Heights - River Oaks - Montrose Edition | July 2022

TRANSPORTATION UPDATES

COMPILED BY SOFIA GONZALEZ & EMILY LINCKE

Harris County commissioners approve $53M for trailway projects Harris County commissioners

PROJECT UPDATE

Ramsey said he voted against the item because he believes the project has “too many unknowns.” “Safety is my No. 1 concern, and I’ve not seen enough of the concept to confidently say it’s properly being addressed in these projects,” Ramsey said in an email May 17. Meanwhile, Cagle said he would have preferred additional trails be funded by the county’s parks budget. “While Commissioner [Cagle] is a major proponent of hike and bike trails, and has considerably expanded their availability throughout Precinct 4, he voted against this measure because he believes it sets a bad precedent of diverting toll road money to projects not originally envisioned when toll roads were first pitched to Harris County voters,” said Joe Stinebaker, Precinct 4 director of communications, in an email May 17. The HCTRA identified 22 priority projects that were ranked as having the highest community benefit and were given a prioritized timeline. These projects would cover 65 miles

New ways to commute The Tollways to Trailways project will bring biking and walking paths to Harris County for local commuters to use daily.

approved $53 million on May 10 for the Harris County Toll Road Author- ity’s new Tollways to Trailways initiative, which will add 236 miles of new recreational trails across each of the county’s four precincts. According to the HCTRA’s planning documents, most of the trails will be placed adjacent to existing toll roads, providing access to existing parks, public transit hubs, schools and neighborhoods. A timeline for the project has not yet been announced, but the cost estimate for all 63 proj- ects total more than $601 million. “Tollways to Trailways make the county healthier and more resilient by expanding healthy mobility choices, creating more local green spaces and giving people transporta- tion options that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve regional air quality,” HCTRA’s plan reads. The request was approved in a 3-2 vote with Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey and Precinct 4 Commis- sioner Jack Cagle dissenting.

236 miles of trails will be added across Harris County. 63 projects are envisioned for the Tollways to Trailways plan across Harris County’s 4 precincts. $601 million in funding will be needed to cover the plan’s trailways.

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ALL INFORMATION ON THIS PAGE WAS UPDATED AS OF JUNE 29. NEWS OR QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE OR OTHER LOCAL TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS? EMAIL US AT HRMNEWS@COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM. tion could start in the fall. Timeline: fall 2022-TBD Cost: TBD Funding source: city of Houston 11th Street Bikeway After pausing the project to determine if it should move forward, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner gave his bless- ing to the 11th Street Bikeway June 14. The project involves adding bike lanes and making safety improvements to 11th Street between Shepherd Drive and Michaux Street and on Michaux south to Stude Park. Car lanes will be reduced from four to two with some center turning lanes. The design phase is about 90% complete, and construc-

$53 million in funding was approved for the project by Harris County commissioners on May 10. SOURCE: HARRIS COUNTY TOLL ROAD AUTHORITY/ COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER and cost $131 million. Local projects include the Brays-Buffalo Connector Trail, an $8.3 million project that involves building a north-south trail from San Felipe Street near River Oaks to Braes Bayou between Newcastle and Weslayan streets.

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