The Equalizer
Sabine District Transportation Club
Member of Traffic Clubs International
Please keep our troops and their families in your thoughts and prayers.
Volume 10 Issue 02, February 2010 S.D.T.C., PO Box 20103, Beaumont, TX 77720
Mark Sheppard
Texas Department of Transportation - Guest Speaker
March 9, 2010 11:30 am luncheon at the Cattle Company
Mark is the editor of the Beaumont TX DOT blog, The Center Lane. If you haven’t visited the local web site, you are missing a lot of great local information. You can reach the web site by entering: www.txdot.beaumont.blogspot.com
The Beaumont District is comprised of Jefferson, Chambers, Hardin, Orange, Tyler, Newton, Jasper, and Liberty Counties. TxDOT is responsible for maintaining more than 5500 lane miles of interstate, US highways, state highways, farm-to-market roads, and ranch-to-market roads. The department is not responsible for city or county highways or streets. The Beaumont District is part of Texas' vast transportation system comprised of approximately 80,000 miles of highway.
Some of the topics Mark will covering at our meeting will be:
. IH-10 Project
. Veteran Memorial Bridge issues
. High speed rail in Texas
. Future projects for the area
. Traffic in and around the Ports in Jefferson CountyReservation Form for March 9, 2010 Luncheon
Please make reservations for ___ persons at $17.50/ea.
Check is attached (___)
Bill me (___)
Will pay at the door (___)
Signed____________________________________
Date _________________
Firm_______________________________________
Phone________________
Address______________________________________________
Clip and mail to S.D.T.C., PO Box 20103, Beaumont, TX.
77720, fax (409) 842-5154, Ph (409) 350-7017 Gene Landry, (409) 791-3255 Joe Ochoa, or Sherry Eckerle (409) 791-3259.
You can also e-mail your reservations to: Sherry.Eckerle@sbcglobal.net or make them from the web site.
Please keep in mind that all reservations/cancellations must be made by 3:00 pm on Friday before the event or there will be a no-show billing.
2010-2011 Committees:
Annual Shrimp Boil: Joe Ochoa-Chairman, Mike Garza, Gene Landry
All Board Members & Officers
Attendance & Telephone: Sherry Eckerle, Lane Olson, Chris Popjoy
Auditing & Budget: Gene Landry
Education/Scholarship: Mike Garza, Joe Ochoa, Gene Landry
Golf Outings: Bubba Metz, Gene Landry
Historian, TCI Affairs & Publicity: Sherry Eckerle, Chris Popjoy, Seth Farris
House & Reception: Sherry Eckerle
Membership: Lane Olsen, Gene Landry, Jason Brooks
National Transportation Week: Sherry Eckerle, Chris Popjoy, Gene Landry, Jason Brooks
Fish & Shrimp Fry: Sherry Eckerle,
Program & Entertainment: Gene Landry, Danny Schnautz, Joe Ochoa, Mike Garza, Jason Brooks
It is time to start making reservations for the Shrimp Boil!
Cost: $25/person
Change of location:
Elk’s Lodge
11431 Highway 90 North
Beaumont, Texas 77713
(409) 866-4318
You can call any Officer or Board member to make your reservations. You may call our secretary/treasurer, Sherry Eckerle, at (409) 791-3259; you can fax your reservation request to (409) 842-5154 or make your reservation from the web site.
Upcoming Events:
March 9 – Mark Sheppard, Guest Speaker
Cattle Company 11:30 am
April 13 – Annual Shrimp Boil
Elks Lodge,11431 Highway 90 N,
Beaumont, Texas 77713
(gates open at 5:30 pm)
May 11 – NTW Week Mayoral Proclamation
NTW Person of the year award
NTW Raffle drawing
Spring Golf Outing (TBA)
Golf Outing awards dinner (TBA)
NTW-National Transportation Week
Web Site Update: To reach the web site from the Internet: http://www.txsdtc.org
To retrieve the Equalizer from the server: http://www.txsdtc.org/equalizer/february2010/ or from the web site: txsdtc.org
Board Meeting Announcements:
There will be a short Board of Director’s meeting on
March 9, 2010 at 11:00 am.
We are currently seeking prizes and donations for our NTW raffle. If you would like to make a donation, have an idea, or could help the committee members with obtaining some really great prizes for the fund raiser, please contact Gene Landry 350-7017, Joe Ochoa at 791-3255 or Sherry Eckerle at 791-3259.
Your assistance is greatly appreciated!
NTW raffle drawing is scheduled for May 11, 2010 following the golf outing.
Hats off to our president, Joe Ochoa for another successful year, 2009-2010!
Our 2010-2011
President, Gene Landry of Briggs Equipment
Also, a special thanks to Danny Schnautz from TCI for installing our 2010-2011 officers & Board of Directors!
The 2010-2011
Officers and Board of Directors
The crowd had fun!
Did You Know? Editor: Sherry Eckerle
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT, pronounced "tex-dot") is a governmental agency in the U.S. state of Texas. Its stated mission is to "work cooperatively to provide safe, effective and efficient movement of people and goods"[2] throughout the state. Though the public face of the agency is generally associated with the construction and maintenance of the state's immense highway system (every mile of which is paved), the agency is also responsible for overseeing aviation[3], rail[4], and public transportation[5] systems in the state.
At one time TxDOT also administered vehicle registration[6]; however this function transferred to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, a newly-created state agency which began operations in November 2009.[7]
The Texas Legislature created the Texas Highway Department in 1917 to administer federal highway construction and maintenance. In 1975, its responsibilities increased when the agency merged with the Texas Mass Transportation Commission, to form the State Department of Highways and Public Transportation.
In 1986 the department started using "Don't Mess with Texas" as its slogan to reduce littering on Texas roadways, as part of a statewide advertising campaign. The phrase was prominently shown on road signs on major highways, as well as in television, radio and print advertisements. The slogan is still in use and remains very popular.
In 1991, the Legislature combined the State Department of Highways and Public Transportation, the Department of Aviation and the Texas Motor Vehicle Commission to create the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).
In 1997 the pre-existing Texas Turnpike Authority (TTA) was divided into two successor agencies: the North Texas Tollway Authority took responsibility for TTA assets in four north Texas counties, while the Turnpike Authority Division of Texas DOT was given jurisdiction over toll facilities in the rest of the state.[10]
The agency is headquartered in the Dewitt C. Greer Building at 125 East 11th Street in Austin, Texas.[8]
TxDOT is one of the state's largest departments in terms of the number of subordinate offices – it maintains 25 geographical districts throughout the state. The large number of departments is needed due to the large size of the state, the widely varying climate and soil conditions affecting public roads, and the differing needs of the local populace (urban vs. suburban vs. rural). Each district, managed by a district engineer, is responsible for the design, location, construction and maintenance of its area transportation systems. Local field offices within districts are known as area offices, and many districts also have separate maintenance offices, usually on a county-by-county basis. Functional divisions and offices headquartered in Austin provide administrative and technical support to the districts.
Houston TX DOT Bldg.