Critics Worry Planned Trans Texas Corridor May Be A Breeding
December 22nd, 2009 | 
Author: Critics Worry Planned Trans Texas Corridor May Be A Breeding Ground For 18-Wheeler Crashes
Some see the proposed Trans Texas Corridor as a dream but for others it is a nightmare. The TTC or Texas Superhighway is a privately financed system of highways railways and utility rights of way. It is now in several stages from planning to actual construction. Expected to be completed in about 25 years it will run parallel to some existing highways while creating a water gas and electricity pipeline highspeed rail for freight and passengers and toll roads for 18 wheelers trucks and passenger vehicles.
Location
The exact location of this super highway has not been determined as of yet. There are two corridors under consideration for the TTC. One plan parallels Interstate 35 I35 from Gainesville to Laredo passing the DallasFort Worth Metroplex Austin and San Antonio. The second is a corridor generally following US 59 from Texarkana past Houston to either Laredo or the Rio Grande Valley. Both of these corridors have seen a notable increase in freight traffic over the past 20 years as a direct result with increased trade with Mexico.
18Wheeler Lanes
The 18wheeler trucks from Mexico bringing goods into the United States will be a major source of traffic along the corridor. At first all vehicles including 18wheelers will use the same lanes as regular traffic during the early phases of the TTC construction. Ultimately the plan calls for 18wheelers to have separate lanes from passenger cars. Private investors will initially fund the development of the TTC at a cost estimated today to be 184 Billion. They will then charge tolls to use the system.
Highway Safety Concerns Arise.
A major concern regarding the TTC is that its roads will have limited access and critics worry that 18wheeler crashes will cause major interference in the traffic flow. With as much as 10 miles separating points of entry to the system it will be difficult for emergency vehicles to respond quickly to 18wheeler crashes spills fires train derailments pipeline ruptures or other emergencies.
The citizens group Corridor Watch cites the “certainty of significant transportation disruptions that will result from simple accidents within a corridor that has no alternate route capacity as a function of its limited access points and geographic alignment that’s distant from the existing highway infrastructure.”
Due to the system’s limitations it is feared a slow emergency response time will be the rule not the exception. This of course would be a concern to major 18wheeler crashes on the TTC. Also traffic on the TTC is expected to move faster which can result in increased accidents. Innocent drivers who initially share these roads with large 18wheeler trucks are at the greatest risk.
About the writer: Christine O’Kelly is an author for 18Wheeler Accident.org an organization of legal representatives specializing in helping clients that have been involved in 18wheeler crashes.
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