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More thoughts on a bad idea.
10/22/7 |
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David Tuthill |
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There are a few
inconsistencies in the “Save the Toll Road Group” (ineptly
and misleadingly named “Save the Trinity’s”) argument that trouble
me.
One is the claim that a reliever toll road built
either inside the floodprone Trinity River Park or along Industrial Blvd.
is vital to relieve traffic
congestion on I-35/ Stemmons
Freeway.
If there is an exigency for
such a road to relieve traffic, then why will it be
built first with with only 4
lanes? That insures the toll
road will be obsolete when finished and
will need to be widened. This
would prolong traffic delays, costs and construction. If
the toll road is so vital,
then why not go with 6 lanes at the beginning?
The present plan for 4 lanes only
insures construction will
occur over decades and cost taxpayers more.
The “Save the Toll Road” proponents
must realize that would be unpalatable to voters.
The second inconsistency,
why will it be a toll road limiting access to only a few who can afford the toll
if the road is so vital? It has been
mentioned by others that it being a toll road is more a road for the rich than
every day commuters.
Somehow, I doubt in its
present planned state the
toll road would fulfill the promises of the “Save the
Toll Road” Group as relief for
mixmaster traffic congestion. It affirms that
the pro toll road group has not fully thought out
their claims, or there are
some other factors not being disclosed to the taxpayers
about why this is the best solution either in the Trinity River Park or on
Industrial Boulevard.
The real solution is to face the fact that the
mixmaster and the convergence of all the freeways in that short stretch of
highway is the problem. Another
layer of duct tape (a new highway with associated interchanges to existing
highways) will only add to the problem and will not be
the solution.
The High Five has already become a traffic bottle neck, and is lready
obsolete. When the High Five was constructed
there was no “reliever highway’ built to ease LBJ
or Central traffic.
Why should the mixmaster be any different?
Why are tax monies being spent to cover Woodall
Rogers Freeway? Its design and placement was not
thought out well either.
One might argue that the proposed toll road is
another example of vacuous thinking by our elected
and appointed officials.
In short, mono-syllabic words
to our elected officials:
Skip the toll road -- focus on the real problem,
the mix master!
David W. Tuthill
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