About 1,500 people filled the meeting room at the Frank W. Mayborn Civic and Convention Center in Temple Wednesday night for a public hearing on the proposed Trans-Texas Corridor. The majority present were opposed to the project according to a show of hands requested by one speaker.

State Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn, independent candidate for governor, called it the “largest land grab in Texas history” and a “$184 billion boondoggle”. Strayhorn told the gathering the corridor “needs to be blasted off the bureaucratic books.”

The Trans-Texas Corridor is planned as a network of transportation paths with different lanes separating trucks and cars. It also includes high-speed passenger and freight rails and a dedicated utility zone.

Bell County Judge Jon Burrows was welcomed with boos from the audience. He supports following through on I-35 improvement projects.
Burrows proposed the width of the corridor be narrowed and fair compensation be provided to landowners in the path of the project.

Temple Mayor Bill Jones told the group he supports the Trans-Texas Corridor and favors the high-speed rail proposals.

Another public hearing will be held Thursday night in Rockdale. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Knights of Columbus Hall, 655 U.S. 79 E.