Traffic News

TxDOT seeks your 2 cents about I-345 freeway in downtown Dallas

Should it stay or should it go.

Photo courtesy of Christopher Mann

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is hosting meetings to hear what people want to do about Interstate 345, the stretch of highway on the east side of downtown Dallas that extends from I-30 to Woodall Rogers Freeway.

TxDOT is at the beginning of a process of conducting a feasibility study, which will analyze all the alternatives. That process is expected to take place over the next two years. It starts with these meetings.

A spokesperson says that the agency is completely open to all suggestions, with no restriction on ideas.

So far, four plans have been floated:

Remove it completely
Rebuild it so that it's below street level like US-75
Get rid of some of the on ramps to reduce its profile on surface streets
Leave it alone

But if you have other input on the future of I-345, now's the time to speak up.

The meetings will be held in an "open house" format, with maps showing the location as well as info about how they're going to approach the study. Representatives from TxDOT and project consultants will be available to answer questions.

Coalition For a New Dallas, a group advocating the removal of I-345, calls this an opportunity to rebuild Dallas' urban core. They say that replacing I-345 with boulevards, and transforming the surrounding 245 acres into a mixed-income, mixed-use neighborhood will generate jobs, create affordable housing, and improve the quality of life.

The opposition is less organized, but protests the loss of freeway access for vehicles wanting to cut across town.

The meetings are as follows:

Tuesday December 3, 6-8 pm: CityPlace Conference Center (Lakewood Room) at 2711 N. Haskell Ave. The presentation takes place at 7 pm. Parking for self-park is complimentary and will be validated with a parking ticket.

Thursday December 5, 10 am-8 pm. Sheraton Dallas Hotel ballroom at 400 N. Olive St. Presentations will be held at 12 noon, 4:30 pm, and 7 pm. Parking for self-park is complimentary and will be validated with a parking ticket.

If you can't make the meetings but have something to say, you can submit written comments. You can submit them in person at the public meetings, or by mail to TxDOT Dallas District Office, ATTN: Mr. Travis Campbell, P.E., TxDOT Project Manager, 4777 E. Highway 80, Mesquite, Texas 75150-6643. You can also email at 345study@txdot.gov.

Written comments must be postmarked by Friday, December 20, 2019 to be included in the public meeting documentation.

Animal News

Wills Point, Texas man charged with cruelty for abandoning 18 animals

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Lucas Wayne Penrod, charged with animal cruelty

Another animal cruelty case has emerged from Van Zandt County, resulting in the arrest of a Wills Point man: Lucas Wayne Penrod was charged with Cruelty to Nonlivestock Animals, a 3rd degree felony.

It began on Friday, October 24, when the Wills Point Police Department performed a welfare check at a mobile home within the city limits. Officers became concerned when they heard multiple dogs barking along with a foul odor of animal waste.

On October 25, after obtaining a search warrant, Wills Point PD and the SPCA of Texas ACI Unit entered the residence and found multiple animals living in deplorable conditions.

The mobile home was filled with trash and animal feces. The team discovered a total of 8 cats, 2 guinea pigs, 4 adult dogs, and 4 puppies, cruelly confined to the unsanitary living conditions on the property.

Two dogs were confined to filthy crates with no access to water.
Three puppies were in a small bathroom covered in urine and feces; one of the puppies was deceased and decomposing.
The guinea pigs were found in a cage without access to food or water.

Most of the animals showed signs of long-term neglect and were in dire need of urgent medical intervention. The animals were seized by the SPCA of Texas and transported to the organization's Dallas location for veterinary care.

Dog in cage Wills Point Lucas Wayne Penrod Dog abandoned in Wills Point by Lucas Wayne Penrod.SPCA

On October 26, Lucas Wayne Penrod, the owner of the animals, contacted an SPCA of Texas Investigator regarding the animals. The Investigator determined that Penrod had unlawfully allegedly abandoned the animals, failing to provide them with proper care, resulting in the death of one of the puppies and the critical state of the surviving animals.

On October 28, the SPCA of Texas Animal Cruelty Investigations (ACI) Unit obtained an arrest warrant for Penrod, who was apprehended by Tyler Police Department and booked into the Smith County Jail with a $50K bond. Penrod was charged with Cruelty to Nonlivestock Animals, a 3rd degree felony.

On November 1, at a civil custody hearing at the Van Zandt County Justice of the Peace Precinct 3 courthouse in Wills Point, Penrod relinquished custody of the 18 allegedly abandoned, cruelly treated animals to the SPCA.

"The squalid conditions these beautiful animals were living in were abhorrent--locked in spaces without food or water, in their own excrement," said SPCA of Texas ACI Unit Chief Investigator Courtney Burns, CAWA. "This is some of the worst mistreatment of domestic animals I've seen in my extensive career in animal cruelty investigations. In no small part, these pets owe their lives to the Wills Point Police Department. If it wasn’t for their quick thinking to involve us right away, I don't think the animals would have made it."

"This case perfectly illustrates the team effort that investigating and prosecuting animal cruelty cases in Texas is," Burns added. "We are extremely thankful to the Tyler Police Department for their efficient assistance in apprehending Penrod so that he can be brought to justice in the timeliest manner possible. And we are especially grateful to the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office and court system with whom we continue to partner to get justice for abused animals in their jurisdiction."