State Highway 121: No CDA + no NTTA equals "no highway."
Meeting with state on SH 121 'favorable,' mayor says
12/16/2005
By Mike Raye
Frisco Enterprise
Copyright 2005
Frisco Mayor Mike Simpson said state transportation officials would not discount a local solution to funding and building State Highway 121, providing that solution centers on the North Texas Tollway Authority.
A Frisco contingent made up of Simpson, City Manager George Purefoy, and Assistant City Manager Scott Young joined delegations from Collin County, Plano, McKinney, and the NTTA in Austin yesterday to meet with the Texas Transportation Commission (TTC), a five-member panel appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to govern the Texas Department of Transportation.
"The Commission said they saw no reason why the NTTA should not be considered if they have competitive prices for the project," Simpson said. "The next step is for the four cities and the county to move forward with the solution centered on the NTTA and how excess toll revenue would be handled."
Simpson said TTC Commissioner Ric Williamson told the delegation a decision on funding SH 121 is ultimately a local decision.
"The TTC said they wanted the decision-making process to get down to a regional decision," Simpson said. "They said they would look equally at a local solution as a CDA (comprehensive development agreement with private firms). The bottom line is the TTC told us we need to get a proposal from the NTTA put together, and the four cities and the county will move forward on that."
"There was a lot of desire by the part of the Commission for us to put a proposal forward," Paul Wageman, Collin County's NTTA representative said.
Mike Morris, Director of Transportation for the North Central Texas Council of Governments spoke in support of the NTTA playing a key role in the project, Simpson said. The Frisco mayor said he felt that if one of the two options for funding SH 121 didn't emerge, the road was likely doomed.
"The impression I got is if the five governments say they don't want a CDA and we can't work out something with the NTTA we wouldn't get the road built at all," he said. "We all feel it was very valuable for us to come down here and we know the direction of the work ahead of us."
Other Collin County representatives attending the three-hour meeting were NTTA Executive Director Allan Rutter and NTTA Board of Directors Chair Dave Blair, Plano Mayor Pat Evans, Plano City Manager Tom Muehlenbeck, McKinney Mayor Bill Whitfield, and Bill Hale, TxDOT's Dallas District engineer, Wageman said.
Simpson said the Frisco city Council will be briefed on the meeting at its Dec. 20 meeting.
©Star Community Newspapers 2005 www.zwire.com
12/16/2005
By Mike Raye
Frisco Enterprise
Copyright 2005
Frisco Mayor Mike Simpson said state transportation officials would not discount a local solution to funding and building State Highway 121, providing that solution centers on the North Texas Tollway Authority.
A Frisco contingent made up of Simpson, City Manager George Purefoy, and Assistant City Manager Scott Young joined delegations from Collin County, Plano, McKinney, and the NTTA in Austin yesterday to meet with the Texas Transportation Commission (TTC), a five-member panel appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to govern the Texas Department of Transportation.
"The Commission said they saw no reason why the NTTA should not be considered if they have competitive prices for the project," Simpson said. "The next step is for the four cities and the county to move forward with the solution centered on the NTTA and how excess toll revenue would be handled."
Simpson said TTC Commissioner Ric Williamson told the delegation a decision on funding SH 121 is ultimately a local decision.
"The TTC said they wanted the decision-making process to get down to a regional decision," Simpson said. "They said they would look equally at a local solution as a CDA (comprehensive development agreement with private firms). The bottom line is the TTC told us we need to get a proposal from the NTTA put together, and the four cities and the county will move forward on that."
"There was a lot of desire by the part of the Commission for us to put a proposal forward," Paul Wageman, Collin County's NTTA representative said.
Mike Morris, Director of Transportation for the North Central Texas Council of Governments spoke in support of the NTTA playing a key role in the project, Simpson said. The Frisco mayor said he felt that if one of the two options for funding SH 121 didn't emerge, the road was likely doomed.
"The impression I got is if the five governments say they don't want a CDA and we can't work out something with the NTTA we wouldn't get the road built at all," he said. "We all feel it was very valuable for us to come down here and we know the direction of the work ahead of us."
Other Collin County representatives attending the three-hour meeting were NTTA Executive Director Allan Rutter and NTTA Board of Directors Chair Dave Blair, Plano Mayor Pat Evans, Plano City Manager Tom Muehlenbeck, McKinney Mayor Bill Whitfield, and Bill Hale, TxDOT's Dallas District engineer, Wageman said.
Simpson said the Frisco city Council will be briefed on the meeting at its Dec. 20 meeting.
©Star Community Newspapers 2005
posted by Porkus Maximus Tex: at Friday, December 16, 2005
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