TxDOT: "If all the hurdles are jumped, construction on TTC-69 could begin in 2011."
State to seek corridor plans from 2 firms
Former partners are competing for the contract to develop segment of Trans-Texas project
Sept. 29, 2006
By RAD SALLEE
Houston Chronicle
Copyright 2006
Former business partners are now competing for one of the state's richest construction contracts — development of a transportation corridor between Northeast Texas and the Mexican border, passing near the Houston area.
The Texas Transportation Commission voted Thursday to seek proposals from the two for development of the route designated TTC-69, part of the state's ambitious Trans-Texas Corridor plan.
Projects envisioned for the corridor include a $12 billion toll road running west of U.S. 59, high-speed passenger and freight rail, pipelines and other utilities.
Spanish-owned construction giant Cintra and San Antonio road builder Zachry, which joined forces to win a contract to plan development of TTC-35 along Interstate 35, are competing against each other for the TTC-69 plum.
Combined forces
Joining forces with Zachry are ACS Infrastructure Development of Madrid, Spain; Williams Brothers Construction Co. and Dannenbaum Engineering, both of Houston; and six other team members.
Two other Houston firms, Othon and W.W. Webber LLC, are in the Cintra-led group.
"I find it fascinating that Cintra and Zachry have taken their experience on TTC-35 and each in essence has gone out and recruited and organized their own separate team," said Commissioner John W. Johnson of Houston.
"They are the most experienced in the state of Texas," he said. "The keener the competition, the better off we all are."
"I think you'll see more of that," said Phillip Russell, director of the Texas Department of Transportation turnpike division. "You're going to have cross-pollination."
At the same meeting, Texas Department of Transportation officials for the first time disclosed Cintra-Zachry's Master Development Plan for TTC-35.
Route undetermined
Despite its bulk — 1,600 pages — and the numerous maps included, the master plan does not include the actual route of TTC-35.
TxDOT says that will depend on the same federally required environmental process, including public hearings, as any other road project.
If all the hurdles are jumped, TxDOT says, construction could begin in 2011.
Because the master plan supersedes earlier "conceptual" development and financial plans that TxDOT declined to reveal in March 2005, these were released Thursday as well.
The Houston Chronicle and others had filed open-records requests to see the documents, and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott agreed they should be released.
TxDOT and Cintra-Zachry then sued Abbott, asking an Austin court to exempt the plans from disclosure on grounds that they would reveal proprietary information, give competitors unfair advantage and have a "chilling effect" on future proposers' willingness to reveal their ideas.
The lawsuit was dismissed Thursday by agreement.
The campaign manager for gubernatorial candidate and state Comptroller Carol Keeton Strayhorn had urged that the plans be made public.
Strayhorn said Gov. Rick Perry had "fought to keep Texans in the dark and his contract with a foreign-owned company to build toll roads across Texas a secret."
Commission Chairman Ric Williamson said the matter was handled the same way as proprietary information from firms seeking other TxDOT work.
$175 billion proposal
Perry announced the corridor plan in 2002, calling for a $175 billion, 4,000-mile limited-access transportation network built mostly with private dollars for profit but owned by the state.
TTC-35 generally would run east of Interstate 35 from Oklahoma to Mexico and would include an $8.8 billion toll road from Oklahoma to San Antonio.
The proposal has received continual criticism, despite efforts by TxDOT to reassure the public.
Farmers and ranchers have expressed concern that their property would be divided or taken by eminent domain.
Some concerns
Local officials feared that the corridor would draw business away from existing routes.
Others were concerned that negotiating a 50-year contract for a project of such size was being done behind the scenes.
Supporters of the corridor concept say gasoline taxes will not be able to fund enough roads to meet future need, but private companies can build and operate them for a profit at no risk to taxpayers.
If a corridor developer defaults on its contract, Williamson said, TxDOT can buy the facility, probably for less than it cost to build, and bid it to another.
rad.sallee@chron.com
© 2006 Houston Chronicle: www.chron.com
Former partners are competing for the contract to develop segment of Trans-Texas project
Sept. 29, 2006
By RAD SALLEE
Houston Chronicle
Copyright 2006
Former business partners are now competing for one of the state's richest construction contracts — development of a transportation corridor between Northeast Texas and the Mexican border, passing near the Houston area.
The Texas Transportation Commission voted Thursday to seek proposals from the two for development of the route designated TTC-69, part of the state's ambitious Trans-Texas Corridor plan.
Projects envisioned for the corridor include a $12 billion toll road running west of U.S. 59, high-speed passenger and freight rail, pipelines and other utilities.
Spanish-owned construction giant Cintra and San Antonio road builder Zachry, which joined forces to win a contract to plan development of TTC-35 along Interstate 35, are competing against each other for the TTC-69 plum.
Combined forces
Joining forces with Zachry are ACS Infrastructure Development of Madrid, Spain; Williams Brothers Construction Co. and Dannenbaum Engineering, both of Houston; and six other team members.
Two other Houston firms, Othon and W.W. Webber LLC, are in the Cintra-led group.
"I find it fascinating that Cintra and Zachry have taken their experience on TTC-35 and each in essence has gone out and recruited and organized their own separate team," said Commissioner John W. Johnson of Houston.
"They are the most experienced in the state of Texas," he said. "The keener the competition, the better off we all are."
"I think you'll see more of that," said Phillip Russell, director of the Texas Department of Transportation turnpike division. "You're going to have cross-pollination."
At the same meeting, Texas Department of Transportation officials for the first time disclosed Cintra-Zachry's Master Development Plan for TTC-35.
Route undetermined
Despite its bulk — 1,600 pages — and the numerous maps included, the master plan does not include the actual route of TTC-35.
TxDOT says that will depend on the same federally required environmental process, including public hearings, as any other road project.
If all the hurdles are jumped, TxDOT says, construction could begin in 2011.
Because the master plan supersedes earlier "conceptual" development and financial plans that TxDOT declined to reveal in March 2005, these were released Thursday as well.
The Houston Chronicle and others had filed open-records requests to see the documents, and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott agreed they should be released.
TxDOT and Cintra-Zachry then sued Abbott, asking an Austin court to exempt the plans from disclosure on grounds that they would reveal proprietary information, give competitors unfair advantage and have a "chilling effect" on future proposers' willingness to reveal their ideas.
The lawsuit was dismissed Thursday by agreement.
The campaign manager for gubernatorial candidate and state Comptroller Carol Keeton Strayhorn had urged that the plans be made public.
Strayhorn said Gov. Rick Perry had "fought to keep Texans in the dark and his contract with a foreign-owned company to build toll roads across Texas a secret."
Commission Chairman Ric Williamson said the matter was handled the same way as proprietary information from firms seeking other TxDOT work.
$175 billion proposal
Perry announced the corridor plan in 2002, calling for a $175 billion, 4,000-mile limited-access transportation network built mostly with private dollars for profit but owned by the state.
TTC-35 generally would run east of Interstate 35 from Oklahoma to Mexico and would include an $8.8 billion toll road from Oklahoma to San Antonio.
The proposal has received continual criticism, despite efforts by TxDOT to reassure the public.
Farmers and ranchers have expressed concern that their property would be divided or taken by eminent domain.
Some concerns
Local officials feared that the corridor would draw business away from existing routes.
Others were concerned that negotiating a 50-year contract for a project of such size was being done behind the scenes.
Supporters of the corridor concept say gasoline taxes will not be able to fund enough roads to meet future need, but private companies can build and operate them for a profit at no risk to taxpayers.
If a corridor developer defaults on its contract, Williamson said, TxDOT can buy the facility, probably for less than it cost to build, and bid it to another.
rad.sallee@chron.com
© 2006 Houston Chronicle:
posted by Porkus Maximus Tex: at Friday, September 29, 2006
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