Continuing a lifelong practice of helping rural East Texans, Nolan Alders attended a meeting in Austin Tuesday as a member of the citizens' advisory committee for the Trans-Texas Corridor highway project.
Alders was among 18 representatives of communities that run along the route of the proposed highway, which runs from Laredo to Texarkana. The committee members prepared for their roles as community representatives, and heard comments from state transportation leaders, including Texas Department of Transportation Executive Director Amadeo Saenz and Commissioner Ted Houghton of the Texas Transportation Commission.
TxDOT literature says the TTC-69 committee — and another committee to represent communities along I-35, where another corridor is planned — will study the effects of various corridor routes on communities' economic, political and societal conditions.
The proposed 10-lane superhighway, meant to accommodate a growing population of motorists and truck traffic in Texas, has met fierce resistance from landowners across the state. Public hearings on the project in February and early March were dominated by numerous criticisms of the project, including concerns that it would unnecessarily gobble up private land and hurt the local economy.
Alders said he is aware of the prevailing local sentiment and would work to represent the opinions of area citizens while studying the most practical way to build a highway if the project develops further.
"My job as I see it is going to be to find out really how it's going to impact this county," he said. "I thought it would be a great opportunity if I was appointed to be able to represent the feelings of the citizens here, particularly in Angelina County, Shelby County and Nacogdoches County.
Alders has worked on behalf of the timber and agricultural industries for much of his life, and considers his position on the TTC planning committee an extension of those efforts.
"I have a dedication to help the rural citizens of Nacogdoches," Alders said.
At Tuesday's meeting, Alders asked whether the input of the committee would make any significant difference in planning the highway.
"I do think the committee will have a positive impact on where it goes and what shape it takes. I'm convinced of that after yesterday's meeting," he said.
To prepare for his work with the committee, Alders said he will meet with county commissioners, city government, the chamber of commerce and the farm bureau in addition to consulting with business owners in the area. He also plans to clear up some misconceptions about the project that have "polluted" dialogue about the project, he said.
"You hear all kinds of stories, like where it's going to come. There really is nobody who absolutely knows where it's going to be yet, where it's going to have access, egress, that kind of thing," he said.
"I'm hoping that as we work through this thing, if the citizens of Nacogdoches wanted to more track 59, then that's what I'm going to be in favor of," Alders said, referring to a proposal to expand the footprint of U.S. Hwy 59 in lieu of building new roads.
But Alders also said that he believed some kind of advancement in area roadways was essential for the area.
"We're definitely not going to kill and shut down future road building and road expansion. We can't afford to do that. We're going to have to do some more work on our highways," he said.
Though the process is sure to be slow, Alders said he will work hard researching and evaluating all the options that are available in his work for the committee, which next meets in Austin May 20.
"If we don't have somebody at the table, we're sure going to be on the menu," he said.
