Texas Trans-Corridor

Texas-Size Highways for the Texas People

A Study of the Trans-Texas Corridor and how it affects Texans

Everything is bigger in Texas. That's what a lot of Texans what Americans and people around the world to know - you don't mess with Texas. In the 1950's, when President Eisenhower created the first Interstate plan for the country and implemented new roads in almost every single state, it was the largest engineering feat in the modern world. Now, almost half a century later, Governor Rick Perry is set to break that record, with the costliest, largest, and most incredible-sized proportion Texas Trans-Corridor, dubbed the "Texas Superhighway," a 4000 mile, $175 billion dollar project that won't be completely functional for another fifty years (Perry). This project certainly has proponents and opposition. But first, we must understand what the Texas Trans-Corridor's purpose is in the state of Texas, and how it would affect the rest of the country as a whole.

Governor Rick Perry came into office as George W. Bush's successor in 2000. Immediately, he laid down his plans for the future of Texas, without having the say of most of Texas's constituents, since he was appointed based on Bush's presidency. Perry's grand vision is nothing short of incredible, even to the opponent's eyes. At a quarter-mile wide, the Texas Superhighways that will probably soon cross Texas will be the largest transportation commodity in the free world (Stall). Perry's idea doesn't just answer problems for congestion on highways - it answers problems for congested railroads in major cities such as San Antonio and Dallas, and it also develops one of the newest concepts to the Texas way of life, high speed rail, which has only dared to compete in the Northeast "corridor" of the United States. Perry also wants to develop a utility zone next to the highway, which will enable electricity lines, pipelines, fiber optics, even water pipelines toward any city that is connected to the corridor. (Perry)

Perry's vision is supposed to answer one specific problem that almost all Texans do know about: How do we curb congestion on the most congested freeway with trucks and vehicular traffic in the United States? I-35, notorious for its bottlenecks between Austin and San Antonio, is part of the NAFTA Superhighway system. I-35 extends all the way to Michigan down to Laredo in South Texas (Associated Press - KBTX). When the NAFTA pact began in the early 90's, President Bill Clinton noted that these cities in the particular Laredo - Dallas corridor would thrive based on commercial traffic between Mexico, the United States, and Canada. Laredo contains 40% of the United States land-ship import traffic. Also, any traveler on the I-35 corridor in Texas runs into hundreds of eighteen-wheelers, increasing drivers awareness and causing disarray for drivers who are trying to see the road in front of them.

Perry's answer is to shift the traffic away from metropolitan areas. If truck drivers can bypass San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas, the time to their destination would probably save them an entire day in travel. Freight rail services could veer away from San Antonio's railroad yard, an institution bustling with activity in the wee hours of the morning. Also, commuter rail can solve environmental problems and help families keep in touch anywhere in the state without the over-burdening costs of driving (Perry).

Perry's plan begins with the setup itself: Six, twelve-foot vehicle passenger lanes in which the vehicle can travel at 80 miles per hour; Four, thirteen foot truck lanes; Two tracks for each of the following railroad establishments - high speed rail, commuter rail, and freight rail. No transportation facility exists like this in the modern world. All of these integrations to modern society are completely bundled into one, and their concept is all the same - relieve traffic in urban centers and create a safe and enjoyable experience through the Texas countryside without interruption (Stall).

"Based on an estimated cost of $31.4 million per centerline mile, the 4,000-mile corridor will cost $125.5 billion, not including right of way and miscellaneous costs. Factoring in right of way at $11.7 billion to $38 billion and miscellaneous costs at $8 billion to $20 billion, the estimated total cost for the Trans Texas Corridor ranges from $145.2 billion to $183.5 billion." (Stall). The payment of this project is one of the hugest factors in determining its existence. Rick Perry acknowledges the high cost - the highest in any kind of public works project in history - and states that it will be paid by private investors, and by the toll system that will occupy these expressways (Palkot). Tolls have been protested in this state since Houston and Dallas first tested them out many years ago. Toll opponents in Houston claim that toll proponents should "move back to the North" where people don't mind paying the high toll. Perry is enthusiastic about the toll revenue the state will receive to help pay for many more programs Texas currently lacks in. Others are calling it a double-taxation, referring to the cost of highways itself burdens the tax-payer, plus paying the tax on the road when the road opens for service (Stall).

The scope of the plan will probably last around fifty years (Osbourne). The entire concept of the corridor is to be built in numerous stages, with the priority corridors being built first. I-35 isn't the only stressed corridor in Texas, Perry acknowledges (Perry). It is just one of a few transportation options some truck drivers have to deliberately plan out on a daily basis. Interstate 37 is also a major part of the I-35 corridor as well. I-37 services the Rio Grande Valley and Corpus Christi. The I-10 corridor, from Orange to El Paso, controls all the traffic between Los Angeles and Jacksonville - both to connections with major cities in their respectable states (Perry). I-45 from Houston to Dallas accommodates the fourth biggest city and largest metroplex in America, respectively. With the corridor being built in multiple states, the larger, thicker truck lanes could be built first, with 2 lanes in each direction. Once that segment begins to clog, the car lines will be built without harming the accessibility of the truck lanes. While the car lanes are also being built, the commuter rail and freight rail lines will each have a rail line in each direction. Of course, the process is just one-step, median-style economics. The high speed rail line will come near last, with traffic in both directions. The utility zones will actually be developed last, due to the ever-changing technologies of the 21st century.

A significant feature in these superhighways

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