So...What do you think?

Got an opinion? Everyone does and TxDOT wants to hear it!

First, the loooooong version:

For the next several weeks, Texans will have the opportunity to provide suggestions to improve the way their transportation system is planned. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is asking for comments on revisions to department transportation planning and programming rules in Title 43 of the Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 15.

The request will be posted in the Texas Register on March 19. On July 30, 2009, the Texas Transportation Commission created the Transportation Planning and Project Development Rulemaking Advisory Committee made up of 11 representatives from
metropolitan planning organizations, local government, transit organizations, tolling authorities and the Federal Highway Administration.

The department and the advisory committee have been working on development of draft rules in order to establish a comprehensive transportation planning and project development program that is transparent, well-defined and understandable. Information gathered from public comments in response to the Texas Register Notice will assist in development of those rules.

Following this pre-review comment period, TxDOT and the advisory committee will present draft rules to the Texas Transportation Commission for its consideration, with final approval likely later this year.

The latest version of the draft planning and programming rules may be viewed on the TxDOT website, www.txdot.gov/public_involvement/public_comment/planning_programming_input.htm.

Comments will be accepted until 5 p.m. on April 19.

The short version....

We need your opinions and thoughts into making the transportation planning process easier to understand. The results will be put together in a request to send to the Texas Transportation Commission, the group that oversees TxDOT's projects and policies.

Here in the Beaumont District, we have set a tentative date of May 13. We'll post more details in early April.

Happy Driving,
Marc S.

Easy Money!!!

Looking for a way to earn some quick and easy cash? Check out TxDOT's Don't Mess with Texas essay contest.

Texas high school seniors can earn cash for college by composing a 350-word essay suggesting additional ways to help fight litter.

Dow Chemical Company is partnering with Keep Texas Beautiful to sponsor the 2010 Don’t Mess with Texas Scholarship Program. High school seniors are encouraged to submit essays explaining how they tackled a litter-related problem in their own school or community. The grand-prize winner will receive $3,000 for college tuition, while two second-place winners will receive $1,000 each.

“Here at Dow, we know that ensuring the health and sustainability of our environment takes a commitment from everyone, but particularly our youth,” said Community Relations Manager Trish Ritthaler. “We’re proud to sponsor a program that encourages high school seniors to come up with great ideas for litter prevention while enabling the winners to get support in furthering their educations.”

The Texas Department of Transportation spends millions of dollars each year to pick up litter along Texas highways, and research shows those most likely to litter are young Texans.

“If you don’t tolerate litter, and if you’ve ever done something about it, you have a great shot at winning,” said Doris Howdeshell, Travel Information Division director for the Texas Department of Transportation, which manages the Don’t Mess with Texas Scholarship Program.

Eligible high school seniors must plan to pursue a two- or four-year degree at a Texas university or college. Essays must be 350 words or less and will be accepted starting March 8. Apply online, download an application, and view complete rules at DontMessWithTexas.org.

For more information, make sure to check out www.DontMessWithTexas.org.

Marc S.

National Work Zone Memorial visits Beaumont

Here's a mind-numbing statistic few people talk about.

In the past five years:
-- 4,400 people died in work zone wrecks.
-- 200,000 others were injured.

Work zones are dangerous places. It's where the unexpected can happen--and often does. Stopped vehicles, workers, heavy machinery and sudden changes in traffic make it all the more reason drivers need to pay very careful attention in work zones. It's just the nature of highway construction.

Remembering those motorists...and workers...killed in work zones sparked the National Work Zone Memorial. The memorial lists 1,336 names of motorists, pedestrians and construction workers who lost their lives in work zone wrecks.

293 were from Texas.

The Texas Department of Transportation, Representative Joe Deshotel, and transportation partners, the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) and construction contractor CH2M Hill, sponsored the 20-foot national memorial wall trip to Beaumont. It's part of a national tour which includes five stops in the Lone Star State.

While the 2010 National Work Zone Awareness Week will be held in mid-April, TxDOT is getting an early start reminding motorists that safety isn't a once a year event. It's an every day awareness.

While the national memorial has moved on to other parts of the nation, make sure to stop by the Beaumont District's main office on Eastex Freeway. The district has a permanent memorial to those workers killed in work zones.

Drive Safe,
Marc S

Are you being scamed? Maybe not.....

Believe it or not, some folks still fall for the Nigerian Internet scam. You know the one. Send them your bank account number and they're ready to dump $12 million into your account.

The moral to the story is: If it sounds fishy, then it probably is.

However, some things that sound a bit fishy really are quite legit. Take, for instance, TxDOT's Work Place Survey. Later this month, some visitors to certain Beaumont and Port Arthur area businesses may soon be asked to take part of a survey concerning their travel habits.

The goal is to help local and state officials in deciding where new roads and/or transit services should be located, what existing roads and transit routes should be improved, and which highway projects being considered of the next few years will be the greatest benefit for motorists.

All of this is completely voluntary. Nobody will ask you for money...or your bank account. We just want to get ideas for transportation. And what a better way to find out than to ask real, live people!

The survey is in cooperation with the South East Texas Regional Planning Commission. Similar studies have been conducted in Austin, Lubbock, Tyler, El Paso, San Antonio, the Rio Grande Valley and numerous other cities around the State.

Happy Driving,
Marc S.