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Transportation commission has final say on SH 121
By Josh Hixson, McKinney Courier-Gazette
All eyes will be on Austin on June 28 as the Texas Transportation Commission decides the fate of the State Highway 121 toll project.
The commission can either follow the Regional Transportation Council’s 27-10 vote and give the North Texas Tollway Authority approval to begin construction and tolling of SH 121, or it can appoint Cintra.
The five-member commission appointed by Gov. Rick Perry oversees all Texas Department of Transportation state construction projects.
“The commission has stated very publicly that they want the locals to make a decision and they will respect that decision,” said Randall Dillard, a spokesperson for TxDOT. “However, I can’t speculate on exactly what they will do on June 28.”
Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, was present Thursday and Monday for the RTC’s meetings and said she is “very concerned” the transportation commission will not give the NTTA its “fair shot.”
“I am not going to take anything for granted until the decision is ruled final by the commission,” Shapiro said. “If they change the local decision made by the council and choose a private company, the message sent by the commission will reverberate throughout Texas.”
“The local groups might as well pack up and go home because TxDOT will do whatever they please regardless of the local decision,” Shapiro said.
Paul Wageman, chairman of the NTTA’s board of directors, said Tuesday he is asking Williamson to act on his earlier promise.
“I expect Chairman Williamson to stand by his word and honor the local decision,” Wageman said. “We expect the transportation commission to affirm the vote made yesterday by the RTC.”
While officials expect the transportation commission to approve NTTA’s bid, Perry and TxDOT officials have been vocal about their support of Cintra, Shapiro said.
“They want the private sector involved in building state roads,” Shapiro said.
Bill Hale and Maribel Chavez — district engineers for TxDOT and members of the RTC — both voted in favor of Cintra on Monday.
“That is not a surprise,” Shapiro said. “At the (RTC) meeting on Thursday, several (TxDOT) employees spoke of their desire for Cintra to do the project.”
James McCarley, president of the Dallas Regional Mobility Coalition, echoed Shapiro and Wageman’s sentiments.
“If their [TxDOT’s] word is any good, NTTA will get their vote,” he said. “There are several possibilities. The staff [of TxDOT] still indicated they would recommend Cintra. But that would have to be over the vote [of the RTC] and the State Bill 792 legislation that directed if NTTA’s offer is equal or better than Cintra’s, the commission must vote for NTTA.”
“There will be quite a controversy if they don’t vote for it [NTTA]. (But) stranger things have happened,” McCarley said.
Contact Josh Hixson at jhixson@acnpapers.com.
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