North Central Texas Council of Governments staffers could reverse their recommendation that a controversial rural toll road be added to the region’s long-term transportation plan.
Transportation director Michael Morris said Friday they are reviewing that recommendation after a raucous meeting in Rockwall where more than 1,200 people opposed the Northeast Gateway.
Morris said the agency will announce Friday whether it will alter its earlier recommendation made last month. That recommendation came weeks before the meeting in Rockwall, but more than a year after residents in Collin, Rockwall and Hunt counties began speaking out against the toll road.
NCTCOG’s transportation council is slated to vote on whether to put the project in its long-range plan next month. The controversial rural toll road is planned to run from Rowlett to Greenville. It is being developed by the Texas Turnpike Corp., a private company with the rare ability to use eminent domain to take land for projects.
The Regional Transportation Council next month is also slated to vote on a legislative agenda that includes monitoring any state laws regarding private companies’ abilities to use eminent domain. That rare power for Texas Turnpike is fueling a lot of the opposition to the project.
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