Transportation News, Volume 25, Number 9, May 2000 Page: 11
16 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 41 x 29 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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May 2000 flansportatlon News 11
Members of the Texas Transportation Commission join TxDOT officials to cut the ribbon officially opening
the Texas Travel Information Center in Anthony. The center greets visitors coming into Texas on Interstate
10 from New Mexico.
Anthony site of newy constructed
Texas Travel Information CenterBy Linda Levitt
Travel Division
X ith its red tile roofs, lime-
stone walls and native
plants, the new Texas
Travel Information Center at
Anthony offers a warm Texas greet-
ing to motorists entering the state on
Interstate 10 from New Mexico.
Transportation Commission mem-
bers and local dignitaries including 4,
state and local elected officials cut
the ribbon to open the new center on
Feb 23.
"We are enjoying our beautiful
new facility," said Lucia Cordova,
manager of the information center.
"The staff has already begun giving
presentations to visitors and school
groups in our newly created video Ed Wueste,
viewing room. Visitors are incredibly portatlon, ii
complimentary and comment often attend the i
on the beauty of the center." A - mo
At 7,275 square feet, the new
information center features a larger parking area,
larger lobby, and additional restrooms. The spa-
cious, light interior is designed with oak wood-
work, granite floors, limestone walls and an
exposed truss. Red tile roofs, limestone and other
construction materials were selected to fit a
Southwestern vernacular design motif. Eight pic-
nic arbors reflect the design of the building.
The center was designed by Alvidrez and
Associates of El Paso. Contractor on the project
was Urban Associates Inc., also of El Paso.
Landscape architects Alexander Boedy Associates
used indigenous plants on the center grounds,
including Mexican oregano, coreoposis, skull cap
and blue sage surrounding the building. In addi-
tion to the environmental advantages of xeriscap-
ing, the plants selected provide visitors with an
array of species they may see in the desert.
TxDOT's 12 Texas Travel Information Centers
are located at major points of entry to the state and
at the Capitol Complex Visitor Center in Austin.
Professional travel counselors greet visitors, provideassistant executive director for Border Trade Trans-
ft, and TxDOT Executive Director Wes Heald, right,
recent opening of a new travel information center in
them with routing and road condition information,
distribute travel literature and maps, and issue
oversize/overweight permits and temporary licens-
es.
Counselors serve as goodwill ambassadors for
Texas and are often the first Texans to greet visi-
tors. In 1999, the Travel Information Center at
Anthony served more than 150,000 visitors.
During the Texas Centennial celebration in
1936, information centers were established to greet
visitors at major points of entry to the state,
including Canutillo. In 1961, the information cen-
ter was relocated to Anthony, where a 2,145 square
foot facility was constructed. That facility will be
demolished to accommodate new interstate high-
way construction.
As the capital improvement plan for the Texas
Travel Information Centers comes to a close, four
more dedications are scheduled, beginning with
the Travel Information Center at Orange on May
12. Travel counselors have already moved into the
spacious new facility at Orange. *BEAMING
Dallas District project
becomes birthday gift
for TxDOT enthusiast
By Montrose Cunningham
Dallas District
When highways are closed
for construction, the average
motorist finds another route.
Rarely is anyone drawn to a
TxDOT work zone.
But Gary Grant, project
manager of construction of the
Texas 183/161 Interchange in
Irving, found just such a per-
son.
After See letter,
hearing her page 15
father
express interest in the project,
part of which involved hanging
steel beams over the highway,
Dallas resident Beth Ann
O'Neill decided to give her
father an unusual birthday gift.
She and her siblings decided
to get a hotel room for their
parents near the project so their
father could watch construc-
tion.
O'Neill contacted Grant to
find out when they would be
doing major work. Grant, a
TxDOT employee for more
than 20 years, said he was sur-
prised by the request.
"He was really interested in
seeing how we hung the steel
beams that went over the traffic
lanes," Grant said. "So I kept
in contact with her so I could
let her know when we would be
doing that work and even sug-
gested some hotels that would
have the best view."
The first time the work was
canceled because of inclement
weather. The second time,
O'Neill's father couldn't make
it, but a lot of other people did.
"There were a lot of people
that pulled into the empty field
near the site to watch us hang
the beams," Grant said.
Persistence paid off, however.
O'Neill's father was finally able
to make it.
"Unfortunately I was so busy
that day I didn't even get a
chance to meet him," said
Grant. "But Ms. O'Neill wrote
a letter to (District Engineer)
Jay Nelson expressing her
appreciation for my help."
Although Grant appreciates
the praise, he said, helping resi-
dents is just another part of his
job.
"I know the work we do on
the roadway is very hard on the
traveling public," he said. "I
like to help people and if I can
take a step further to make
someone happy and have them
look upon the department
favorably then I will."*31
May 2000
Transportation News
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Texas. Department of Transportation. Transportation News, Volume 25, Number 9, May 2000, periodical, May 2000; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth576386/m1/11/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.