More Members of the Public Speak Out Against Bypass Plan
Fayette County Commissioners Court heard more opposition to the proposed Hwy. 77 Bluff Bypass at their meeting last Thursday, Aug. 8.
Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) proposed a new route for US 77 back in April. The new route would lie to the west of the current US 77 alignment. The state would have to acquire more than 150 acres of rightof- way through what is now private property.
TxDOT has said it wants support from the Commissioners Court and the La Grange City Council before proceeding with the plan. For several weeks now, citizens who live in the path of the proposed new highway have been petitioning both bodies to withhold support.
Patrick McClaugherty, who owns property on FM 609 in the path of the proposed bypass, said his wife has gathered information about the properties that will be affected by the project.
“Of all the properties on the west option that are either touched or crossed by this project, the market value of these properties is north of $26 million,” McClaugherty said. “The properties next to those properties, to the side of the project, are in excess of $20 million as well. We pay taxes to enjoy the solitude of our properties, our vistas. It stands to reason that if a highway goes through that, the market value is going to crash.”
McClaugherty said the project could negatively impact property tax revenue for Fayette County.
“If we do this, there’s a repercussion when it comes to dollars and cents,” Mc-Claugherty said.
Kathy Schenck also spoke out against the bypass.
“According to TxDOT, 180 crashes occurred there in five years, from 2015 to 2010, and 104 involved commercial trucks,” she said. “In five years there were 11 fatalities and 22 serious injuries. According to TxDOT maps, accidents occurred as much around Hwy. 71 and FM 609 and Interstate 10 in Schulenburg. Accidents are scattered around Fayette County, not just around the Bluff. Do these safety stats really warrant this size of a project – $303 million for one area? How much will you spend on these opther accident-prone areas? What is the acceptable level of accidents?”
Schenck also spoke about the impact to land and agriculture if the bypass project goes forward. She also questioned whether TxDOT allocated enough money to pay true market value for the right-ofway.
“Entire parcels will have to be bought out since no one will able to live or work on the leftover pieces after the right-of-way,” she said. “A very low percentage, maybe 15 percent of property value, was allocated in this proposal for the right-of-way. Would you sell your property for 15 percent of its value?”
The Commissioners Court was scheduled to hold a special meeting on Monday, Aug. 12. One of the items on the agenda for that meeting involves the bypass project. The agenda for that meeting says the court will hold a “discussion concerning proposed Highway 77 and take any action the court deems necessary.”
Look for more on that meeting in Friday’s paper.