Wednesday, April 05, 2006

"Our next big opportunity is rapidly taking shape, and that's Trans-Texas Corridor 69."

Corridor portion would not affect area counties

April 5, 2006

Staff Report
The Victoria Advocate
Copyright 2006

The portion of the Trans-Texas Corridor about which the accompanying AP story is concerned, known as TTC-35, would run along the I-35 corridor from the Dallas area in North Texas to Laredo, as the story says.

TTC-35 would not impact any of the counties in the Victoria Advocate's circulation area.

Maps of the proposed routes of TTC-35 can be viewed at www.keeptexasmoving.com

The portion of the Trans-Texas Corridor that would run through the Victoria area is known as TTC/I-69.

Upon the unveiling Tuesday of the TTC-35 draft report, which refines the study area for the TTC-35 corridor's route and concludes that increased freight traffic and growing congestion compound the need for additional transportation alternatives within the I-35 corridor, Texas Transportation Commissioner John Johnson mentioned the TTC/I-69 portion of the corridor.

"Today's announcement validates the strength of this concept. Our next big opportunity is rapidly taking shape, and that's Trans-Texas Corridor 69," Johnson said.

In December 2005, Gov. Perry instructed Texas Department of Transportation to partner with the private sector to develop TTC/I-69, an interstate-quality highway corridor with additional rail freight capacity that connects the Lower Rio Grande River Valley to I-37 and continues along the south and east portions of Texas from Corpus Christi through Victoria and Houston all the way to northeast Texas.

TxDOT officials have said the possible routes for the TTC/I-69 corridor are still being studied and that it will take at least another five years to pick the final routes and begin land acquisitions.

© 2006 The Victoria Advocate: www.thevictoriaadvocate.com

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