Plan to Build Toll Road on Helms Trail from I20 to 80

[Guest]

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[Aggies]

The North Central Texas Council of Governments Transportation Department - (i.e. A Lobbyist Group for the ultra rich) are recommending a 500' wide 10 lane toll road, which will run directly up Helms Trail.  They expect to have this road completed during the time frame of 2012-2015.  In addition,  they wish to run the road along I-20 for a couple of miles in order to be sensitive to the needs of Heartland.  It seems that they would rather run the toll road over all the homes on Helms Trail than across undeveloped MUD land such as Los Lomas.  This plan makes absolutely no sense to me for a number of reasons, such as why build two overpass systems less than three miles apart. 

Some of our local government officials are fully aware of this plan.  However, those that will be most impacted by these plans seem to be totally unaware.  Until now...

[Nate Dogg]

You gotta link or anything you can include with your post?

Of all places that need a toll road, why here? I can see widening 80 to 6 lanes or 8, but why would we need a toll road running Helms trail? Seems really out of place to even have a new road, at least to me.

[Aggies]

I am not aware of any website relating to this matter.

I learned about the plan route of the toll road at a meeting, which was hosted by the North Central Texas Council of Governments on 4/09/08 at the Forney ISD Administration Building.  County Commissioner Clark was in attendance as well as representatives from the City of Mesquite.  A portion of Helms Trail, located near I-20 is actually in Mesquite's ETJ.  For some reason, representatives from the Town of Talty were not invited to the meeting.

Do not assume that all of the city and county officials in attendance were there to rubber stamp the road.  Some expressed concerns in regard to the road.


 

[Nate Dogg]

http://www.forneypost.net/articles/kaufmancountyouterloopapril17.html

Someone posted this in the shoutbox, so I copied it over to this thread.

It sucks for some of these people as it will become some imminent domain issues for a few. It looks like they are trying to plan this out as best as they possibly can to avoid as much ID as possible, but in the end someone will probably lose their house and some land. Unfortunately its just part of growth and those in the path now might consider selling before this comes about? It looks like the construction won't begin for another 7 years, but between now and then they will start implementing ID, I'd look to sell quick if I was in the path...

[Nate Dogg]

update on 190 extension to go through Mesquite, Sunnyvale, etc.

http://www.ntta.org/NR/rdonlyres/B03374E3-E588-4DBE-8FCA-CB282821CD20/0/CPR_EastBranch_APR_08.pdf

Currenty plans to extend 190 to I-30

http://www.ntta.org/NR/rdonlyres/1EBDB19B-1D1A-4BBE-AEE7-A083F2CA9400/0/CPR_PGBTEE_APR_08.pdf

[outspoken]

Every time imminent domain gets brought up I think:

Super Conductor -- not sure about the project name -- had to do with smashing atoms -- Waxachie/Ennis area -- I think

All those people who had to give up their homes for a project that never came to pass.

That is just wrong!

However, if an imminent domain is pulled on Windmill Farms, I'm going down without a fight -- LOL

[Nate Dogg]

It doesn't look like WMF will be ID'ed in it, it will just be to either side of WMF (giving ya'll great toll road access to the metroplex!). Its more specifically going to eat up land/homes in the Helms Trail area.

[outspoken]

Well, there you go, every dark cloud has a silver lining

I feel for those that live on Helms Trail and I hope that the road authorities are met with great opposition!

It is just so wrong to take people's homes!

Aggie -- thanks for sharing, DH and I are looking for property and we only thought we needed to concerned with the Trans Corridor -- guess we were wrong.

Nate -- thanks for the links.  I guess when we decide on the area where we want to buy property I will have to do some type of google search on "road/toll projects"

[mel08]

I first heard about this about a month ago.  I hope they change their plans, otherwise I will have to give up my house.  We have only been here for a year and a half, and we weren't planning on moving, but it seems we will have no choice.

[Nate Dogg]

My advice... if you are directly in the path SELL SELL SELL while you can still get out for the value of your home. Once this goes public (all over the news) the homes in the line of this "Loop 9" will drop to the ground in value and it will be next to impossible to sell.

If you are to the side or close to this proposed tollway, I'd find a new homestead and build, but hold onto the house and lease, or just hang on to it. Once the tollway is finished, I wouldn' want to live next to it (thus the new homestead), but I'd be sure to cash in on the retail development that will surely follow wanting to build near intersections with the tollway.

[cottonwood]

Super Conductor -- not sure about the project name -- had to do with smashing atoms -- Waxachie/Ennis area -- I think

All those people who had to give up their homes for a project that never came to pass.

That is just wrong!

We briefly knew some people who got bounced off their property by the SSC (Superconducting Supercollider), and they were pleased as punch with the price the state paid for their home and land.  Like you, I got all puffed up and ready to blow on the subject, and those folks just laughed at me.  They felt they were in the lucky ones.

So I guess it works out well for some folks.  I wish they'd come and ID our place!  It would save us having to get it ready to sell, LOL!

Not that anyone cares any more, but the loss of the SSC project was a national tragedy.  Of all areas in which to cut your nose off to spite your face --- particle physics?  It's one of the fastest growing, most high visability in science.  As predicted, other countries jumped in to build the collider --- and better, by now.  But that was a sad loss in so many ways (not to mention that a couple of bil had already been dropped into that hole).

Angie the Grouch

[craven50h]

http://www.nctcog.org/trans/mtp/2030/
http://www.nctcog.org/trans/mtp/2030/FinRec.pdf

[randv17]

i saw this which gives everyone an idea of where the path is going ....look on page 57....

http://www.nctcog.org/trans/outerloop/OL_EOB_NCTCOG.pdf

[Nate Dogg]

The orange line on pg. 57 won't work, that would go right through our new city park and First Baptist Church. Very interesting drawings though.

[Aggies]

Randv17,

Thanks for the link. 

http://www.nctcog.org/trans/outerloop/OL_EOB_NCTCOG.pdf 

The map on page 57 demonstrates my point.  There is nothing efficient about that route.  Please note all of vacant land that the route is avoiding.  In addition, why would the road wind toward Mesquite then out toward Forney on top of I-20.  These areas do not and will not have a traffic problem in the future. 

I suspect the purpose of the road is to enable to building of more MUD districts in Kaufman county.  This would be great for Dallas county because they could move many of their Section 8 residents out to Kaufman county. 

The way it works is someone builds a development.  Many people buy into the development for the purpose of better schools and safer neighborhoods.  Most have enough sense to realize that just because one qualifies for a loan doesn't mean they can actually afford all of the cost associated with a particular property.  Unfortunately, some buy the most home for which they qualify.  Eventually, the buyer becomes overextended and the property goes into foreclosure.  Then some small investors come along and buy properties for rental purposes.  Then the neighborhood starts to decline and those that could afford their homes start to sell and the home values start to drop.

Dallas county can afford this because of all of the large corporations and other various businesses.  Kaufman county does not have such a safety net.  At this time, most of the properties within the MUD districts do not have enough value to cover the cost of the education of the children who live in the MUD.  In addition, most of the people who live around Forney do not work in Kaufman county. 

The planned route of the road would take it through only a small corner of Kaufman county.  Worse than that by going over previously developed residential areas the route does not provide much space for the commercial properties, which normally develop next to freeways.  Businesses that are needed to cover school and infrastructure costs. 

In summary, this area does not the road.  It will effectively separate Talty from Forney, be a detriment to the future tax base of Kaufman county, and destroy the quality of life for the current residents of Forney/Talty.  The route is stupid.  It doesn't provide any benefit except to a few people.  It doesn't connect to the major business areas in Dallas.