Innovative Connectivity in Texas Vision 2009
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Amadeo Saenz
Executive Director
Jan. 6, 2009
A glance forward
Six years ago, when we first introduced the Trans-Texas Corridor, we were clearly focused on what was ahead for Texas - more people, more drivers, more congestion.
We saw the future, and knew we had to make some sweeping changes if we were going to be prepared.
So the T-T-C was born, and we rolled out our big plan. It was called Crossroads of the Americas. It was ambitious - and preliminary. A first step, not a finished product. It was meant to change.
Initially, we did not communicate well enough - or often enough - that the plan would evolve, that initial maps and proposals would be adjusted as time went by.
So the T-T-C became the subject of many discussions, sometimes intense ones.
Local communities, government representatives and other stakeholders weighed in, and the T-T-C began to change.
Eventually legislation, spurred on by these dialogues and discussions, was passed. The T-T-C was refined and better defined. New funding mechanisms and partnership authority were put in place.
And while Texas still needs to plan for the future, while we still must put in place the infrastructure that will handle demand and expectations, we must recognize the inevitable.
The Trans-Texas Corridor, as a single project concept, is not the choice of Texans. So we’ve decided to put the name to rest.
That does not mean that we will abdicate our mission. We will still develop transportation projects that move Texas forward.
We will still partner with local governments and entities, and where appropriate, the private sector, to get needed projects on the ground.
We will still use all the financial tools that have been authorized by law to get projects to Texans sooner rather than later.
Here is what this announcement means.
As of today, we are unveiling a new corridor program that makes use of all the innovative project development tools we have. This new plan, called Innovative Connectivity in Texas/Vision 2009 will usher in this new method of operation.
Projects that had been developed under the heading of the Trans-Texas Corridor will now become a series of individual projects. For example, Loop 9 in Dallas will be known and developed as Loop 9, not the “donut” of TTC-35. Interstate 69 will be known and developed as Interstate 69, not Trans-Texas Corridor 69.
To be clear: the Trans-Texas Corridor as it was known will no longer exist.
It will, however, take some time before we can completely transition away from the name. There are lots of legal documents, studies and sections of state law that currently refer to the Trans-Texas Corridor.
That concept has diminished, and in its place a new plan. A plan that calls for corridor widths to be limited to 600 feet or what is needed to build the particular type of facility that we'll be building. A plan where the corridor modes, locations and sizes will depend heavily on guidance from Corridor Advisory Committees and Corridor Segment Committees. A plan that will consider improving existing transportation resources, whenever possible, rather than breaking new ground.
We will still operate by the basic principles that guide our development of transportation projects.
They are the same guidelines we have already committed to: where we work with private developers, we will retain state ownership of all state highway facilities.
If lanes must be tolled, only those new lanes that must be added to an existing highway will be tolled.
We will plan and design facilities that preserve property to the extent practical.
Copies of our new “Innovative Connectivity” plan will be available for you today. It’s also online.
We encourage you to look it over.
