All roads lead to Texas

And YOU will pay for it.

Checking email today we noticed two in a row from different ends of the state with eerily similar subjects.

Same $#$# different city.  Always the same story.

The first one was forwarded from 35wcoalition.com.  Whoever they are. They are apparently the genius's who think it's a good idea to go ahead and tear 35 out when 820 and every surrounding street is currently a parking lot due to their current construction.  Don't miss WHO the other email was from below.

Dear 35W Coalition members: We have good news to share!

Federal officials have given environmental clearance to the proposed improvements to Interstate 35W between I-30 and I-820 (also known as Segment 3A of the North Tarrant Express). In issuing its Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) statement, the Federal Highway Administration reviewed the environmental assessment documents, environmental studies and a summary and analysis of the public hearing that was held in June, which many of you attended in support of the project.

You may have read the recent news reports that a section of I-35W north of downtown Fort Worth is now the most congested road in the state of Texas, causing up to 1.2 million hours in annual delays. This underscores the importance of our work and the need for continued advocacy in moving this project forward. In terms of next steps, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) hopes to get expansion of the highway under contract by the end of the year so that construction can begin in 2013. 

Thank you for your support and commitment to improving mobility in our region. We look forward to keeping you updated on the project's status in the coming months.

The next email was from some of our favorite Texans down south.  TURF.  YOU might want to pay attention, seeing how the new 35 is going to cost YOU.

Here it is in ink, finally. Vindication that what we've been saying for years is indeed true. TxDOT is manipulating speed limits for profit, slowing down the free alternatives alongside a privately-run tollway for which the Department gets a greater share of the toll revenues if it increases speeds on the tollway. Even worse, a Spanish company, Cintra, chose the slower speed limit for its competing route, not a TxDOT engineering study. Smells a whole lot like collusion and conflicts of interest than serving the public interest. This is what public private partnerships reap upon the freedom of travel of Texans.