Wondering what’s up with the Trans-Texas Corridor Project? Paul Burka says it’s “deader than a doornail” — the grand plan for it, at least. As Burka writes, the TxDOT vision hit snags in Houston and Dallas, where local transportation authorities didn’t like what they saw:
The last–or let us hope it was the last–great struggle over “primacy” (the right of local toll authorities to undertake projects without the approval but with the cooperation of TxDOT) occurred over Highways 121 and 161 in Dallas. At first, TxDOT prohibited the North Texas Tollway Authority from bidding to construct and operate 121 and accepted a private-sector bid from Cintra instead. The effect was that the upfront payment would go to TxDOT and the long-term revenue would go to Cintra. The Dallas-Fort Worth region was not assured of getting any of it. That was unacceptable to the local interests, and eventually TxDOT melted under the political heat: It allowed NTTA to build the road. Another battle ensued over 161 with the same result. TxDOT had become wedded to a political posture that was unsustainable: It was adversarial to the local toll authorities when it should have been partners.
Check out the whole thing, if you’re so inclined.