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The Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC) is a transportation network in the planning and early construction stages in the U.S. state of Texas. The concept uses swaths of land up to 1,200 feet (365 m) wide to carry parallel links of expressways, rails, and utility lines. The expressway portion would be divided into two separate elements: truck lanes and lanes for passenger vehicles. Similarly, the rail lines in the corridor would be divided among freight, commuter, and high-speed rail. Services expected to be carried in the utility corridor include water, electricity, natural gas and petroleum, plus fiber optic lines and other telecommunications services.
Some of the highways that will be incorporated into the TTC plan include Interstate 35 and Interstate 69.
The system has been criticized for a number of reasons. Among the most significant is the fact that the TTC will be extremely expensive. Additionally the system will require about 9,000 square miles (23,300 km²) of land to be purchased or acquired through the state's assertion of eminent domain. Environmentalists are concerned about the effects of such wide corridors, and private land owners have expressed disgust at the idea that their land may be seized and in turn be sold in exclusive agreements to other developers in order to help pay for the transit links.
To help pay for building the roads and rails, the highways will be toll roads. The current 4,000 mile plan has a projected cost of about US$183 billion.
External links
References
- Governor Rick Perry [1] (http://www.governor.state.tx.us/divisions/press/pressreleases/PressRelease.2004-12-16.5115) Statement of Gov. Rick Perry on Trans Texas Corridor
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