Documentation of Public Hearing
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Documentation of Public Hearing Project Location Dallas County Interstate Highway 635 (I-635) CSJs: 2374-01-137; 2374-01-183; 2374-02-053; 2374-02-152; 2374-02-153; 2374-01-190; 2374-01-191; 2374-02-171 Project Limits From United States Highway 75 to I-30 Hearing Location Highland Oaks Church of Christ 10805 Walnut Hill Lane, Dallas, Texas 75238 Hearing Date and Time July 18, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. Translation Services Spanish Presenters Ceason Clemens, P.E., Deputy District Engineer for the TxDOT Dallas District Elected Officials in Attendance Theresa Daniel, Dallas County Commissioner, District 1 Rich Aubin, City of Garland Mayor Pro Tem Representative for Adam McGough, City of Dallas Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Total Number of Attendees (approx.) 65 (3 elected officials, 62 public) Total Number of Commenters 10 Contents A. Comment/response matrix B. Notices provided (including tear sheets, website screen captures, distribution lists with copy of notice sent, etc.) C. Sign-in sheets 760.06.TEM D. Transcript E. Comments received F. Figures 760.06.TEM Section A. Comment/Response Matrix for the I-635 LBJ East Public Hearing Document Pages Alphabetic Index of All Commenters 1 Comment/Response Matrix 7 Alphabetical List of Commenters Comment Number Commenter Name 1 Barron Jr., Moss Lee 2 Bookhout, Jim 3 Boyd, Bill 4 Edwards, Steve 5 Ferguson, Dorothy 6 Jones, David J. 7-8 Lawrence, Patricia 9-10 Lindberg, Eric 11-13 Lindberg, Sharon 14 Morgan, Susan I-635 LBJ East Public Hearing Comment Response Matrix Comment Commenter Date Source Comment Topic Response Number Name Received This important project is needed for the east Dallas & Garland areas. It will improve traffic movement and should open up areas adjacent to the highway for new economic development. Barron Jr., Written Please do not allow our elected officials to postpone it anymore. It has been ridiculous how people 1 7/18/19 Comments noted. Moss Lee Comment in Austin have dictated the terms and repeatedly got this project sidetracked. We would really prefer two tolled lanes in each direction, but we will live with what the idiots negotiated. Make it happen and get on with it!! Ms Lo, I am writing to express my displeasure with the toll rates that are planned for LBJ east. I do not The proposed project will reconstruct the grandfathered one managed lane in each support the toll lanes being included at all but since they were grandfathered why not just build the direction to maintain the existing operational condition. The proposed design is consistent Bookhout, Jim one lane which was agreed to and not pay for all the concrete to lay the empty lane next to it. These with the North Central Texas Council of Governments’ (NCTCOG) Mobility 2045 plan. rates could be much lower if we weren’t paying to pave the extra lane. E-Mailed 2 City of Garland 6/20/2019 The initial toll rates are set by the Texas Transportation Commission in accordance with Comment Council That being said I found that the rates proposed are exceptionally high in my opinion. I do not the managed lanes policy established by the Regional Transportation Council of the North Member support these proposed rates and would like to see them lowered. I am not a supporter of the Central Texas Council of Governments. The policy provides for fixed schedule pricing demand charges. They go up past the average person’s ability to pay! during the first six months and dynamic pricing thereafter. The dynamic pricing toll rates will be based on user demand, and it is done to provide reliable trips. The LBJ East project Best regards, is fully funded; therefore, the collected toll will not be used to construct the project. Jim Bookhout Written The current proposed project will reconstruct the grandfathered one managed lane in 3 Boyd, Bill 7/18/19 Please add 2nd optional toll lane in each direction, like 635 btw 75 & 35. It is the smart thing to do! Comment each direction to maintain the existing operational condition. The proposed design is consistent with the NCTCOG’s Mobility 2045 plan. My comment was in reference to the managed lanes for the whole stretch. As long as a single managed lane exists on each side, you’re going to have frustration. You’re going to have people wasting time because they’re going to be behind 18-wheelers and slower drivers than in the regular The proposed project will reconstruct the grandfathered one managed lane in each lanes. Maintaining a single managed lane on each side of this stretch of interstate is about as direction to maintain the existing operational condition. Inside and outside shoulders will useful as putting screen doors on a submarine. I’ve experienced way too many times where I got in Verbal also be provided along the managed lanes, and concrete traffic barriers will replace the 4 Edwards, Steve 7/18/19 that managed lane and I was wasting time because there were people in there that really didn’t Comment existing pylons to separate the vehicles on the managed lanes from the I-635 mainlane belong in there. I don’t think 18-wheelers belong in there and I’m sure a lot of these people have traffic. experienced the same frustration. So but I understand from Mr. Craig that there is going to be a lot of room in those managed lanes and eventually, somewhere down the line, they may become two The proposed design is consistent with the NCTCOG’s Mobility 2045 plan. lanes on each side. If that’s the case, that will be fine. But all I can say to that is the sooner the better. Page 1 I-635 LBJ East Public Hearing Comment Response Matrix Comment Commenter Date Source Comment Topic Response Number Name Received As this program is a very important program, and quite honestly we have some major difficulties with portions of our transportation area as it is, I think it was poor judgment to plan this without at least advising or sending out something showing possibilities and allowing people to think about it. I think that better things could be done, maybe through our colleges in their design effort so they can try to keep things where we don’t have that ridiculous over, high thing down on 35 in downtown. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to continue to pour more concrete. They keep telling you to plant more trees, and the only thing I’ve seen TxDOT do lately is cut trees down. I think that we have some major issues here and we’re not anti. We understand that something needs to be done. But the more input and the more we all talk about it and discuss it, the better off we’re all going to be. I don’t know how else to say that. I don’t know how you feel, but just, I drive 635 and 75 every day. And I have, I’m (indiscernible) advertising so I’m on there. And they’ve got seven on-ramps that feed on right at 75 going south. And it’s just – it’s not feasible. No wonder you have accidents. And then the off-ramp feeding off 75 to go onto 635 going east causes a major mess over there and Previous public involvement activities include several stakeholder work group meetings, then you – everything backs up immediately. And we need to really eliminate a number of the on- public meetings and public hearings that were held between 2014 and 2017 to provide ramps and off-ramps and particularly there should never be an off-ramp going up to the traffic light. the public information regarding the I-635 LBJ East Project. All adjacent property owners I guess I can go home now. My dad built highways. H.P. Zachary, in fact, my dad designed the as well as city and county officials were sent notices regarding the public meetings and Ferguson, Verbal 5 7/18/19 diamond crusher that crushed the gravel for the highways and stuff like that. I’ve been around public hearings, and advertisements were placed in local newspaper to invite the public to Dorothy Comment highways for a lot. I thought it was almost an insult and I think the state has made a major mess. I view and comment on the draft designs. think we ought to have a Texas Highway Department and I think a subordinate ought to be highway maintenance and toll roads, I think that without a lot of high paid people running both those areas. Please contact Ms. Grace Lo, P.E., by mail at the TxDOT Dallas District Office, 4777 E. And we don’t have people working but we can certainly use them at the Texas Highway department Highway 80, Mesquite, Texas 75150-6643, or by e-mail at [email protected] with any going around. We could do that. We could train people to be – have pride in their area. Now they specific questions or concerns that you may have. just think everybody else does it. So if we start doing our own work and try to develop a little rapport I think it would be better. We don’t make changes and we don’t do things to create problems. But when we do, we’ve got to recognize it. It’s probably my husband’s fault. My husband died May the 17th. He is probably thinking you just don’t have enough to do, but I’ve always thought things could be better.