Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Regional Transportation Council pans proposed TTC-35 route

Don't exit here

7/11/06

Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Copyright 2006

A proposed initial leg of the Trans-Texas Corridor that would loop around the east side of Dallas, while snubbing the fast-growing western half of the Metroplex, would be strongly detrimental to Fort Worth and Tarrant County.

With the Texas Transportation Commission having just launched a series of 54 public hearings on this topic, it's vital that local and regional elected officials, transportation planners and residents speak up on this topic.

The Fort Worth City Council should unhesitatingly adopt a proposed resolution at its meeting at 7 tonight that cites the negative effects of the proposed corridor leg and expresses support for a much more sensible alignment endorsed by the Regional Transportation Council of the 16-county North Central Texas Council of Governments.

As drafted, the City Council resolution states that the proposed Trans-Texas Corridor 35 (TTC-35) alignment around the east edge of Dallas County "would reroute the movement of commerce and the related jobs" away from Fort Worth and Tarrant County. The alignment would encourage urban sprawl and worsen air quality, while forcing about 70 percent of trucks using the corridor route to exit it and "make a significant detour in order to load and unload cargo" in cities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the resolution said.

The Regional Transportation Council, which includes numerous city and county elected officials, wants the corridor to run up the Metroplex's middle, along the path of an extended Texas 360 and on to Dallas/Fort Worth Airport.

It also favors constructing an east-west corridor at the southern edge of the Metroplex and looping it northward around the west side of Fort Worth and the east side of Dallas. The loop's transportation modes could include passenger cars and vehicles, rail freight and 18-wheelers.
More public hearings are scheduled this week in Metroplex cities, including meetings in Denton and Decatur this evening. A schedule of all 54 hearings is available at the Texas Department of Transportation Web site: www.txdot.gov.

Get involved. Choosing the right corridor alignment is crucial to maintaining a strong Metroplex economy, improving air quality and thwarting freeway gridlock.

© 2006 Fort Worth Star-Telegram: www.dfw.com

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