Most of the harshest criticism of the Trans-Texas Corridor has come from residents in the rural areas of Texas – those who will be directly affected by construction and operation of the project – but opponents stress that the direct and indirect consequences of the plan will affect those equally who reside in urban areas.

Traditionally, construction of new highways is supported by a combination of state and federal funds. In Texas, most funding for city projects and development of new freeways comes from such dedicated taxes as the gas tax and from vehicle emissions testing and vehicle registration. The method by which the Trans-Texas Corridor will raise funds, however, could change the current system, calling on private investors as well as taxpayers. Local and state toll authorities could play a large part, too, in funding the project.

Critics say the new method represents a form of double taxation. A regional representative of the Houston Group of the Sierra Club, Christine Sagstetter, described the plan as a means of charging taxpayers twice for the use of toll roads. “The original set-up was [TxDOT] to accrue the money to construct the road, and then they would charge [citizens] to use it. Now [citizens] help pay to build it, and then they pay to use it.”

In a recent telephone interview, Texas Department of Transportation commissioner Ric Williamson explained the new system: The state buys rights-of-way and the toll system finances most of the actual construction. Williamson explained that, of the funding presently proposed, roughly 20 percent will come from motor vehicle registration fees, 10 percent will be from miscellaneous fees and taxes, and 38 percent will be federal money that was reimbursed from previous highway projects.

Williamson rejected the charge of double taxation, calling it a weak and illogical argument. Williamson focused instead on the aspect of continuous development and expansion, in which tax money would pay for the first phases of construction and additional revenues taken in through tolls and investments would be used to further that construction.

Corridorwatch.org, a nonprofit organization challenging the claims and benefits of the Trans-Texas Corridor, holds that “private investment will involve bonds and bondholders, who naturally want to protect their money and will insist on terms and conditions that will be contrary to the public good.”

Williamson said some sections of the corridor are desperately needed now, giving as an example the proposed corridor paralleling I-35 from San Antonio to Dallas. Toll revenue coupled with taxes would be used to build such currently needed roadways, while future highway needs will be determined, for the most part, by investors as part of an equity ownership system.

Another issue of concern to metropolitan areas is the impact the project will not have on congestion, air quality, and the concentration of transportation. Corridorwatch claims the Trans-Texas Corridor will provide little, if any relief for large metropolitan areas, such as Houston, that suffer most from traffic problems. Instead, cities will be left to find their own solutions to congestion and pollution but –having no direct link to the corridor project – without receiving additional funding to implement those solutions.

The Lone Star Report’s coverage of the Trans-Texas Corridor in 2002 projected that state population growth will increase by 41.6 percent, the number of registered vehicles will go up by 41.3 percent, and daily vehicle miles traveled will increase 83.7 percent by the year 2025. The same report stated that these increases will be concentrated in the large urban centers and not distributed evenly around the state.

“We must prepare for growth in a way that compensates for pollution, congestion, and other current problems so future generations don’t have the same problems. We’re looking at what makes sense from a long-term perspective, which is a key focus of the project,” said Williamson.

The prediction among most state politicians and agencies, according to Williamson, is that people will move to Texas, regardless, if there is an elaborate, attractive infrastructure in place, because of what Texas has to offer, mainly no state income tax and scant regulation of business.

Meetings and public hearing are constantly planned as opponent groups like corridorwatch.org, the Sierra Club, and individual citizens continue to challenge the project. For a more visit www.corridorwatch.org

Jason Gaskamp is an English student at the University of Houston and has written for the Daily Cougar.