Trans–Texas Corridor (TTC)

The primary area of concern is the I-35 Corridor from Laredo, Texas to the Texas and Oklahoma border. This corridor is called the TTC-35 Corridor which is shown in light blue on the Trans-Texas Corridor maps on the following web site.

Several routes are proposed for TTC-35 to cross the Texas and Oklahoma border from the existing I-35 Red River crossing and points eastward for several miles. The proposed routes are shown as a light gray on the Trans-Texas Corridor maps. Click on the blue buttons of the following web site to highlight the desired route segment.

Proposed Route Segment N2A would cross west of Highway 75 over or near Lake Texoma. Proposed Route Segment N2C would cross the Red River east of Highway 75.

Texas State Information

The following information has been obtained from the Trans-Texas Corridor web site: www.keeptexasmoving.com

Status Update 2/22/06
Public hearings on a narrowed study area and other alternatives for the Trans-
Texas Corridor-35 will be held once work is completed on the draft environmental impact statement. (Completion is estimated in the Spring of 2006).

The Texas Department of Transportation, in consultation with the Federal Highway Administration, has identified areas in the draft statement to be expanded with additional documentation. The 4,000-page draft environmental impact statement will identify a 10 miles wide study area and include information on items such as natural and cultural resources.
Overview
The Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC) is a proposed multi-use, statewide network of transportation routes in Texas that will incorporate existing and new highways, railways and utility right-of-ways. Specific routes for the TTC have not been determined.
As envisioned, each route will include:

• separate lanes for passenger vehicles and large trucks
• freight railways
• high-speed commuter railways
• infrastructure for utilities including water lines, oil and gas pipelines, and transmission lines for electricity, broadband and other telecommunications services

Plans call for the TTC to be completed in phases over the next 50 years with routes prioritized according to Texas’ transportation needs. TxDOT will oversee planning, construction and ongoing maintenance, although private vendors will be responsible for much of the daily operations.

Guiding Principles

The Trans-Texas Corridor concept was developed by state transportation planners using the following guiding principles:

• Efficient, reliable transportation is essential to public safety, economic vitality and quality of life.
• Transportation improvements in Texas must be completed faster.
• The planning and decision-making process must be open, with frequent and ongoing opportunities for public input.
• Separate lanes for cars and large trucks will improve safety and relieve congestion.
• Transportation routes for hazardous materials must avoid population centers whenever possible.
• Rail must play a more prominent role in improving mobility and safety in Texas.
• The Trans-Texas Corridor will be built in phases as transportation demands warrant.
• Government does not have all the answers to the transportation challenges facing Texas and needs the innovation of the private sector.
• Where feasible, the Trans-Texas Corridor should use existing infrastructure by aligning with existing highways, railways and utility corridors.
• Local officials should help determine how communities access the Trans-Texas Corridor.
• Trans-Texas Corridor planners must consider ways to minimize right of way needs.
• People who use the Trans-Texas Corridor must be treated as customers. State officials and contractors must work in concert with local entities to provide high-quality service to these customers.
• The Trans-Texas Corridor must be built with public/private partnerships in order to minimize costs to taxpayers.

 What is the need for the Trans-Texas Corridor?
The short answer – to address the state’s future transportation needs based on projected increases in population and freight traffic.

The current population of our state is about 22 million. By 2030, forecasters predict we’ll have as many as 36 million people who live, work and drive in Texas. The majority will move to our urban areas, where we simply cannot expand our existing highway system fast enough to accommodate transportation demands. (Some cities will need 16-lane highways or more to adequately meet their needs.) Often, where limited room is available for expansion, the costs to purchase and relocate businesses and homes have skyrocketed. In short, the current system of building and funding roads will not meet Texas’ needs 25 or 50 years from now. It will take new solutions.

Our transportation planning today will directly affect your safety and mobility tomorrow. The Trans-Texas Corridor is a transportation vision for your future. It is designed for regional and cross-state traffic. Besides keeping Texans moving, it will make driving safer, send hazardous cargo around populated areas, and sustain and enhance economic development. For Texans today, it will help address our most pressing transportation problems, including congestion relief.
What will happen if we don't build the Trans-Texas Corridor?
Can you imagine what your life would be like without the interstate highway system?

With the TTC, we have taken mobility planning to a new level. For the first time, we are looking at transportation needs 50 years from now, instead of the typical 25-year time frame.

We believe there are clear advantages to moving forward now with development of the TTC:

• Developed land is far more expensive to purchase than undeveloped land, and relocation has a greater impact on local communities. The longer we wait, the more development occurs on property that may be needed for the TTC.
• We know we cannot upgrade existing roads fast enough to accommodate 20 million new drivers over the next five decades, especially given the slow pace of expanding roadways with available tax funding. Also, in more and more cases, there is simply not enough room for expansion.
• Planning now for wide public corridors will provide space for future expansion of any transportation mode that needs additional capacity.

If the interstate system had been planned for 50 years rather than 25 – if we had acquired additional right of way to accommodate traffic – we’d be in much better shape than we are today. Fortunately, we can learn from the past as we plan for the future.
Why can't we just expand the current system as the need arises?
Expanding the current system is in many cases not possible, particularly in developed urban areas where right of way is either unavailable or cost prohibitive.

When we improve a roadway by expanding either alongside, above or below a current roadway, we must take into account not only right of way needs, but utility relocation, noise impacts, safety issues, costs and other engineering constraints. Sometimes, expansion is simply not feasible.

In addition, expanding the current system in larger cities continues to mix through-traffic with local commuter traffic. Re-routing through-traffic onto the TTC will allow you to use existing highways in urban areas more efficiently.

When we can no longer expand a specific roadway, we must look to other locations to upgrade and expand the system. As property is developed, the potential location of new corridors in these areas decrease. Therefore, it is important to identify and reserve your future corridors today, when relocation is less disruptive.