TRANSPORTATION
Updates on key transportation projects
OTHER PROJECTS TO FOLLOW IN 2022
TOP TRANSPORTATION STORIES TO WATCH IN 2022
Houston-areamobility groups plan for federal funds from$1.2 trillion bill
BY JISHNU NAIR
will have 11 new grant programs to apply for. Raborn said the bill’s broad scope will increase funding to programs, such as the Surface Transportation Block Grant, which is seeing a 24% increase in funding. “It’s a big bill; there’s a lot in it,” Raborn said. “And so it’s going to take a lot of time for agencies like ours to nd and match the pieces to the needs they have.” Raborn highlighted new programs that could target resiliency and ood control as areas of interest, such as the PROTECT Program, which
provides up to $8.7 billion to help reinforce surface transportation routes and evacuation routes. How- ever, he cautioned that other federal funding and regulatory hurdles need to be cleared before HGAC can begin discussing funding allocation. “It’s going to take a fair amount of time for [all of the funding announce- ments] to work their way through their processes before we start seeing that,” he said. Once the bill makes its way through Congress, Raborn said HGAC will get public input in the spring.
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President Joe Biden signed the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law Nov. 6, provid- ing funds for projects nationwide. Texas is expected to get about $35 billion of that funding, while existing federal aid programs will receive an inux of $265.4 billion over ve years, according to Chandra Bhat at the University of Texas. Craig Raborn, transportation director of metropolitan planning organization Houston-Galveston Area Council, said Houston-area entities
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North Houston Highway Improvement Project
A group of advocates led a 100-page complaint with the Federal Highway Administration on Dec. 16 amid an ongoing federal investigation into civil rights complaints related to the project, which seeks to expand and reroute portions of I-45 between Beltway 8 and downtown Houston. The complaint urges greater scrutiny of the project’s eects on minority communities.
INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT IN HOUSTON The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will boost federal programs and open new ones Houston-area entities can apply for. Existing federal programs will see an increase of $265.4 billion over ve years . SOURCES: INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND JOBS ACT; CHANDRA BHAT, UT AUSTIN; HOUSTONGALVESTON AREA COUNCILCOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER Houston metro planning organizations will have 11 new grant programs to apply for. Of the $1.2 trillion approved in federal funding, Texas will receive $35 billion .
GATEWOOD RESERVE LN.
GOSLING RD.
CREEKSIDE FOREST DR.
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Hwy. 249, Grand Parkway direct connectors slated to open this summer
Gosling Road widening Construction began Dec. 6 on a proj- ect to widen Gosling Road from two to four lanes between Creekside Forest Drive and Gatewood Reserve Lane. The expansion also includes a 1,817-
BY CHANDLER FRANCE
A project adding four direct connectors between Hwy. 249 and the Grand Parkway is scheduled to be completed this summer.
MAKING CONNECTIONS
The project to add four direct connectors between Hwy. 249 and the Grand Parkway is scheduled to be complete by the end of summer, according to the Harris County Toll Road Authority. Once completed, northbound drivers on Hwy. 249 will be able to enter eastbound and westbound Grand Parkway lanes, and those traveling east and west on the Grand Parkway will have direct access to southbound Hwy. 249. “When completed, the project will alleviate the need to utilize Boudreaux [Road] to connect between [the Grand Parkway] and Tomball Tollway, reducing a considerable amount of frontage road trac,” the HCTRA said in a statement. The $92 million project began in March 2020. The majority of the foundation for the connectors had been laid as of early January with remaining work including nishing the columns, beams and the deck of the roads, according to the HCTRA. Bruce Hillegeist, president of the Greater Tomball Area Chamber
foot bridge over Spring Creek. Timeline: Dec. 6-early 2023 Cost: $8.2 million
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Funding sources: Montgomery County Precinct 3 ($4 million), Harris County Precinct 4 ($4.2 million)
Timeline: March 2020- summer 2022 Cost: $92 million Funding source: Harris County Toll Road Authority
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New stations are being planned. (Rendering courtesy Texas Central)
SOURCE: HARRIS COUNTY TOLL ROAD AUTHORITYCOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
of Commerce, said he believes the direct connectors are necessary to improve trac because of the growth the Tomball area has seen. “Having those direct connectors at [Hwy.] 249 and Grand Parkway, it cre- ates an ease of trac ow. We [need] to have that,” Hillegeist said. “As highways are built, as trac comes, business and community grows.” Tomball City Manager David
Esquivel said along with better access, the project is also likely to draw more developers. Two projects already slated include the Grand Parkway Town Center—a 65-acre mixed-use development at the corner of Hwy. 249 and the Grand Parkway—and a 240-acre light industrial, distribution and retail development by Lovett Industrial at Rocky Road and the Grand Parkway.
High-speed rail The Texas Supreme Court heard oral arguments Jan. 11 in a case over whether Texas Central—the company looking to build a 236-mile high-speed rail line between Houston and Dallas— is considered a railroad company under state law and has the power to use eminent domain. If the company wins, construction on the project is expected to start soon after the decision.
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COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER • COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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