“We're the little guys. We're gonna be the bugs on the windshield. And I just can't sit and be silent.”
Battle Lines for Superhighway Drawn Across Texas Homesteads
8/9/2006
Vickie Jean Summers
WOAI News (San Antonio)
Copyright 2006
The proposed 4000 mile network of superhighways designed to criss-cross our state continues to spark fear and criticism.
The first section of what is called the Trans-Texas Corridor would run parallel to I-35. The plan is to draw the trucks, the traffic from Mexico, and the trains away from San Antonio and put them on a super toll road east of the city.
Sounds good, right? The problem is there’s already something on much of the land needed to make this transportation dreamscape happen.
Scott Jinnette retired and built his dream home in rural Wilson County.
“I wanted 100 acres, and my wife wanted three. So we compromised on five,” Jinnette told News 4 WOAI.
Jinnette now fears the Texas Department of Transportation will pave right over the home in which he thought he’d spend his twilight years.
The Texas Department of Transportation has not yet determined the path of the corridor, but the state is seeking approval from the federal government to narrow the study area to a 10-mile section east of San Antonio. Scott Jinnette's house is within that path.
“I can't believe that the government can come in and take a person's home, and then give it to some foreigner and let ‘em starting making money off the deal,” said Jinnette.
A Spanish company has offered to build the corridor and collect the tolls. It would have six lanes for traffic, four separate lanes for trucks, and six rail-lines.
Most of the 600 people who packed East Central High School Tuesday night stood in applause when one grandma blasted the plan.
“I'm proud to be standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Texans who are saying no to the largest land-grab in Texas history,” gubernatorial candidate Carole Keeton Strayhorn told the crowd.
But Scott Jinnette's wonders whether all the opposition will matter in the end.
“We're the little guys, you know. We're gonna be the bugs on the windshield. And I just can't sit and be silent,” said Jinnette.
Tuesday’s meeting was so crowded, officials had to shut the doors. A second meeting is set for Thursday night at at East Central High School.
If you have any questions or comments about this story, or you’d like to send us a story tip, please email News 4 WOAI’s Jeff Coyle at JeffCoyle@woai.com.
© 2006 CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING, INC.: www.woai.com
8/9/2006
Vickie Jean Summers
WOAI News (San Antonio)
Copyright 2006
The proposed 4000 mile network of superhighways designed to criss-cross our state continues to spark fear and criticism.
The first section of what is called the Trans-Texas Corridor would run parallel to I-35. The plan is to draw the trucks, the traffic from Mexico, and the trains away from San Antonio and put them on a super toll road east of the city.
Sounds good, right? The problem is there’s already something on much of the land needed to make this transportation dreamscape happen.
Scott Jinnette retired and built his dream home in rural Wilson County.
“I wanted 100 acres, and my wife wanted three. So we compromised on five,” Jinnette told News 4 WOAI.
Jinnette now fears the Texas Department of Transportation will pave right over the home in which he thought he’d spend his twilight years.
The Texas Department of Transportation has not yet determined the path of the corridor, but the state is seeking approval from the federal government to narrow the study area to a 10-mile section east of San Antonio. Scott Jinnette's house is within that path.
“I can't believe that the government can come in and take a person's home, and then give it to some foreigner and let ‘em starting making money off the deal,” said Jinnette.
A Spanish company has offered to build the corridor and collect the tolls. It would have six lanes for traffic, four separate lanes for trucks, and six rail-lines.
Most of the 600 people who packed East Central High School Tuesday night stood in applause when one grandma blasted the plan.
“I'm proud to be standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Texans who are saying no to the largest land-grab in Texas history,” gubernatorial candidate Carole Keeton Strayhorn told the crowd.
But Scott Jinnette's wonders whether all the opposition will matter in the end.
“We're the little guys, you know. We're gonna be the bugs on the windshield. And I just can't sit and be silent,” said Jinnette.
Tuesday’s meeting was so crowded, officials had to shut the doors. A second meeting is set for Thursday night at at East Central High School.
If you have any questions or comments about this story, or you’d like to send us a story tip, please email News 4 WOAI’s Jeff Coyle at JeffCoyle@woai.com.
© 2006 CLEAR CHANNEL BROADCASTING, INC.:
posted by Porkus Maximus Tex: at Wednesday, August 09, 2006
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