Talk:Texas State Highway 360

The information below is verified by the city of Mansfield, Texas records, One of the Landowners family John Harmon( contact email LakeWhitney@Windstream.net ) donated 10,000 of thousands of dollars in right -of way to the Texas Dept. Of T. is of public record. There where many donations to achieve the 59% agreed order as agreed to achieve the requirement stated by an old order of record. The 59% was required before TXDOT moved forward. The movement was of a very small group for at least 6 months before the city of Mansfield, Texas was involved meeting about once a week at the Arlington Chamber Of Commerce. John Harmon ,Larry Durbin, Tom Vandergriff( past US Congressman, Mayor of Arlington TX, Tarrant County Judge , Tom Tanner of Lomas D. AND REPS. from Grand Prairie, Dean Dolly of the Arlington Chamber . The " Group " in the beginning started with John Harmon 5th generation of Mansfield, Texas and Larry Durbin of Arlington and transformed to about 6+/- hard core members . This work was unpaid and saved millions of dollars in land donations that id not have to be purchased and is well known that without the 59 % donations SH360, Phase 1,2, and 3 would have not been build to a much later date . The cost to the cities of Mansfield , Grand Prairie and Arlington Texas was $500,000 +/- which 'bargain$ " is used as lack of of a better word .John harmon helped secure majority of the fraam land donations , some of the donations where a percent of total needed land for right- of -way. A portion of Private Land Owners donated part of right -of -way and paid for a a percent $. The 360/287 interchange is an example ; John Harmon with Dean Dolly present secured the donations of the 360/287 interchange at a reduced pay -out that saved $1,000,000+/-on this track of land alone. John Harmons grandfather ( John Henry harmon ) ran a Cotton Gin ( Britton, Texas ) in the late 1960s in the area and father( Wayne Harmon was a cotton broker) and John Harmon in reference in this information worked at the cotton gin after school in the fall of each year ) thus knew most of the land owners and or who owned most of the property from I-20 to the US287/SH360 interchange . In fact the majority of John Harmons relatives that have passed on are buried at St. Paul Cemetery walking distant from the SH360/US287 Interchange . The " Trust " from landowners to John Harmon regarding that SH360 would be build after achieving the 59% donations was a major factor in this endeavor... this seems incredible that credit of some sort at lease to John Harmon Grand Mother that donated land and did not live to see there project be build with little to no gain $? . It is noted by public record that highly trusted information was in the hands of an citizen ( John Harmon ) and kept quite. Perhaps giving credit to the main= John Harmon and Larry Durbin would take away credit ? Yes, Fully Understand, eminent domain and was used in almost every property in a non- aggressive manner. The land owners for the most part where educated in the 59% required donations and without 59%, not 58% ... this is what was needed to achieve the unique TXDOT Minute Order agreed to and sighed between the cities that would gain form SH360, this order was created at least 20 years before SH360 was put back on track by John Harmon and Larry Durbin. Harmon developed relations with local, state, Federal elected and non- elected persons. Sources : TXDOT, Fort Worth District , City Manager of Mansfield ,Texas , etc... the list is long , Fort Worth Star Telegram , etc... The information in the SH360 article giving what appears all the credit to a State Sen. regarding Phase 2 and 3 and is truly believed that was a man of great honor and would not allow this sort of in justice of fact to be apparent. They did help and took many components including the Super C. Super C. that was being built in Ellis County at the time of this Off-the- ground effort to put SH360 back on track with very little money by John Harmon and Larry Durbin. In fact the first public meeting that land -owners of SH360 and anyone concerned were invited to attend was at Worley Middle School in Mansfield, Texas off Pleasant Ridge Drive. The use of the Auditorium was completed in person by John Harmon with a in - person meeting with the principal of the stated school in the very early 1990s. Larry Durbin sent out letters to all landowners with John Harmon and himself noted in the invites.Tom Vandergriff was the key speaker at this humble beginning to put the SH360 project in public eye ... John Harmon had Landowners scream in his face for asking for a % of land donation ' Formular" created by Larry Durbin( Masters in Finance ) and Harmon to achieve the 59 % of donations . One of the same land owners later donated a pert of there property near the SH360 and Broad Street area at a later date . On course at the time the city of Mansfield, ect... had all but given up hope on SH360 , understandably and appears to not be using resources on what was called a " Lost Cause " John Harmon left no stone unturned ,NTCOG, County Judges , City , State, local ,Fed. Trinty River A., Tarrant Co. Jr. C. , Railroad, TXDOT , Corp of Es,  and every time the the work no or cannot be done  , just worked harder in a positive manner. Most important of all where there land-owners that had the vision of the time is now and not miss the ' window in time " and wait for years for TX SH360 to become a relationship of in kind future that has develped into billons in today of to creat the event to expand SH360, without the true beginning there would be no major SH360 and or would have came about with a huge cost to tax-payers at a latter date . This could be one of the highway bargains in the modern days of the state of Texas. Many name have not been noted due to have moved on to private jobs from TXDOT and some have passed on . Again , the truth is positive determination was the key element of John Harmon and Larry Durbin . I hope this clears up some of the information regarding TX SH360 and the true key leaders are not noted and appear should have at least the III phase of TX SH 360 named after the true leaders ? At the time there was not concern of proper credit being given ... however , this is a lesson of life for all past, present and future to have in a written agreement of at least some sort of credit to the rightful as the reason is difficult to believe the above is part of a lifetime was debated to Tx SH 360 by one person -man. John Harmon, the ture main author of the Off -the -grown , effort of the resurrection of TX SH360 , Phase 1,2, and 3 in 1989 forward until a complete. When phase 2 was stalled and the city of Mansfield, TX formed a group for frotage roads in the city of Mansfield , TX by a bus load of activist for US 287 footage roads via on TXDOT agenda in Austin, Texas. John Harmon was the " Lone Ranger " that drove alone to Austin, Texas and had a place on the TXDOT agenda to remind all that comments and promises and above all his " word" to the landowners that donated land that SH360 would be built ! and seemed not correct to be asking for US 287 fortaage roads before all Phases of TX SH 360 where funded and built, not just right-of way-. Phase 1 and 3 where in place and Phase 2 not built of TX SH 360 ( in away SH360 without Phase 2 was a road to a plowed field( Harmon worked as a farmer in the stated area in early life ) at this given time - the hold up was partliy due to the railroad negations and TXDOT which was told would arise years before ... This is not to place any sort of blame -just to justify the comment of John Harmon to the completion of TX,SH360 and his loyalty to the landowners of honor with trust of a huge amount given to Harmon that would TX SH360 would be completed . Please help create a fair note of TX SH 360. and of course there are some that would not dare want to give correct credit, however positive ways put TX SH360 in place and more information of fact will create postives of truths . Thank you in advance.

Comment
I've just removed a statement concerning a person who coordinated right-of-way donations for the southern portion of the highway. The entire paragraph lacked attribution. It seems unlikely that anyone would donate land toward building a highway; usually the landowners are paid, even if the agency building the highway forces the sale (e.g. through eminent domain). If, however, landowners actually did donate the right-of-way, then that could be worth mentioning. In any case, we need to cite a source. -- Gyrofrog (talk) 20:24, 21 October 2007 (UTC)
 * Actually, a lot of the freeways in Texas have had their right-of-way donated by land owners with the requirement that a frontage road be built along the freeway. The reason for this is that it turns low value property into high value property value pretty quickly. --Holderca1talk 15:16, 13 March 2008 (UTC)

Land Owners did donate Right of Way on the south end of 360. It was the only highway a the time that had a 59 % donation requirement. Many landowners, The Harmon Family being one of the many. This was a time when Savings and Loans, Banks owned land from the 80s. In fact most of the right of way land owned by the banks was donated to clear there books so to speak. Yes, eminent domain was used on 360, but the road also had millons in donations. It would also be fair to mention the only land owner that worked on the project to place it back on track in 1990, when the near by cities had no interst until the private meetings became friutful over the time of a year ( 1990 ). Harmon and Durbin worked with the Fort Worth TXDOT location to gain information that was used with the trust of TXDOT to recive the donations that where needed to get to the 59 % rule. Mansfield, Arlington, and Grand Parire TX did purchase last of the right of way when the level of donations was close to around 58 % , leaving only a few % to be puchased by the tax payers. The first meeting( 1990 ) of many planned by Larry Durbin, John Harmon was in Mansfield, TX at a middle school , The cities did send reps of low level , but did not want to really get involved until some progress was made for donated land. TXDOT can verfiy the 59 % mintue order required to build the road. Up until 1990 no other road in the state of Texas was built this way. It was all donations or all eminent domain according to TXDOT of Fort Worth Texas. Maybe this will shed some light on the work and time that was done by the private level in a time when goverment is spending money out of control by views of many of its citzens. This is an example of geting the job done. Also to help the understanding of donations by land owners, they get a road in a growing area that has a high impact on improving their propery values ... with the remander of their land. The donation plan by Durbin and Harmon was a pro-rated plan. Based on what the land owners had in land, they would also give a % of right of way and be paid for the rest of it. Example : Some one that had 200 acres would give more that owner that had 40 acres. Not all land owners gave the full % of the plan or donated land, but the bank owned for the most part did donate 100% of their right of way. Durbin and Harmon worked with all levels of goverment from the bottom to the top, including Congressman Joe Bartons office , TXDOT in Austin Texas , County officals of Ellis and Tarrant. A book could be written on the work put into this road ! State level reps as well. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.184.129.27 (talk) 09:20, 5 August 2010 (UTC)
 * Again, we need to cite a source for all of this, if it is to be included. -- Gyrofrog (talk) 12:09, 5 August 2010 (UTC)

Interchange with Interstate 30 completed.
I saw this article who mentioned then the interchange with Interstate 30 is now completed. https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/traffic/i-30-texas-360-interchange-opens-thursday-after-seven-years-of-construction/3416330/ Sd-100 (talk) 22:45, 25 December 2023 (UTC)