Will Texas nay-sayers be against Interstate-14 like they are against high speed rail?
February 7th, 2016
February 7, 2016
Displaced homeowners, farms and ranches cut in two, 24/7 noise issues, disruption of a rural way of life. It's enough to get country folks boiling mad and it ought to be.
No, we are not talking about some Texas and U.S. lawmakers who have been pandering to their constituents upset over building a 100-foot wide right of way for a high speed rail line between Dallas and Houston.
This is a issue called Interstate 14, a proposed PUBLIC east-west super highway that would cut right through the heart of the same region where officials have been vehemently opposed to a PRIVATE company building a narrow north-south fast track between the two major cities.
While a group called Texans Against High Speed Rail has been lining up lawyers and sympathetic county judges, state senators and representatives and even a U.S. Congressman to oppose high speed rail, nary a word has peeped from any of them about a new Interstate which would be a bigger "land grab" across their part of the state.
I-14 would rip through areas from I-35 in Central Texas to the Louisiana border and take up to a football field wide swath of land, not counting interchanges and access roads. It would gobble up plenty of properties as it makes it way around College Station-Bryan and Huntsville and other smaller towns and cities. It would be a state and federal project funded with taxpayer money that does not exist since the highway trust fund is technically bankrupt. I-14 takes land from property owners and only pays them the "fair market value" allowed by law. Take it or we kick you out. Once built the Interstate pays no property taxes to local entities. It would bring excessive truck traffic, noise, crime and be an eyesore to nearby property owners.
A 100-foot right-of-way for high speed rail to link two of the largest metropolitan regions in the U.S. would be built by private investors and take up a minuscule amount of land. A private company can pay a property owner whatever the land owner can negotiate. A private company pays property taxes to local entities and helps the schools, cities and counties balance their budgets. Yes, there would be some noise level increase every 30 minutes or so for just a few seconds. No excessive trucks to deal with and we can't think of much crime involved. Running next to high-tension power lines for most of the route can't be much worse that the electricity towers right now.
Taxpayer funded vs. Private Money. Wide Road vs. Narrow Track. Land Grab vs. Reasonable Settlement. No Taxes from Roads vs. Taxes from Private Companies.
The 10-Billion (+) rail project brings thousands of jobs to Texas. It is a long term economic boost to the state. It even gives the Brazos Valley an important transportation link with a rail station that will benefit College Station, Huntsville and the entire region.
We are waiting for the following elected officials to sound off on their opposition to Interstate 14 just like they have soundly been beating the drum to kill high speed rail between Dallas and Houston. You might want to contact them and ask them if they will close down a taxpayer funded state-federal interstate highway project just like they want to do with a private rail line developer.
Opposed to high speed rail - no word yet on opposition to Interstate 14:
Texans Against High Speed Rail (they have a toll free # 866.319.7756)
U.S. Congressman Kevin Brady
Texas Senator Brandon Creighton Texas Senator Robert Nichols Texas Senator Charles Schwertner
Texas Senator Lois Kolkhorst Texas Representative Trent Ashby Texas Representative Cecil Bell
Texas Representative Kyle Kacal
Texas Representative Mark Keough Texas Representative Will Metcalf Texas Representative John Otto
Texas Representative John Raney
Texas Representative Leighton Schubert Texas Representative John Wray
Members of the Ellis County Commissioners Court
Members of the Navarro County Commissioners Court
County Judges of Freestone, Grimes, Leon, Limestone, Madison and Waller Counties
Leon County Sub-Regional Planning Commission
Displaced homeowners, farms and ranches cut in two, 24/7 noise issues, disruption of a rural way of life. It's enough to get country folks boiling mad and it ought to be.
No, we are not talking about some Texas and U.S. lawmakers who have been pandering to their constituents upset over building a 100-foot wide right of way for a high speed rail line between Dallas and Houston.
This is a issue called Interstate 14, a proposed PUBLIC east-west super highway that would cut right through the heart of the same region where officials have been vehemently opposed to a PRIVATE company building a narrow north-south fast track between the two major cities.
While a group called Texans Against High Speed Rail has been lining up lawyers and sympathetic county judges, state senators and representatives and even a U.S. Congressman to oppose high speed rail, nary a word has peeped from any of them about a new Interstate which would be a bigger "land grab" across their part of the state.
I-14 would rip through areas from I-35 in Central Texas to the Louisiana border and take up to a football field wide swath of land, not counting interchanges and access roads. It would gobble up plenty of properties as it makes it way around College Station-Bryan and Huntsville and other smaller towns and cities. It would be a state and federal project funded with taxpayer money that does not exist since the highway trust fund is technically bankrupt. I-14 takes land from property owners and only pays them the "fair market value" allowed by law. Take it or we kick you out. Once built the Interstate pays no property taxes to local entities. It would bring excessive truck traffic, noise, crime and be an eyesore to nearby property owners.
A 100-foot right-of-way for high speed rail to link two of the largest metropolitan regions in the U.S. would be built by private investors and take up a minuscule amount of land. A private company can pay a property owner whatever the land owner can negotiate. A private company pays property taxes to local entities and helps the schools, cities and counties balance their budgets. Yes, there would be some noise level increase every 30 minutes or so for just a few seconds. No excessive trucks to deal with and we can't think of much crime involved. Running next to high-tension power lines for most of the route can't be much worse that the electricity towers right now.
Taxpayer funded vs. Private Money. Wide Road vs. Narrow Track. Land Grab vs. Reasonable Settlement. No Taxes from Roads vs. Taxes from Private Companies.
The 10-Billion (+) rail project brings thousands of jobs to Texas. It is a long term economic boost to the state. It even gives the Brazos Valley an important transportation link with a rail station that will benefit College Station, Huntsville and the entire region.
We are waiting for the following elected officials to sound off on their opposition to Interstate 14 just like they have soundly been beating the drum to kill high speed rail between Dallas and Houston. You might want to contact them and ask them if they will close down a taxpayer funded state-federal interstate highway project just like they want to do with a private rail line developer.
Opposed to high speed rail - no word yet on opposition to Interstate 14:
Texans Against High Speed Rail (they have a toll free # 866.319.7756)
U.S. Congressman Kevin Brady
Texas Senator Brandon Creighton Texas Senator Robert Nichols Texas Senator Charles Schwertner
Texas Senator Lois Kolkhorst Texas Representative Trent Ashby Texas Representative Cecil Bell
Texas Representative Kyle Kacal
Texas Representative Mark Keough Texas Representative Will Metcalf Texas Representative John Otto
Texas Representative John Raney
Texas Representative Leighton Schubert Texas Representative John Wray
Members of the Ellis County Commissioners Court
Members of the Navarro County Commissioners Court
County Judges of Freestone, Grimes, Leon, Limestone, Madison and Waller Counties
Leon County Sub-Regional Planning Commission