Bill Would Strip Toll Corporation of Eminent Domain Power

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DALLAS - A bill introduced in the Texas House would strip a private toll road developer of its eminent domain authority after vocal opposition emerged to a proposed turnpike east of Dallas.

House Bill 565, introduced by State Rep. Cindy Burkett, R-Sunnyvale, targets the Texas Turnpike Corp., created before a 1991 law banned such companies and denied them powers of eminent domain.

In a note accompanying the bill, Burkett said her research staff could find no other company with the same authority as the Texas Turnpike Corp.

"They're the only private company that is currently able to do this kind of turnpike because they fall under grandfathered rights," Burkett said.

After years of looking for a viable route, the company proposed the so-called Blacklands Corridor outside of Dallas as an alternative to nearby Interstate 30. The company later renamed the project the Northeast Gateway.

In September, the North Central Texas Council of Governments, which funnels state and federal funds to projects in the region, held a public meeting in Rockwall.

The meeting, which discussed the private tollway, drew more than 1,200 people with opponents in the majority.

The NCTCOG reversed a recommendation to include the road in the region's long-term transportation plan.

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Transportation industry Texas
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