TxDOT TTC meetings set for Wharton County
By BARRY HALVORSON news@leader-news.com

The Texas Department of Transportation has scheduled two series of meetings with the public to discuss issues related to the proposed I-69/ Trans Texas Corridor in the local area.

The first of those meetings will be a series of Transportation Town Hall Meetings. In a news release, Houston District Engineer Gary K. Trietsch said that during these sessions the public will have an opportunity to ask questions and get answers on changes TxDOT is seeing in transportation, including the TTC, toll roads, local projects and other related transportation issues.

"We have regularly heard from our friends, our neighbors and our critics that we need to do a better job of talking to Texans about what we are doing and why. This is an opportunity to participate in that dialogue and I encourage the public to attend."

A total of 11 of the townhall meetings have been scheduled, all starting at 6:30 p.m. Those being held closest to Wharton include Jan. 22 at the Hempstead Knights of Columbus Hall, Jan. 24 at the Rosenberg Civic Center and Jan. 28 at the Austin County Fairgrounds in Bellville.

The Rosenberg meeting will start with an open house at 5:30 p.m. to give those attending a chance to talk with TxDOT staff. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. and feature a panel of TxDOT staff, including toplevel administration officials,

Starting on Feb. 4, TxDOT will hold a series of public hearings to specifically address the I-69/TTC Draft Environmental Impact Statement.

Each of the hearings will start with an open house at 5 p.m. with the official hearing starting at 6:30 p.m. Local meetings include Feb. 11 in Wharton, Feb. 21 in El Campo and Feb. 25 in East Bernard and Rosenberg.

Wharton County Precinct 2 Commissioner Chris King encouraged area residents to participate in both meetings, but stressed the need to show up for the townhall meetings in January.

"Those are the kind of meetings that the public is used to having," he said. "You can address all of the issues involving the TTC. If you read the fine print, the only topic for discussion will be the environmental study."

Information provided by the Houston-Galveston Area Council outlined the preferred reasonable corridors and connector corridors.

More information on the meetings or meeting locations can be found on the Internet at www.keeptexasmoving. com.