Discussion on a Truck Relief Route in Dumas, Texas

Gus Khankarli, TxDOT Director of Transportation, Planning and Development and Justin Willis, City Commissioner of Dumas, Texas

Joint Commission Meeting between County Commissioners and City Commissioners with TxDot representives.

City Commissioners and County Commissioners met in a Joint Commission meeting at the Moore County Courthouse on Tuesday, May 26, 2015.

Lynn Cartrite began the meeting by asking Gus Khankarli who is the TxDot Director of Transportation, Planning and Development to explain what the options are with a Truck Relief Route.  Gus Khankarli had copies of a Fact Sheet on the I-27 corridor plan.  TXDot Website with information On I-27 Corridor

Fact Sheets on the I-27 Corridor These links were referred to in the conversation at May 26, 2015 Joint Commission meeting.

$5.4 million dollars was set aside by the Federal Government in 2005 to do an environment study on where a relief route would work the best.  This money is earmark for Dumas only and will not be used anywhere else unless an act of Congress moves it.  The buying power of $5.4 million dollars in today world is not as much as it was in 2005.  If the community decides to do the study then TxDot has to come up with more money to do the study.  If the community doesn’t want the study the $5.4 million dollars stays on the books and doesn’t go anywhere.  The catch here is once these funds are activated then the relief route will happen.  TxDot will have to answer to Austin as to what is being done on the project.

TxDot wants to try to work with this community on their prefer location of a relief route.  The study will look at the community preferred option along with other options that TxDot thinks will work.  If the community option works the best they will go with the community’s choice.

Gus Khankarli emphasized repeatedly that this project is up to the community to decide.  He also repeatedly stated that this is a Federal fund that has been earmarked for Dumas only and that TxDot is willing to work with us on a preferred exit.

Mike Running, Dumas EDC Director, commented, “Something has got to happen but at the same token we don’t have to do anything today.”  “At least today start something were we can start saying, we better start pocketing half our sales tax revenues at today and any excess over that point let’s start putting aside, so that we can start acquiring property saving for utility infrastructure, planning growth, determining where that growth is going to be.  That takes time.  But to simply say lets launch this thing.  In three years we’re done with the study and then we go with portion of the construction and then they sat there because they don’t have funding and we have to wait for more funding.  That doesn’t help us in determining where we need to go.  We will not have the money in five years to do this stuff to accommodate development.”  Mike went on to say that we can say we want exits here and here but the job of TxDot is to do the study to see if that is possible.  What will be the answer once the study is done?  It may not be where the community wants it to be because the job of TxDot is to make sure traffic flows without impediment.

This meeting was a fact finding meeting and no action was taken.  There are still questions and there is a group of leaders that will visit further with Austin.