Krusee Passes Landmark Transportation Reforms

Representative Mike Krusee, working with the Texas Farm Bureau and with input from hundreds of Texans, placed new limits on toll roads and the proposed Trans Texas Corridor in House Bill 2702.  The bill makes sure that citizens have even greater protection for their property and water rights.

Representative Krusee, now in his second term as Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation, authored the bill to address Texans' concerns over property rights and the conversion of existing roads to tolled facilities.  The highlights:

Requires a public vote before an existing road may be converted to a toll road.

Severely limits what the Texas Department of Transportation can do with land it takes by eminent domain.

Guarantees that the Trans Texas Corridor will connect with every major road it crosses.

Requires the state to pay damages to land owners whose land has been severed by the Trans Texas Corridor.

"The changes we made in House Bill 2702 were important because we wanted to make sure that people's concerns were addressed," Krusee said.  "We worked with the Texas Farm Bureau, my colleagues in the House and the Senate, and listened to the citizens of Texas to make transportation better in our state."

Corridorwatch.com agrees.  "In the final hours CorridorWatch.org urged support and passage of HB2702," they said.¹

The bill, signed into law on June 14, 2005 by Governor Perry, contains limits on the power of the Texas Department of Transportation to condemn land.  "As the Corridor idea has moved closer to becoming a reality, I have heard the concerns expressed by some Texans about the vagueness in current law governing the Corridor,” Perry said. “HB 2702 will provide greater clarity and significant protections for property owners and ensure that they are treated fairly when the state must build new roads.”

The bill requires the Texas Department of Transportation to pay damages that stem from severing property. The law also severely limits the ability of TxDOT to extract groundwater from highway sites.

¹ Source:  Corridorwatch.com