new turnpikes are built, with tolls at 20 to 30 cents per mile... Highways being cheaper than fast trains, maybe so now, 30 years in the future, probably not....