EDITORIAL

2/24/08: Worthy Sacrifice?

East Texans aren't the only ones yet to be convinced of the TTC's worth

Public outcry over the Trans Texas Corridor appears to have weakened the enthusiasm state highway and elected officials have had for building a 10-lane super highway through East Texas, or at least, our portion of it.

Protests over right-of-way issues aren't unusual. In fact, they're practically a given. Property-owners don't generally appreciate having their land encroached upon, traversed or negatively affected, even if the sacrifice is required for the common good.

Phillip Russell of the Texas Department of Transportation said Thursday he regretted the agency's failure to adequately explain the project and in all likelihood, the 10-lane, quarter-mile wide superhighway with rail and utility pathways wouldn't be built in East Texas, due to a lack of support.

If there's a lack of support for the project here in East Texas, it's not due solely to a lack of information about the project. There was plenty of information available regarding the proposed routes, the amount of land required for right-of-way or the anticipated cost.

What hasn't been adequately communicated, or proven, is a necessity for the sacrifice. Had TxDot or Gov. Rick Perry presented compelling evidence that the TTC was absolutely vital to the future of our state or that there was a reasonable expectation for financing such a massive project, the protest might not have been so immediate, so widespread and so vehement.

East Texans are not being a bad sports, short-sighted or deliberately obstructionist in objecting to the project. Neither are they alone in their lack of support. Plenty of people who live outside our area or the "perferred alternative route" have doubts as to project's worth and viability.

We don't believe TxDot or a lack of communication skills is to blame for the lack of support for the TTC. TxDot is a state agency, which serves at the behest our governor and our legislators.

The TTC is Gov. Perry's vision — a vision that carries a $220-billion price tag and a completion date long after he's left office and in all likelihood, this world, as well.

And, too, we think it's a little unrealistic of Perry and TxDot officials, to expect an immediate buy-in to the project.

Does Perry really expect the people of Texas to have a lot of faith in his ability to adequately address our transportation needs for the distant future when so little has been done to address our current needs?

TxDot hasn't had a problem communicating the fact that there is no expectation of meeting an immediate need here — a bypass from U.S. Hwy. 59 onto Loop 224. Not now, or in the near future.

If the TTC truly is an investment worthy of great sacrifice, the state hasn't proven it, or at least not to the satisfaction of many Texans, and not just those who live in our area.

East Texas has a history of sacrificing for the greater good. Oil and gas drilling, mining coal for electrical power, water for development in areas other than our own — all of them have required a sacrifice, whether it is in the quality of our air or water, or in the quality of living.

Those are big sacrifices.

Considering what's at stake, East Texans are right to demand proof that the TTC will not just improve life for others, elsewhere, but will improve it for us, here.