Welcome

Welcome! Thank you for your interest that began with the proposed Hunt/Collin County NETEX toll road. Your voices stopped the proposed toll road from being rammed into our community without regard to the community opinion. Right now the NCTCOG Blacklands Cooridor Feasibility Study is underway to see if there is a transportation need in this area to change/update the currently approved 2035 Mobility Plan,( in the Blacklands Corridor Study Area, a new tollway is being proposed- the Northeast Gateway Tollway). We are trying to gather information and public opinion regarding what this study may discover. We are also trying to show the NCTCOG that a tollroad is not wanted or needed. NCTCOG is moving quickly to resolve their study to end speculation as soon as possible and they need your input. Anything you can add would be appreciated.
This site is set up as a BLOG for general discussion with a few pages of information that will be updated as new information is available.
You may comment on any post by clicking “leave a reply” or “reply” and filling out the form. If you would like to start a new thread, you must register by clicking the “register” link toward the bottom of the right-hand column. If you would just like to get on the email list to receive periodic updates, please use the “contact us” form. You may also “contact us” with any questions you may have.

Let’s keep our quiet country life QUIET by being involved! Thank you!

If you plan to send out flyers or posters with this address or our Facebook page address, please coordinate with us first! We want to present one clear and accurate message when posting information and presenting the NCTCOG with the real opinion of the residents affected by their decisions.

Update: We NEED email addresses! We NEED you to contact your elected officials, but we need to organize. An organized group can speak much louder. Please fill out the “contact us” form. We have mailed physical letters to all the physical addresses we could find that are adjacent to the right-of-way, but this affects SO many others. So please pass the word to your neighbors!

23 thoughts on “Welcome

    • Our problem in Collin County is NCTCOG just announced the initiative to place a “tolling system” in the midst of existing and what have historically been FREEways. This is done through the Regional Transportation Council who’s memberhsip is so broad with elected and unelected members that holding them accountable is literally impossible. This RTC may be comprised of elected reps BUT they are NOT YOUR elected rep. Taxation without representation and 4 th amendment privacy violations (involuntary toll tags) are being forced upon citizens of Collin County without the vote of the citizenry.

  1. I do not want this either been out here for 20 years and love the quiet,this will ruin evertything out here.We need to find some-one to ram-rod this group and to go up against the toll road.I ready for a good old fashion knock down drag out because you know that`s what it`s going to take.

  2. Be sure to tell all your neighbors. Everyone needs to know. Contact the county commisioners, county judges, state representatives and US congressman. Let them all know we need this stopped! Our home is no place for a toll road!

  3. I’ve talked to a lot of people tonight who will be directly affected that did not know about it. They’ve done a good job of keeping this quiet. We need to spread the word!

  4. I say we file imminent domain on Judge Horn’s home. Seems like it would make a nice place for a playground, or a landfill…

    • The value of my property went down almost 3,000 dollars from last year, I am an adjacent owner to the right of way, biggest drop in value in the 13 yrs we have lived here.

  5. Just spoke with a reliable source who said that the toll road is a done deal. That it’s being built by a private business without tax payer dollars so that’s why no one can fight against it. He said once the large water pipes are laid then they will start on the toll road. Hate to hear that since I love the quiet out here.

    • Katie, not sure if you attended the 7-25-13 NCTCOG Meeting, but no additional roads have been submittted, approved or added to the 2035 Mobility Plan. The toll road is not part of the plan. It is a project hoping to get added as a change to this plan, and right now they are not included in any way. Please check out the link we posted to the 2035 Mobility Plan for more details. We will need to stay vigilante and attend the meetings to make sure the toll road or something else isn’t added. Hope this helps.

  6. I was reading through past questions and noticed the post regarding Judge Horn and whether he was on the NETEX board. I did a quick search and found that in fact, he is serving on that board.

    Here is a link: http://orgs.tamuc.edu/netex/board/board.htm

    It seems to me that this is a conflict, although our state has allowed in this type of cross-pollinating in other past relationships.

    I wonder if the public is aware of the fact that he may be pushing this project because he is a board member of the group proposing the toll road.

    Do you have any other information about this relationship? Has anyone else brought this up in the County Commission Meetings? I have seen no other published information regarding this fact.

    Thank you,
    Tiffany Long
    Caddo Mills, TX

    • Tiffany, sorry for not replying sooner.
      Judge Horn is a Hunt Co. representative on the NETEX board. However he is 100% behind creating this project and seeing it approved. He has never been on the fence about the issue.
      Since a picture says a 1000 words, if you watch his reaction on the video clip below taken from our post, “RTC Applies the Brakes” back in April 2013, the Judge shows his true colors.

      http://nctcog.swagit.com/play/03142013-526

      minutes 2:00-3:00
      minutes 4:30-5:00
      minutes 7:50-18:36 (This is the discussion segment. Judge Horn is in the red shirt, Michael Morris is the gentleman speaking on behalf of COG, and Duncan Webb (sitting close to Judge Horn) is a commissioner from Collin County. Webb is in favor of the move by COG to study this further. Collin Co. is not on board with the toll road.)

  7. Judge horns person that came to the meeting that told me he knows him. Said does a little if this and a little of that. Then I find out he deals in property. He has land that will be bought out. Not a homesite. Just land that was purchased. He was one of the ones that judge horn back loaded in his meeting in gville. Btw that didn’t meet standards of a meeting. That was illegal to have more than 3 in a row for it and the way it was done. So not even a legal meeting. No vote maybe? I was told by another judge this. Not sure. Someone might check that out. Also there is more than meets the eye to why it’s being pushed. Money talks. Btw. I have more than most at stake w this. If they move or disturb the cemetery (historical marker). That’s my family and my great grandparents are buried there. This is a dumb project anyways. 380 and 6 are within 3 miles of each side of Clinton. And someone will take the toll road? A toll road running between two free… Hmmm not the smartest idea someone has come up w!

  8. I am a Caddo Mills resident just learning of this proposed toll road. For those educated on the subject, what are the honest odds that this Blacklands Turnpike will actually be built?

  9. I am just learning about the proposed Gateway/Blackland Tollway project. According to the preliminary maps, this project will run very close if not through my family’s home and property. While we are not huge acreage holders, we do have a home on two acres and have lived in Rockwall county on the edge of Rowlett for over 25 years. Therefore I believe we should have a voice in the approval or dismissal of this project. My wife and I have worked too hard to make our home a beautiful place filled with memories to be cherished for years to come for it to be torn down and turned into a profit center for a private corporation. I implore you to consider the constituents that will lose everything they have worked for years to establish. There is no need for another “for profit tollway” to be built in this area. All that is doing is allowing TxDot off the hook to use the tax dollars you and I already pay to the state of Texas for improving the infrastructure already in place. It is time to say “No More Toll Roads”.

  10. This is a private company with the right to use eminent domain. What municipal or county government approvals are needed, and if so who are the elected officials in favor of it. It does not take many votes to win a municipal election, especially in Wylie or Sachse.

    • We have been opposed to this project since Jan 2012. Please review the older blog posts and you can get a good understanding of who has what power and how this project has started.

  11. I’ve been following this for a while now. I’d like to know what it is we are against. I’m not sure I’m against it if I don’t know why, so please bear with me and no shouting.
    Are we against providing ANY congestion relief via ANY new roads? If so, what is our desired alternative?
    -Are we against the fact that there will be tolls (and therefore, if it was a freeway we would not object)?
    -Are we against the proposed route? I can’t figure out where it is supposed to begin and end.
    -Are we against the fact that it’s being built by a private company that we don’t like, but if it was built by a public company that we like, we won’t object?

    Seems to me the issues that we are supposed to oppose are one or more if those; it’s a toll, it will cut through private property, it’s being built by a private company, and we don’t like that company.

    So if the above were reversed, would you support it (I mean “we”)?

    • The tollroad has been an issue in the area as a proposed addition to the NCTCOG 2035 Mobility Plan since Jan 8 2012. The 2035 plan has proposed and approved TXDOT projects to relive traffic congestion for commuters crossing from DFW to use 380/66/I30. The Outer Loop project is one of these. Projects like this do pass the requirement test and long term solution to the problems created when you have a city residents leaving an area like DFW and are forced onto a few causeways or roads to get across the lakes. East of the lakes and northeast and southeast of Rockwall, the congestion drops off significantly.
      The method chosen by NETEX to build a P3 tollroad with TTC/Publicwerks to raise funds to pay for their RR operations and RR improvements on their NEXTEX controlled RR routes was catalyst for us to organize to oppose the the method, proposed tollroad and get more public involvement in our local government.
      In the NETEX/TTC/Publicwerks proposal( who signed a lease together in Jan 2012 to form the CottonBelt LP to run the project) 100% of profit was to go to TTC, TTC would pay rent to NETEX, no monies from the project were going to the public, yet taxpayers dollars from the NCTCOG were critical to providing massive collateral for enticing private investment. So taxpayers would bear the risk if it failed, and TTC/NETEX would reap any profits. A classic P3 project. We oppose these methods and deliberately trying to rush past the public and then ignore those that oppose, even when it’s clear the majority oppose this type project and the details of the project.
      This proposed NETEX / Blacklands Corridor was to run along the old CottonBelt RR ROW. They tried to shove that project through against public opposition as fast as they could. That proposed route and project was deemed not feasible by the NCTCOG spring this year,but the idea of a tollroad stuck around and the government officials that advocated the idea and TTC continued to be a solution looking for a problem. The latest Blacklands Corridor Study process that has been going for 13 months does have estimated population growth in the Rockwall-Royce City/Greenville area growing up to another 90%,so the proponents of the toll road re entered this project as a solution to that estimated population growth. Few believe that the population east of Royce City will double by 2035 or 2045, and the new proposed tollway is parallel to I30 and the frontage roads, and it’s south of another road it parallels, HWY 66.
      We support improvement to these roads and FM6 to reduce congestion in the eastern areas and provide economic stimulus to towns cut off when I30 was built. HWY 66 will be a 4 lane to Royce City, why not to Greenville? TXDOT already owns the easement to expand all of those roads. HWY 66 runs along the RR, if public rail ever returned now it’s becomes a complete system for both car/truck and rail traffic from Garland to Greenville on land the taxpayer owns.
      It is a limited access route. TTC proposes the road will relive congestion, and be 100% privately funded. The past performance of all private and public partnership toll roads has been horrible and they are all failing to pay their bills or are already in technical default ( SH130 ) so getting 100% private money in a State where Texans or truckers won’t pay for the use of a toll road as much as they desire and need to make money encourages the politicians that first advocated this tollway support providing taxpayer money to entice private investment again, so yet another possible P3 project in the DFW area.
      Many of us didn’t know what NCTCOG, RTC, TXDOT, NETEX, etc. mean or do. You have to know. They all can tax, spend and use ED for their projects, regardless of public support.They just need a simple majority of their committee.
      So what are we against, here are a few, there are more-
      Private investors and/or government officials that want to see the tollway succeed can impose a non compete clause in the area so no other road can be improved,or built that competes with the toll road. This includes adding traffic control measures on current roads to make them slower with stop signs, lights, speed limits to deter their use and encourage/manipulate the public to use the tollway so it gets it truck fees and cars fees per day. Usually for 50 year period.
      It’s private for at least 50+ years and if there is any conflict with the local government, they can shut it down to force an agreement with the local government, if foreclosed due to inability to make payments, it remains unused until purchased, usually by TXDOT after TXDOT supplied collateral to build it. ( e.g. Camino Tollway, SH130).
      Destruction of the property value of all adjacent property owners and the disruption to the county roads by causing dead ends, they won’t make overpasses on a CR, disruption of the way of life that people have moved out east away from the city to enjoy or have enjoyed as private property since the 19th century.
      Disputation to farmers and ranchers that can’t get to their now separated fields if a road or pipeline cuts across their land and now have to drive large distances to access their property cut off by the toll road.
      Yet another tollroad when current TXDOT roads can be improved or expanded to meet the same goals without needing a tollway.
      Only spending our TXDOT appropriated tax dollars on transportation issues, not used in the general fund.
      Any public private partnership projects/CDA’s where we the taxpayer bear all the risk and private companies collect profits.
      No recourse to the decisions of the centralized government bodies, the COG system, the RR transportation districts, etc that are all made up of elected local representatives, but execute policy and spend out tax dollars as an unelected body-outside of the local elected government bodies you would recognize from civics class.
      We the people have no real recourse to their centralized planning. The public resentment of tollways and gas lines being forced onto their private property with little to no notice or input.
      The numerous laws passed to tax you more at the local level to fund projects just like this thru sales and property taxes (see Texas SB 1110-just made into law last session), the new “protection from ED ” law passed in 2011 that still makes Texas one of the few States with the greatest power in the nation to take your land thru ED, the centralized planning committees all created and grown stronger over the last few decades that use these tools to sweep aside private property owners without true and proven benefit to the public.
      The limited relocation requirements that have to meet to move any private property owner out of the way for the project.
      This tollway is a proposed option,but it was created for a profit making scheme for a government entity, and it’s a solution looking for a problem to solve since it doesn’t open up any new route east of the planned Outer Loop near Rockwall.
      We believe at a minimum the COG’s and all other transportation, infrastructure committees must be accountable to the people thru a public referendum if they approve a project we don’t want or need.
      Please read thru our blog to get more reasons that impact our rights as private property owners and a few other emotional impact issues that do matter. Also visit TexasTURF.org to see what a State wide issue this is.
      This proposed tollway is only a symptom, our failure to keep control over our government is the problem. TTC is just looking to make money in a system geared to pay them. The real issues are with the Texas Legislature that empowers these committees and passes laws that tax us more, spend our transportation taxes on other projects and then passes laws for our local governments to make up the difference.
      I hope this helps show you what we are against when it comes to this toll road and the Texas Legislature approved tools to support their creation.

  12. No toll road needed!! Plus almost all country is taking over as it is and turning into city! We are in tx were the country places a big roll!! The country will soon be extinct if this keeps up.!!!

  13. I think that this item is not being addressed either and should be voiced at every meeting and public hearing.

    How much water is it going to require to build this Tollroad. Since businesses in construction are exempt from water restrictions, they will be able to use however much they require. Since Lavon is already at 50% capacity and we are under a projected 10 year drought with most of Collin County under Stage 3 water restriction. how much of this natural, irreplaceable resource will be stolen from us in the name of progress?

  14. Lake Lavon is over 13 feet low. We have not been able to go boating on it for two summers. Why are building permits issued when we are near a crisis stage with our water? Are we really going to have to buy water to shower? Do we build pipelines for water to the NE part of the US? After listening to all six hours of videos of the Sept. 22nd, 2014 meeting in Rockwall re: the Blacklands Corridor, some new conclusions appeared. Hugely inflated population figures on which the toll road is based conflict with every other population projection, including those recently done by TXDOT. The clear story that emerged is: “We in the private toll road company will build this toll road first and THEN we will DEVELOP your farmland into houses: WE will make a fortune out of YOUR misfortune!”

    The private toll road company is called Texas Turnpike Corporation and is based in Dallas’ Highland Park: http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=Texas+Turnpike+Corporation&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
    Its spokesman, Neal Barker, appeared condescending throughout the six-hour meeting, smiling at the concern of directly impacted landowners who had been on their land for decades: http://www.linkedin.com/in/nealbarker
    He acted like the project was a done deal and he really didn’t care about anyone else, because he was in the cat-bird seat. He admitted that his company has NEVER built ONE toll road and his company is the one that wanted to build a toll tunnel under Mockingbird Lane. That project didn’t fly, despite his investors $5 million and despite their anticipated returns of $40 million a year forever. As always, the bottom line for this toll road is $$$$$ – not YOUR money, THEIR money. Rich cats go to the country to steal your land. The only way to beat them is to band together. If you ignore them, you lose. There is power in numbers.

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