4.08.2008

time to get off our collective tushes and do something.

TxDOT is proposing a 6-lane highway looping the city of New Braunfels.  This is a developer-driven project that will increase urban sprawl from San Antonio to Austin.  The proposed project will cut through undeveloped land on top of the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone as well as pristine farmland.  The resulting construction and development will do unimaginable harm to the environment as well as the heritage and tradition of the New Braunfels community.

The final NB Outer Loop Proposal can be viewed here.  The stated goal of designating the corridor now is to plan traffic concerns 30 years from now, but there is no guarantee that TxDOT will wait 30 years to complete this.  If approved, they can build it how and when they want in a way that benefits TxDOT most, not the community.

Things to consider:
- How will the loop effect the environment, particularly sections on top of the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone and across the Guadalupe River?
- What impact will the new development this loop brings have on the heritage, tradition, and community of New Braunfels and surrounding areas?
- It is well known that TxDOT is in enormous debt and has adopted the policy of tolling all new highway construction.  Will TxDOT be building the NB loop as a toll road to route traffic from I-10 to I-35 or will it be a part of the greater trans-Texas corridor network?

How you can help:
- SPREAD THE WORD about the loop proposal and the townhall meetings going on in NB.
- Write letters to the City Council and the County Commissioners voicing your opposition.
- Write letters to the editor of the Herald-Zeitung.
- Research TxDOT, highway construction, toll roads, environmental impact, developer motivation, etc. as much as possible so we can make the best arguments to city officials.

This proposal is clearly not the most responsible way to account for future grown in the NB area.


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