Who is doing the planning for TXDOT?: Letter to the Editor
Who is doing the planning for TXDOT?
About 10 years ago the I-10 Project was announced. The spokesperson didn’t explain much but to told us the project was going to create big problems for El Pasoans. "You will just have to live with it" he said arrogantly.
Yesterday I found out how accurate he was. I had to drive to Las Cruces. I thought driving to the end of Redd Road and traveling to I-10 would eliminate some traffic. That intersection was a chokepoint that can't be justified.
Getting on to I-10 was stop dead traffic. Trucks were every third to fourth vehicle for miles. It took 20 minutes to get on I-10. Then we crawled for about three miles. Returning, I tried to think smart. I'll travel south on I-10 and take 404. Wrong! After five miles 404 was down to one lane for traffic coming and going. Trucks every third vehicle.
So, I-10, 404 and the back road out of Las Cruces were clobbered with vehicles moving three miles an hour. TXDOT's Plan never included shutting down one road and opening another for our convenience. They planned for themselves.
Who is doing the planning for TXDOT? I remember the spokesperson saying you'll just have to get used to it. As a 34-year Marine, we use to say you can't get use to stupid, can't fix it either. Highway 404 should have been accomplished first. Half a beltway. For trucks at least!
Roy Gray
West El Paso
More: Union Depot amphitheater plan stinks: Joyce Wilson
Enjoy lower property taxes while they last
It is interesting to follow the back and forth between the fiscally conservatives and the "progressives." While the fiscally conservatives try hard to keep our property taxes from exploding, the progressives insist on our taxing entities spend without limits and increase our debt and taxes accordingly.
The "arena" is the best example: "Pea brain" Joyce Wilson and company stress the need of getting a full-size arena without ever mentioning the fiscal consequences of spending approximately $500,000,000 for the project. This is not too surprising because on her watch our city debt and our city property taxes increased exponentially.
It may be a "worthless" project to build the smaller arena at the Union Depot site because we don't really need another entertainment venue. Our multiple existing venues are never overbooked. Let's use those $180,000,000 for more important projects.
Thanks to state lawmakers we had a sizeable overall property tax decrease last year. Alas this is not going to last. Our Central Appraisal District will be, as usual, doing its best to increase our property valuations. Our taxing entities will continue issuing new debt and most likely increase our tax rate.
Enjoy the lower property taxes as long as they last.
Peter Beste
Northeast El Paso
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Who is doing the planning for TXDOT?: Letter to the Editor
