WOODVILLE – In a special-called meeting of the Tyler County Commissioners Court last Friday morning, the county’s governing body voted to reject both of the proposed routes for the Warren-Colmesneil relief route project.
The resolution, which is the commissioners’ word on the project, on behalf of the residents of the county, cites several factors as to why both of the currently proposed routes are unacceptable. Tyler County Judge Milton Powers read the resolution aloud, and concerns ranging from failure to adequately use the railroad right-of-way, which was long touted as the path of any project, to an unnecessary taking of homes, were spelled out in the document.
The impact to the county’s ad valorem tax base was also addressed, and that factor’s trickle-down effect on law enforcement and other services.
In addition to the resolution that rejects the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)’s two current projected route options, the commissioners also adopted a resolution of support on the suggested alternative route, which was mapped by Steve Pittman and Greg Adams.
That alternate route, which utilizes the railroad right-of-way, would affect 12 homes in total, across the county. With TxDOT’s two routes, at present, the eastern route, which uses the railroad route, which is already owned by the State of Texas, 60 homes and 46 other types of structures would be affected, and seven businesses. The other route, which would run to the west side of the county, would displace 15 homes.
The work done by Pittman and Adams to study and map the route alternative has come at no cost to the taxpayers.
The commissioners also accepted a donation of time and service from attorney Brad Elrod to complete and submit the suggested alternative proposal to TxDOT.
When the commissioners voted unanimously to approve the resolution, Pct. 1 Commissioner Joe Blacksher called the route “the most viable option for the people of Tyler County.”
“It’s still a bypass,” Blacksher said, but added that it would probably provide more options for businesses coming into Tyler County with the route.
Pittman said that he and Adams worked closely with each of the four commissioners to address concerns and to see what would potentially be affected within each respective precinct, and to best remedy any takings of land or homes.
During the public comments portion of the meeting, both Scott Yosko and Robert Smith spoke. Yosko, who served for more than 30 years as the Chief of Police for the City of Woodville, expressed concerns with the western route, by TxDOT’s proposal, as it pertains to emergency evacuation.
Yosko cited evacuation efforts during Hurricane Rita, which he worked, and said that a more efficient thoroughfare for this purpose would be the route using the railroad ROW.
Smith, who has developed commercial real estate throughout the state, and owned property in the county for three years, said he did not believe the validity of TxDOT’s numbers, as far as the potential number of cars passing through Colmesneil, Woodville and Warren at present and the projections for 2027.
He said that one number that was alarming was if the bypass route went west of Woodville and if 28,500 cars per day bypassed the city, the impact to the city’s budget, from sales tax revenue alone, could be in excess of $4.2 million per year.
Smith also cited “tremendous” environmental impacts to wetlands if that route were utilized, and how that issue would likely double TxDOT’s budget for the project.
Smith also congratulated the commissioners on their work ethic and praised the efforts of Rep. Brian Babin, who was present at the last commissioners’ workshop on the project, and voiced concerns.
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