TRANSPORTATIONUPDATES METROaims to ‘set a standard’ for sustainability
COMPILED BY SIERRA ROZEN
UPCOMING PROJECTS
KATY HOCKLEY CUT OFF RD.
99 TOLL
362
529
The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County will be closely monitoring the e ects of their new electric vehicles in 2022 as part of the county’s new sustainability initiative. The METRO board of directors approved the purchase of 20 electric buses at the Nov. 18 board meeting, as previ- ously reported by Community Impact Newspaper . METRO will source the buses from Nova Bus, a contract that will cost them an estimated $22 million. METRO’s ultimate goal for their sustainability initiatives is to only purchase 100% zero-emission buses by 2030, according to Monica Russo, public information o cer and media specialist for METRO. The plan for sustainability has been one that has been in the works and a top priority for METRO for several years, according to METRO board member Christopher Hollins. “The plan continues to be in motion. We are still
building it. We are still thinking through it with the team, but even prior to this being formalized in the way that it has been, METRO has been a leader in this space, whether it is conserving water, whether it is recycling, whether it is conserving energy. We want to do that for our own organization,” Hollins said. METRO hopes to have the buses in their possession by late 2022 and roll them out as soon as possible. Despite the buses being electric, they should not appear any di erent from the normal buses that customers currently ride. The ticket prices will not change and the way the electric buses drive is only slightly di erent from the current buses METRO uses. The only major di erence is in the way that the buses drive, meaning that METRO drivers will require some extra training. Even before these plans were set into motion, METRO has previously been doing work to study the environmen- tal e ect transportation has had on the city. “We have been looking at environmental impact for several years. We actually did a memorandum of under- standing with the Environmental Defense Fund a couple of years ago to help us get some direction and some addi- tional information and data,” METRO’s Chief Innovation O cer Kimberly Williams said. The METRO board of directors also approved carrying out a contract with Creative Bus Sales for the purchase of 10 new electric paratransit vans and chargers at the Jan. 27 meeting for $3.1 million, another element of the county’s new sustainability plan. “We want to be a role model for other transit agencies, and to set a standard for the city of Houston and for this region,” Hollins said. METROhas been a leader in this space, whether it’s conservingwater, whether it’s recycling, whether it’s conserving energy.Wewant todo that for our ownorganization. CHRISTOPHER HOLLINS, METRO BOARD MEMBER
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Widening of FM 529 The Texas Department of Transporta- tion is proposing to widen an existing section of FM 529 from two lanes to six lanes, with a raised median between Grand Parkway and Katy Hockley Cut O Road. The plan would also widen another existing section of FM 529 from a two-lane road to a four-lane road with a raised median between Katy Hockley Cut O Road and FM 362. The project will stretch from the Grand Parkway to FM 362. Timeline: TBD Cost: $123.4 million Funding sources: federal and state funds
ONGOING PROJECTS
KATY FLEWELLEN RD.
SPRING GREEN BLVD.
WILLOW LN.
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ALL INFORMATION ON THIS PAGE WAS UPDATED AS OF FEB. 11. NEWS OR QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE OR OTHER LOCAL TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS? EMAIL US AT KTYNEWS COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM. to north of Gaston Road. Timeline: Feb. 1-March 1 Cost: $3.4 million Funding source: 2020 mobility bond Willow Lane closure Willow Lane closed Feb. 1 for con- struction. The closure was approved by Fort Bend County commissioners on Feb. 2. The closure should last four weeks, according to the county. The project will expand Katy Flewellen Road to four lanes from Willow Lane
SUSTAINABILITY STATS electric buses will be purchased as part of METRO’s sustainability initiative. 20 2030 is the year METRO set a goal at to purchase only 100% emission-free vehicles. $22M will be spent on the electric bus contract. $3.1M for 10 electric paratransit vans and chargers. SOURCE: METROPOLITAN TRANSIT AUTHORITY OF HARRIS COUNTY COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
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