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'Keep the Loop off the Lake': Nashville recording artist writes song about proposed Toll 49 expansion

Garrett Walker wrote a song expressing how Lake Tyler residents feel regarding the orange, blue and pink routes proposed for the Toll 49 expansion.

TYLER, Texas — Music is a powerful tool. Music can tell the stories of our lives from the good to the bad. Over the years, music provided a relatable platform for those wanting to speak out.

"Keep the Loop Off the Lake," a new song by Garrett Walker, was written to advocate for Lake Tyler residents who want to protect their homes from development.

"He's a friend of a friend of a friend that said he would love to do what he could do to help," Lake Tyler resident Joseph Koricanek said. "To get the information out to everybody that the loop has got some issues."

Those issues are three of the proposed routes for the Toll 49 expansion. Lake Tyler residents say they are opposed to the blue, orange, and pink routes.

RELATED: A timeline of Toll 49: Segment 6 | Route options, concerns and potential impact on East Texans

Residents gathered Friday night at Poke In Da Eye World Championship BBQ and Catering to listen to Walker perform the song about their lives. Outside of the restaurant, boards were set up to show people the six different options for the Toll 49 Segment 6 Project.

Credit: Segment 6-NETRMA

"Man I was just tickled pink, rather tickled green," Koricanek said. 

The green route is Lake Tyler residents own option that was created for the Segment 6 Project.

"The green route is the right thing," he said. "It does three things, saves money, protects homes and keeps the loop off the lake."

The song’s lyrics speak to the feelings Koricanek and his neighbors are feeling.

Credit: KYTX

Walker is not a Tyler resident but said he is familiar with problems that can arise from developments.

"Well, in Nashville, they had the same thing and it was 840,” Walker said. “So I saw all the suffering, the people losing their homes."

Click here if you would like to purchase the song.

NET RMA will have a board meeting to discuss the Toll 49 Segment 6 project. Oct. 8 at 1:30 p.m. The Reserve/Pinecrest CC in Gregg County.

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