US 82 widening a reality
Larry Fenoglio, right, helps some fellow residents of ringgold confirm which structures are “on the block” to be purchased and removed to allow for widening U.S. Hwy. 82 to four lanes.
By Tracy R. Mesler
You could divide the audience on Tuesday’s Highway 82 widening public hearing into two groups: land owners concerned about losing land and buildings to the 47-year-old project, and local government officials curious to see if the Texas Department of Transportation truly was going to uphold a promise first made to the county’s taxpayers in 1972.
And both groups got answers during the well-attended, but brief hearing as not a single person signed up to make public, verbal comments, instead opting to submit their comments in writing, or expressed individually to TxDOT officials and design team engineers one-on-one.
During an hour “discussion” period prior to the formal public hearing, TxDOT officials and representatives of the engineering firm contracted to design the widening project answered individual property owner’s questions in what appeared to be a legitimate effort to try and find “work-around” solutions to landowner concerns about ease of access and limitation of damages.
ps got answers during the well-attended, but brief hearing as not a single person signed up to make public, verbal comments, instead opting to submit their comments in writing, or expressed individually to TxDOT officials and design team engineers one-on-one.
During an hour “discussion” period prior to the formal public hearing, TxDOT officials and representatives of the engineering firm contracted to design the widening project answered individual property owner’s questions in what appeared to be a legitimate effort to try and find “work-around” solutions to landowner concerns about ease of access and limitation of damages.
For more about this long-awaited project, see this week’s edition of The Nocona News.