05.14.10
TxDOT’s Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plan 2035
I stopped by the TxDOT Open House-Style Public Meeting in Austin yesterday. It was an opportunity to look at some maps, population estimates, and make sure our state’s transportation planners were aware of my 2 cents, (I was nice, but direct), regarding what I would like to see in the future. My message could be boiled down to , “Let’s stop the neglect and get back to building and paying for roads the way we used to in Texas, when we were the envy of many”.
The Bryan-College Station Eagle had this write up from the hearing there yesterday, TxDOT gathers input from residents.
Population growth estimates predict the number of people living in Texas will double by 2040.
On Thursday at the Brazos Center, residents were invited to give their input as to how the Texas Department of Transportation should manage long-term plans to accommodate the expected boom of new motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists flocking to the state.
About 50 people either stopped by the open house Thursday or gave input Wednesday at the Brazos Valley Council of Governments meeting.
“Instead of having a project-specific plan, this will be more of a visionary document to tell us what direction to head in,” said Bob Appleton, director of transportation, planning and development for TxDOT’s Bryan district.
Residents were encouraged to fill out surveys that will be used to craft the long-term plan. Questions on the form ranged from asking what types of transportation participants use to asking for a ranked order of transportation-related problems and solutions.
Appleton said the agency received criticism recently for not having updated its long-term plan since 1994. Now, the long-term plans for 2035 and beyond, he said, will be reviewed and updated every four years.
The good news is that other then the freebies that were available at the hearing, (pens, notepads, and rain gauges), everything else can be seen and done online. At TxDOT’s web site there is a page that has all the Meeting Handouts, as well as maps, which can be viewed online. But most important of all is this link where anyone can submit their own comments to TxDOT regarding the long range plan.
Let them know what you would like to see in the future. If you don’t tell them then how will they know? It’s your duty as a Texan.