(Courtesy of TxDOT)
The public meeting that was scheduled for Thursday to discuss the Gaston-Garland-Grand intersection has been postponed until after the new year.
According to Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the meeting received enough attention to warrant a new date and location. The parking and interior space at Mount Auburn Elementary were deemed insufficient to host the expected crowd, and with all the interest from the public, elected officials and the requisite schedule coordination, the meeting isn’t expected to happen until 2018.
The public meeting will be an informal gathering where residents can look at the plans and file written comments. There will not be a formal presentation, nor will there be a public question and answer session. Neighbors will be able to view the schematics and ask questions in a one-on-one setting with TxDOT officials and design consultants. Residents have 15 days following the meeting to submit written comments, which will then enter the public record.
Previous meetings have been only for those whose property directly abuts the intersection, but the meetings moving forward will be for the general public.
In the public meetings and official hearings that follow, and the comments of residents, neighborhood associations, elected officials and other groups will be taken into consideration as the new plan moves forward. The intersection is as complicated politically as it is for traffic, with the border of three City Council districts, two state representatives and two US Congress representatives bordering the area.
No date or location has been set for the rescheduled meeting, but it will be posted when the decisions are made.
