Brazoria County Commissioners get an earful about the Grand Parkway project from the people they represent!
By Michael Wright
The Facts
Published February 26, 2004
(ANGLETON,TX.) Brazoria Countys transportation vision is literally too narrow, residents told county commissioners Wednesday at a public hearing about the Grand Parkway.
About 300 people, most of them opposed to the plan, packed the hearing at the Brazoria County Courthouse.
Dave Lucas, an Alvin resident fighting plans to bring the 170-mile superloop near his home, said the county should widen existing roads to handle increased traffic needs.
"The Grand Parkway moves people AROUND Houston, it doesn't move people TO Houston", said Lucas, who called for widening Highway 288 and Highway 35 to handle traffic growth. They don't need to go around it, they need to get to it.
The Grand Parkway's segment B will connect Highway 288 with Interstate 45. The road will intersect 288 at CR 60, but the route it will take from there is still under consideration.
Preliminary estimates indicate the segment will cost between $125 million and $160 million, not including right of way purchase, depending on which of the four routes is chosen. The Texas Department of Transportation would cover all of the costs if the road is a toll road. If it's not a toll road, Brazoria County would have to reimburse the state up to $882,000 for engineering and final design.
Residents in the affected area are concerned the road will increase flooding, air pollution, crime and ruin the rural way of life they moved to Brazoria County to find.
David Gornet, executive director of the Grand Parkway Association, which is doing the planning for the road, said Brazoria County needs a new highway, one with limited access and no frontage roads.
"You've added 80,000 new citizens since 1980, but you haven't added a lot of new roads", Gornet said. "You need to continue to expand your capacity for that and provide the added infrastructure."
Gornet said widening existing roads is more expensive because more right of way would have be purchased, much of which is residential or commercial properties. Using existing roads would also mean building access roads and drainage ditches.
Greg Knape said the Grand Parkway will obliterate the way of life he and his neighbors love south of Alvin.
"I have watched this highway literally victimize my community", Knape said. "They look at those maps and say, We have no control over our lives. Almost all of us have dealt with the anxiety of whether to build or whether to sell."
"It is morally and socially wrong to do this to anybody's community. Its just not the way this country was built."
Brazoria County Judge John Willy and all four commissioners said something has to be done about increasing transportation pressure in the county, but pledged to heed the wishes of their constituents.
"If the citizens of Brazoria County do not support this project, then I, in good conscience, cannot support this project", Willy said.
But Willy said if the road isn't built, that doesn't mean the state will put that money to other projects in Brazoria County.
Gornet said the Texas Department of Transportation traditionally pays for the right of way purchase for similar projects.
However, Larry Heckathorn, area engineer for the highway department, said the state hasn't agreed to buy the right of way on which the road will be built.
Willy said its not certain the road will be built, especially if it isn't a toll road.
"There's not enough money in TxDOT to go around and maintain the roads they have", Willy said. "If it came down to the county funding the building of this road, ... one mile of it would be more than our total annual budget."
Don Botting pointed out Brazoria County ranks in the bottom 20 percent of the nation when it comes to air quality and he believes the added traffic on the Grand Parkway will only increase pollution.
"I don't think you'll ever find a Metro bus or a light rail system on the Grand Parkway", Botting said.
The Grand Parkway Association will recommend a route when an environmental impact study is finished in May, then take comments on the route. The federal government ultimately must approve the route.
|
