The TTC is Dead!

[JKTex]

Strike while the sensible iron in Texas is hot!! No more TTC (Trans-Texas Corridor)

I never thought this would happen!

 

[Owens]

Link or more info please?

 

[idleprocess]

Small surprise ... the 1200' wide corridors were too ungainly to force into existence even with horrific abuse of eminent domain.

And for what? So Mexican truckers can ply our roads shipping freight from Mexican ports bypassing our own - without work visas or trucks that pass US safety and emissions standards? Not like they were going to build 8-lane highways between cities or the railroads they threatened in the same right-of-way, nor like it's terribly difficult to get less-invasive power lines installed.

Of course, now the plan is to use "smaller" 600' wide corridors - still more room than you need for an interstate.

The state didn't even plan ahead and install 3/4-lane bridges during the long reconstruction process on I-35 between Austin and Dallas where it already has plenty of right-of-way. Not sure why we need a couple of new superhighways full of marketing promise that the state can't possibly deliver on.

...but to answer a question, the Trans Texas Corridor was two proposed new highway/railroad/utility corridors running north-south through east and central Texas.

The propoganda on the original site operated by the state and its private partners has been mostly torn down as a result of the news that the project is all but dead.

Wikipedia still has some information on the original plans.

Here's a map of the plans prior to the scrapping of the entire project.

The central corridor was going to roughly parallel I-35 from the Mexican border to Oklahoma.

The eastern corridor was going to start at the southern terminus of I-35, head east to Houston, then parallel or subsume the ongoing upgrade of US Highway 59 into I-69.

According to my folks in Lufkin, local opposition to I-69 is pretty fierce and meetings about the TTC were generally jam-packed with residents fiercely opposed to the plan for a variety of reasons.

 

[kville79]

I agree that it's a great thing that it was knocked down... the whole thing reeked of kickback. And to throw my 2cents in, I think Texas, like the rest of the good ol' USA needs more rail lines, commercial and metro commuter. It just makes sense to me (then again I spent a lot of time oversees, and that might be influencing my opinions)

 

[Eli]

And to throw my 2cents in, I think Texas, like the rest of the good ol' USA needs more rail lines, commercial and metro commuter. It just makes sense to me (then again I spent a lot of time oversees, and that might be influencing my opinions)

That would make entirely too much sense, much easier to destroy rail lines perfectly suited for commuter use to expand the freeways.
Remember the Texas Triangle?

Eli

 

[Owens]

Was really hoping this thing would get killed. Had heard enough about it to know it was junk and overt abuse of eminent domain. Was more curious about when and who got it killed. Need to send a thank you note!

 

[JKTex]

I agree, there was too much stink around this thing. There are still parts that will continue and be completed but not the big mess. The biggest problem I had was the path it took and the land it would steal from families who have been on it for generations.

And if I recall, there was/is foreign interests that were involved in the design through to construction. It stunk of Perry Pals.

 

[nalioth]

I think you guys are confusing the TTC with the long planned federal I-69 project.

The Trans Texas Corridor was the one that would parallel I-35.

I-69 is a totally different project that will pretty much replace US-59 in Texas. It was never planned as part of the TTC or involved in the financing of the TTC, and as far as I know, the upgrading of US-59 toward this is still in progress.

 

[idleprocess]

I think you guys are confusing the TTC with the long planned federal I-69 project.

The Trans Texas Corridor was the one that would parallel I-35.

I-69 is a totally different project that will pretty much replace US-59 in Texas. It was never planned as part of the TTC or involved in the financing of the TTC, and as far as I know, the upgrading of US-59 toward this is still in progress.

I-69 was wrapped into the TTC project at one point in time but development beyond being a usual interstate was canceled in June of 2008.

 

[Hoji]

"The TTC as we know it" is dead. This is paraphrased from an article I read. Don't fool yourselves, it is not dead.

 

[Lumberjack98]

Not dead. Just changed.

New road plan rises from ashes | Lisa Falkenberg | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

 

[djspump2003]

Yeah I can't agree too much that I am happy there is some progress made to kill this project.

I remember reading an article a while back that it was a construction company from Spain that was going to receive the tolls from the road for 99 years. The TTC was also going to be a more perfect conduit for illegal happenings (people and other contraband) to enter the US.