Representative John Otto gets SH 146 back on TxDOT schedule
Big Thicket Messenger - January 2008

Today, Representative John Otto announced the once postponed TxDOT project to widen State Highway 146 has been put back on its original timetable.

Representative Otto originally secured the 21 million dollar funding from TxDOT for this project during his first few months in office in 2005 citing the safety of commuters and the need for a better hurricane evacuation route for this region. (There were 35 deaths recorded between Dayton and Mont Belvieu during an 11-year period on State Highway 146, and it took some drivers 12-14 hours to get from Seabrook to Dayton when being evacuated for Hurricane Rita).

“When I was told in December the project had been postponed by TxDOT due to lack of funds in this fiscal year, I knew I could not let that happen,” said Representative Otto. “The widening of SH 146 simply means too much to the safety of the people who travel that road, and as Hurricane Rita showed us, it fails miserably as a hurricane evacuation route.”

Representative Otto said he immediately started making the necessary phone calls to see what could be done. “Fortunately, my position on the House Appropriations Committee has enabled me to develop some really good working relationships with the state leaders I knew had a say in this process,” said Otto. “And after phone calls to those elected leaders and officials at TxDOT, we were able to get this project back on schedule – which means the project will be let in April or May and the first turning of dirt could be as early as this Summer.”

“I especially want to thank Ned Holmes, Commissioner of the Texas Transportation Commission, Amadeo Saenz, Executive Director of TxDOT, John Barton, District Engineer of Beaumont TxDOT District, and Speaker Tom Craddick for their leadership and assistance, for realizing the importance of this project, and for understanding how much it means to the safety of our citizens. Getting the widening of SH 146 back on schedule was truly a team effort.”