Blackland Corridor Letter (1)
|Views: 864
|Likes: 0
Published by Amy Silverstein
Burkett's letter to TxDOT.
Burkett's letter to TxDOT.
More info:
Availability:
See more
See less
Capitol Office
Room E2.504 P.O. Box 2910 Austin, Texas 78768-2910 (512) 463-0464 Fax (512) 463-9295
District Office
3200 Broadway, #240 Garland, Texas 75043 (972) 278-7276
TEXAS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
C
INDY
B
URKETT
DISTRICT
113
- COMMITTEES
–
I
NVESTMENTS
&
F
INANCIAL
S
ERVICES
•
L
OCAL
&
C
ONSENT
C
ALENDARS
•
T
RANSPORTATION
•
S
ELECT
C
OMMITTEE ON
F
EDERALISM
&
F
ISCAL
R
ESPONSIBILITY
S
UNSET
A
DVISORY
C
OMMISSION
•
S
ELECT
C
OMMITTEE ON
C
HILD
P
ROTECTION
October 17, 2014 The Honorable Ted Houghton Chairman Texas Transportation Commission 125 East 11
th
Street Austin, TX 78701 RE: Immediate Rescission of CSJ 0918-00-251 and CSJ 0901-22-
109 “New Location Toll Road –
Blacklands Corridor” from the 2015 Unified Transportation Plan
Dear Chairman Houghton: Thank you for your continued service as the Chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission. Under
your leadership, the State’s
transportation system has been greatly improved, and the Department has taken great strides to improve its standing. I have heard from a number of constituents that CSJ 0918-00-251 and CSJ 0901-22-109, the Collin
County and Hunt County “New Location Toll
Road
–
Blacklands Corridor,” has recently been added by
the Commission to in the 2015 Unified Transportation Plan. I am taken aback by the Transportation
Commission’s action of approving this UTP, on August 28, 2014, with the Blacklands toll road project
contained therein given the overwhelming public opposition to this project. The final NCTCOG public hearing in Rockwall, Texas, on September 22, 2014
–
the rescheduled hearing after the previous one was closed down by the fire marshall - had over 1,200 individuals present plus hundreds more watching online. The vast majority of those present voiced strong opposition to the toll road. Also, six cities along the proposed path(s) have passed resolutions in opposition to the project. The Commission, however, apparently had included already the Blacklands toll road into the 2015 UTP, before even receiving a recommendation from the MPO (whose recommendation has been deferred to November and perhaps even longer). Within the North Texas region, there has been a great deal of discussion regarding the inclusion of the Blacklands toll road within the Metropolitan Transportation Plan; however, the Commission has already acted without taking into account public involvement.
I am not in favor of the MPO including the Blacklands toll road in its MTP (see attached letter), and I am not in favor of the Blacklands toll road being included in the UTP. This project affects my district, and my constituents have questions, concerns, and a need for transparency in this process. The Commission and the Department have not contributed to the discussion in a positive manner.
The Commission’s premature inclusion of this project into the UTP warrants further discussion and an
explanation as to: 1) How and why the project was included into the UTP 2) How many public comments were received by TxDOT regarding the Blackland toll road? How did the Department communicate with the public that this project was slated for inclusion in the UTP? Why was the Blacklands toll road placed in the UTP and voted on by the Commission without a single mention of it (by Commission or staff) at the meeting? 3) What is the basis for the FY 2019 letting date of the Blacklands toll road? What is the relationship between TxDOT and the private developer for the Blacklands toll road? What agreements have been made?
4) What is the meaning of Category 3 “Local” funds and how TxDOT accounts for those funds in the Department’s planning documents?
5) What state funds are being allocated to this project? Apparently TxDOT is spending time, money, and human resources are being allocated to this project
–
what is the tab so far? The UTP has been the source of much scrutiny since this summer when the Commission approved an amendment to the 2014 UTP that included hundreds of millions of dollars in funds to transit projects. That 2014 UTP amendment was handled in a way very similar to this situation
–
without transparency and public involvement. In addition to the above questions, I respectfully request that the two items in the UTP mentioned above be rescinded and removed from the UTP at the next meeting of the Texas Transportation Commission (October 30, 2014). I also request that TxDOT hold a formal public hearing along the Blacklands toll road route to receive public input on this project. Since the Department is willing to include this project in its ten year funding plan, the Department needs to hear from the public its thoughts, concerns, and input on the Blacklands toll road. Sincerely, Cindy Burkett State Representative House District 113 CC via email: The Honorable Larry Phillips, Chairman, House Committee on Transportation The Honorable Mando Martinez, Vice-Chairman, House Committee on Transportation The Honorable Joe Pickett, Member, House Committee on Transportation
