Ric Williamson dies

Texas' top transportation man has died. The decision-making landscape surely will never be the same.

Read about it HERE and HERE.

Comments

[Garl Boyd Latham]

Well...

I can't say I didn't want him to go away and leave my field of specialization alone. It's just that I wish his departure hadn't come at such an awful cost. My sincere sympathy is extended to his family and friends.

Mr. Williamson certainly won't be soon forgotten. As head of our Department of Transportation [a.k.a. "Highway Department"], he served as one the most virulent pro-road forces we've seen in ages, gaining infamy as Governor Rick Perry's champion for their Trans-Texas Corridor plan. Y'all remember that one: a proposal to parallel every major controlled-access roadway in the state with _another_ controlled-access roadway...in an effort to "reduce traffic congestion"!

Yeah.

Of course, Mr. Williamson _did_ promise that Texas' D.O.T. would study the need for intercity passenger train service (read: "high-speed rail") in 25 years. Therefore, under his "leadership," we'd have only had 24 more years to wait...for the _study_.

His sudden and (essentially) unexpected departure gives us the chance to change our course before its too late.