The West Loop Tollway, a project being promoted by the Cameron County Regional Mobility Association, would place an eight mile highway through west Brownsville, effectively creating two ten foot high walls of concrete alongside a roadway that none of the local residents want, and a highway that no one in our area can afford.
The quality of the harm that this project would cause our area needs to be studied to be appreciated. The roadway would adversely affect 40,000 residents, from those living in the tony residencies near FM 802 and Alton Gloor to the folks with homes in the old west side of town.
It would cut neighborhoods in half.
The proposed highway would pass within a few hundred feet of five schools, several parks and a dozen churches. The projected growth models offered by the CCRMA itself shows that the roadway would serve no need, as there are no real nor projected traffic problems for this part of Brownsville. Worse, the roadway project is one ripe for creating enormous financial burdens on a region already struggling to make ends meet.TXDOT is a partner in the development of this project, and those of us who understand the foolishness of the West Loop Tollway hope that their experience would help the county entities understand the need to eliminate this plan, once and for all. TXDOT’s commitment to transparency will be an especially necessary tool with a project whose financial scheme is sketchy, at best.
There are alternatives for the soon-to-be abandoned railroad line.
The most promising would be for the city of Brownsville to participate in a federal program known as rail-banking, in which city retains the right-of-way while preserving the rail line and creating, instead of a road, a hike and bike trail. The cost of such a project would be manageable, and the trail would be a welcome addition to an area that is short of park spaces.
The citizens of Brownsville appreciate the role that the regional mobility authority has played in planning for the future transportation needs of the area. This project (the only one that directly affects neighborhoods) is wrong headed and needs to be put aside.
The city of Brownsville already suffers with the blight of the border wall. The citizens of Brownsville—5,000 of whom have already signed a petition against the West Tollway—does not want yet another insult to our city’s character.
(Michael Seifert is a resident of Brownsville, Texas. This article first appeared in the Rio Grande Guardian.)
6 comments:
Obviously this man has never lived in a big city...where progress means neighborhoods are divided and walls are built to deflect the sounds of the highway. How does Brownsville grow if changes aren't made??? We want progress, but no change. That is counter-intuitive. Seems that these citizens only dissaprove because its close to them. If it were on the other side of town, they would not be upset.
NIMBY...."Not in my backyard".
Is this guy a priest?
(Is this guy a priest?)
Why, was one dressed like that when he went and molested you?
Isn't Seifert a priest???? It is time to tax the church and they should start by taking the tax exempt status from those who engage in political activities. If they want to play, they should be required to pay taxes like the rest of us.
Building another highway is not progress. There will be no cars in 25 years--and it is going to take at least that long before anyone will be lining up to head to Matamoros. Keep the railroad tracks and do something intelligent with them--like hook up with the rest of the light rail going forward in Hidalgo County.
If buildings = progress why is the lack of a quality university education at UTB who is full of buildings, coalesce?
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