Case Study: Trans-Texas Corridor

Eastern Central is the first planning commission Texas created under Chapter 391 of the Local Government Code for the purpose of coordinating with state and federal agencies.  Texas has a unique statute that allows for local governments to join together to create a planning commission, which then allows them to invoke coordination with state agencies.  Eastern Central was first formed by the towns of Holland, Little River-Academy, Bartlett, Rogers, and their respective school districts.  It was later joined by the town of Buckholts and their school district.  Combined, the five towns and school districts represent approximately 6,500 people and their jurisdiction covers 30 square miles.

The communities that formed Eastern Central would have been destroyed by the creation of the I-35 Trans-Texas Corridor, a quarter-mile wide super transportation corridor.  Fire stations would have been cut off from the communities they protect.  School districts across the state would have to be redistricted.  School buses would be adding hundreds of miles a day navigating around the limited access super highway.  Residents would be forced to pay a toll to get to work.  500,000 private acres would be confiscated to accommodate not only the internationally funded highway system, but also to provide lease pads to gas, hotel and restaurant services.  The people impacted in these small rural communities would suffer all the economic and social damage for this international project.

No one could stop the Trans-Texas Corridor.  It had the aggressive backing of Governor Rick Perry, the full support of the Texas Department of Transportation (the largest state agency in the nation), and was internationally backed by Cintra-Zachary.  This $80 billion project was on a fast pace to connect the Chinese owned Mexican seaports with Canada, that is, until these five courageous towns and their school districts invoked coordination and took a stand equal in spirit to the Alamo, but with a much better result -- Texans won.