Blacklands Corridor - NE Gateway Tollway

The people have spoken and their will is clear - they do not want the proposed private Blacklands Tollway-Northeast Gateway corridor from Garland to Greenville east of Dallas. The Texas Turnpike Corporation has the power of eminent domain and can forcibly confiscate Texans' private property for its own private gain. Nearly 1,500 people packed the public meeting in Rockwall on September 22, 2014 to put their opposition on the record.

VICTORY!
Your letters to the Regional Transportation Council (RTC) made the difference, along with the 8 cities that passed resolutions opposing the tollway. Together, concerned citizens forced the RTC staff to pull its recommendation to include the toll road in its long-range plan! While they still keep the corridor open for further study, this is a MAJOR short-term victory! We need to STAY VIGILANT to ensure they don't sneak the tollway into the plan at a later date, and we need to keep pressing the remaining cities to pass resolutions against it so that NO toll road comes through our communities in the future.

See the Dallas Morning News article on it here.

Here's another article noting that TxDOT has adopted the Blacklands toll road in its 10-yr plan supposedly to follow/monitor the envionmental study the private company is conducting on the road.

On Friday, October 17, 2014 the good news was reported:
http://www.nctcog.org/trans/committees/sttc/2014/10Oct/Ref.Itm_3.1.sttc102414.pdf

"The surface transportation technical committee has recommended the removal of the Blackland toll road from its recommendation.

"This recommendation for approval was originally scheduled for the September 26, 2014, Surface Transportation Technical Committee (STTC) meeting. However, it was postponed to accommodate the public comment period following the September 22, 2014, Blacklands Corridor public meeting. Minutes from the public meeting are provided in Electronic Item 3.4. With the public comment period for the Blacklands Corridor now closed, staff has taken those into consideration in developing the final Mobility 2035 – 2014 Amendment recommendations.  It is NCTCOG staff’s recommendation the proposed Blacklands toll road not be included as part of the financially constrained Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) and associated conformity analysis. The recommendation is that the Blacklands facility should remain as a corridor for future evaluation, with updated limits, consistent with the North Central Texas Council of Governments' feasibility study."

TURF columns on the battle to stop the Blacklands Toll Road

Landowners revolt: Push cities to oppose private tollway

Private Northeast Gateway tollway near Dallas draws angry crowd (public meeting in Rockwall on Monday, September 22, 2014)

Summary of success
Super Tuesday Press Conference & City Council Blitz - October 14

The press conference was well attended (30-40 people) and got coverage from the Wall Street Journal, Dallas Morning News, Breitbart Texas, Herald Banner, Dallas Observer, and on radio. There were citizens at every commissioners court and council meeting throughout the day.

Read the press release here.

Action Item

Get Resolutions Passed by Your City

One of the best ways to stop this tollway dead in its tracks is to get local cities and counties to pass resolutions opposing it. The City of Rockwall and five others have already passed one.

Ask your city/county to pass one immediately.

Read the encouraging words from one good guy Wylie Councilman, Nathan Scott, regarding the city's opposition to this tollway.

You can use the resolutions below as an example:

• City of Caddo Mills (PDF)
• City of Fate (PDF)
• City of Josephine (PDF)
• City of Lavon (PDF)
• City of Murphy (PDF)
• City of Nevada (JPG)
• City of Princeton (PDF)
• City of Rockwall (PDF)
• City of Rowlett (PDF)
• Rockwall County Democrat Party (PDF)
• City of Sasche (PDF coming...)
• City of Wylie (PDF)

Spread the word!

Related Documents

• NE Gateway Tollway Fact Sheet (PDF) Spanish version (PDF)
• Is the NE Gateway a truly private road? See the Dangers of the Northeast Gateway Tollway (PDF) flyer.
• More Spanish language documents on the tollway (Google docs PDF files)
• Articles of Incorporation (PDF) that prove Texas Turnpike Corporation cannot legally build or operate a toll road in Hunt County.
• Memorandum of Understanding (PDF) that shows future segments are planned. This toll road is not isolated, and will be extended in the future to mow over more Texas private property.
• Evidence of conflicting traffic data:
  - Blacklands Corridor Feasibility Study (PDF)
  - Screenshot of TxDot 2007 Traffic Flow (JPG)
  - Foes of Garland-Greenville toll road question traffic forecasts (Dallas News)
  - Northeast Gateway to be prominent at Regional Transportation Council meeting (Dallas News)
•  Visit NoTollRoad.com for more background information.

Hill Country land grab