Some People Still Prefer CINTRA Over NTTA... OLE!

This past Monday's 27-10 vote by the Regional Transportation Council in favor of the NTTA bid for construction and maintenance of State Highway 121 over that of Spanish consortium CINTRA was largely symbolic. The Texas Transportation Commission still has the final say in who receives the bid, and they may go against this vote next week.

As a Texan, I am unhappy that some people in North Texas seem to blindly follow the recommendation that we outsource everything to foreign corporations, a.k.a. "public-private partnerships." Maybe they enjoy paella. Maybe they like bullfighting. I am not really sure, but if it were me, I would choose the local government entity who is offering more money over the private investment group from Europe.

There isn't a verified, official list of people that voted against the NTTA, but an unofficial one can be found here, from Lauri Weiss and Faith Chatham. Public comments elsewhere lend credence, as well as a reminder that this non-binding decision may come undone.