TRANSPORTATION UPDATES
COMPILED BY SHAWN ARRAJJ, RENEE FARMER & EMILY LINCKE
Harris County authorizes 10% toll rate cut, free EZ tags A Harris County Toll Road Authority program that will reduce the cost of tolls by 10% was approved unanimously by Harris County commissioners Jan. 31. EASING THE BURDEN The 10% toll rate discount—which will go into effect by Sept. 4—will apply to motorists driving two-axle vehicles on toll roads managed by the Harris County Toll Road Authority.
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The discount will represent $894 million in discounts over the course of 10 years, or about $90 million in savings per year, Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey said Jan. 31. “This gives us confidence in what the [Harris County] Toll Road Authority’s doing,” Ramsey said. “When you look at the consistent revenues that they generate, when you look at their ability to cover what they do. I think we are, in many ways, an envy of the state, in terms of how well we run our toll road authority.” The rate reduction will go into effect by Sept. 4. HCTRA will also provide up to eight free EZ tags per household as part of the program. The proposal was initially presented at a Jan. 24 news conference. HCTRA Director Roberto Treviño said the 10% discount would apply to those driving two-axle vehicles, which he said make up 95% of HCTRA’s transactions. He added that drivers can choose to apply the discount on each individual transaction or after aggregating transactions on a monthly basis. As part of the transition to all-electronic tollways, the county will also be phasing in several options for residents to obtain EZ tags at retail stores, open cash- backed accounts and pay at EZ TAG retail stores, Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis said during the
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Westheimer Road ramp to Loop 610 As the Texas Department of Trans- portation continues to work on new ramps connecting Loop 610 South to I-69 in southwest Houston, the southbound entrance ramp from Westheimer Road was temporarily closed Jan. 3. It will remain closed through fall 2023. During the closure, construction crews will work on widening and improving the connector ramps between the two highways. The $259 million project has been underway since late 2017, and TxDOT officials estimate it will be completed by the end of 2024. The project is intended to improve safety and mobility by widening the connector ramps from one to two lanes, increasing sight distances and providing remedies to reduce drivers quickly moving from lane to lane. The project also involves adding shoulders to the Loop 610 West main lane bridge over I-69 and adding detention ponds on TxDOT right-of-way within the project boundaries. At the start of 2022, construction necessitated a similar closure of the northbound exit ramp to Westheimer Road. That closure lasted just under six months. Timeline: late 2017-end of 2024 Cost: $259 million Funding source: TxDOT
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SOURCE: HARRIS COUNTY TOLL ROAD AUTHORITY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Jan. 24 news conference. In response to a question at the Jan. 24 news
conference about losing 10% of revenue from 95% of the customer base, Treviño said the population growth in the region will correspond to increased demand and use of the toll road systems. Rachel Carlton contributed to this report.
METRO to add bike-sharing to its transit system In an effort to address first- and last-mile connectivity to its system, the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County will take over the oper- ation of Houston BCycle, Houston’s
commence the bike-sharing initiative during its Jan. 26 meeting. Houston BCycle, operated by the nonprofit Houston Bike Share, brought bike-sharing to the region in 2012. The system, at its peak, included a maximum of around 1,000 bikes throughout approximately 150 stations and over 2,100 bike docks. Around 90% of its users do so for recreation rather than transportation. “METRO’s plan would be to change that to make transit interconnectivity more the focus and more the driver of how this bike-sharing network is
being used,” METRO Chief Financial Officer George Fotinos said during a Jan. 18 public safety committee meeting. Houston Bike Share made the deci- sion to suspend 75 of its 150 stations Jan. 1 due to financial concerns. It then approached METRO with an opportunity to add bike-sharing to its transit system. The agency will now work with Houston Bike Share on a six- to nine- month transition plan. An action plan will be brought to the board at the end of the transition period.
ALL INFORMATION ON THIS PAGE WAS UPDATED AS OF FEB. 1. NEWS OR QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE OR OTHER LOCAL TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS? EMAIL US AT HRMNEWS@COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM.
only bike-sharing program. The METRO board voted to
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HEIGHTS - RIVER OAKS - MONTROSE EDITION • FEBRUARY 2023
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