(www.timesrecordnews.com)
Now that the concept of the Trans-Texas Corridor has been dropped in favor of less ambitious road projects across the state, some North Texas leaders are thinking about the future of U.S. 281 as a more viable route through the state. But none of those leaders is ready to predict the highway from San Antonio through Wichita Falls (and on to Oklahoma City as Interstate 44) is on a fast track for improvements.

The idea of turning the picturesque highway through Hill Country into a major four-lane thoroughfare has bounced around for years, and it was most recently promoted when the Texas Transportation Commission met in Wichita Falls in August.

Both State Rep. David Farabee, D-Wichita Falls, and County Judge Woody Gossom brought it up to the commissioners who oversee highway projects.

Gossom said the abandonment of the Trans Texas Corridor concept “might give us room to think about four-laneing U.S. 281.”

He believes it would alleviate the overload on Interstate 35, which runs roughly parallel to U.S. 281 through East Texas. Gossom pointed out the route is 17 miles longer, “but two hours closer.”

“But for some reason we can’t get the highway commission to look at it,” he said.

Some communities formed a Highway 281 Project several years ago to promote the route, but the effort is largely dormant now.

“Widening of 281 would require a more unified effort by communities between Wichita Falls and Marble Falls, and at this point there is not much energy put to that cause,” Farabee said Thursday.

He and Gossom said the communities along the route would have to foot a substantial part of the bill, and not all communities like the idea, fearing an improved U.S. 281 might go around them rather than through their business districts as the present route does.

Other obstacles to the project in the near future include constraints on infrastructure spending because of the economic turndown and scrutiny of the practices of the Texas Department of Transportation by Legislature’s Sunset Advisory Commission, which called TxDOT “a mess.”

U.S. 281, which many North Texans prefer as a route to Austin and San Antonio, has seen some improvements in recent years. Gossom said about 140 miles of the stretch has become four-lane road, and Farabee said portions have been turned into “super two-lanes.” Those are stretches where an extra lane is added to give motorists a chance to safely pass slower vehicles.

Lewis Simmons, chief of staff to State Sen. Craig Estes, R-Wichita Falls, said Estes is open to improvement of U.S. 281 “as a concept,” but the mind-set of the state is to follow the I-35 corridor.

“We’ve got to figure out a way to fix clogs in major cities,” Simmons said.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who has been critical of TxDOT’s lack of transparency in its operations, said the agency has made improvements.

He recommends increasing the agency’s budget by nearly $2 billion over the next three years.

The Trans-Texas Corridor concept died under withering public criticism, but the re-tooled emphasis of TxDOT is still focused on East Texas and projects like the Interstate 69 project to run from Texarkana to Laredo or the Rio Grande Valley.

So, North Texas leaders are not willing to wager U.S. 287 will see a substantial portion of the state’s highway spending.