Published: February 02, 2008 09:43 pm      

TxDOT to hold public hearing for TTC

The Texas Department of Transportation will hold a public hearing Monday beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Walker County Fairgrounds.

TxDOT representatives will present the I-69/Trans-Texas Corridor tier one draft environmental impact statement, and the public will be given the opportunity to make their official comments about the project as a whole.

“This is just a formal presentation done by TxDOT followed by a chance to receive pubic comments about the project,” said Bob Colwell, TxDOT public information officer for the Bryan district. “The doors will open at 5:30 p.m., and at that point there will be an open house.

“Then, at 6:30 p.m., TxDOT will make a presentation on the tier one environmental study of the I-69/Trans-Texas Corridor.”

Colwell said representatives from the Huntsville TxDOT office and representatives from the Bryan district would be available to answer any questions they may have pertaining to the Trans-Texas Corridor.

“The public hearing is not going to be in the same format as the town hall meetings,” he said. “They were an opportunity for open dialect between TxDOT and the public, but at the hearing we’re just going to talk about the environmental impact study and start receiving peoples’ comments.

“A court reporter will be at the hearing to record each comment, and those who don’t wish to speak in front of the crowd can go to the side and talk to court reporters individually.”

Also on Monday, a farm and ranch tractor demonstration organized by Walker County resident J.D. Hill in protest of the I-69/Trans-Texas Corridor will begin at 2 p.m. at Walker and Byrd Building Materials.

Those participating in the demonstration will travel from Walker and Byrd down the Interstate 45 feeder road and west on state Highway 30 to the public hearing at the fairgrounds.

“The purpose of our protest is to try to make TxDOT understand that we don’t want our land taken, and we’re going to do whatever we can to fight them putting the Trans-Texas Corridor here,” Hill said. “A lot of people around here are going to be losing land and their homes, and we’re doing this to stand up for what we believe in.

“We quit counting participants when we reached 75 tractors, but I’m hoping to have at least 100 or more participate. Anyone who has a tractor or another piece of farm equipment and wants to join us is welcome.”

Hill said planning for the demonstration has been going on for the last two weeks.

“My wife called the Huntsville Police Department and asked for a permit to do this thing, and we’ll have a police escort when this goes on,” he said. “I believe this is the first time anyone has done something like this.”

Colwell said a large group of Walker County and other area residents are expected to attend the hearing.

“We truly want to hear what the citizens of Walker County think about the Trans-Texas Corridor, and we have several means available for people to leave their comments,” he said. “We had 500 people at the first town hall meeting in Huntsville and 800 at the second one, so I would imagine there will be a large crowd at Monday’s hearing.”