Private tollway near East Dallas draws public ire
TAKING A TOLL: The proposed alternatives for the Blacklands Tollway-Northeast Gateway Corridor in east Dallas.
By Terri Hall | WatchdogWire.com
The people have spoken and their will is clear. They do not want the proposed private Blacklands Tollway-Northeast Gateway corridor through Rockwall to Greenville in east Dallas.
A record capacity crowd of nearly 1,500 showed up Monday night to get their opposition to the controversial toll project on the record.
Landowners and concerned citizens voiced their opinions to the Texas Turnpike Corp. and the North Central Texas Council of Governments at a public meeting held in Rockwall that lasted until after midnight.
The initial public meeting took place on Sept. 4 in Lavon, but the fire marshal shut it down due an overcapacity crowd. They expected 250 and 500 showed up.
The majority of people spoke in opposition, primarily because a private corporation would wield the power of eminent domain for its private toll road that company documents show is projected to net $78 million in annual profits by 2035. Yet the company claimed it didn’t know how much profit the toll road was anticipated to make.
