TRANSPORTATION UPDATES METRO approves local alignment for University Corridor bus rapid transit line
COMPILED BY MELISSA ENAJE & RENEE FARMER
CANCELED PROJECT
UNIVERSITY CORRIDOR PREFERRED ALIGNMENT The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County approved the locally preferred alignment for its University Boulevard bus rapid transit line in April.
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The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County approved the locally preferred alignment of its METRO- Rapid University Corridor Project at an April 5 special board meeting, including the removal of an overpass in Eastwood. The rapid transit bus line is projected to run 25.3 miles from the Westchase Park & Ride near Beltway 8 to the Tidwell Transit Center near Tidwell Road. The buses will move through tra c in a dedicated, transit-only lane. The agency initially put the decision on the alignment on hold after its March 23 board meeting, during which residents and commu- nity leaders in Eastwood expressed a number of concerns about the overpass, which would have run
ALL INFORMATION ON THIS PAGE WAS UPDATED AS OF MAY 1. NEWS OR QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE OR OTHER LOCAL TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS? EMAIL US AT BMWNEWS COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM. Partnership Ltd.—did not meet the city’s deadline in March to complete the sale, Bellaire Mayor Andrew Fried- berg said. Friedberg said the Bellaire City Council will not be considering the matter any further. Developers looking to acquire the land, located within the Bellaire Triangle, declined to comment. Mapleridge Street sale The city of Bellaire is no longer proceeding with the potential sale of a portion of Mapleridge Street to developers in a deal that would have closed the street to vehicle tra c and converted it into a pedestrian walkway and parking. The developers interest- ed in acquiring the land—Luel Partner- ship Ltd., EKG Partners LLC and FKM
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SOURCE: METROPOLITAN TRANSIT AUTHORITY OF HARRIS COUNTY COMMUNITY IMPACT
along Lockwood Drive. The plans instead call for transit lanes and a pedestrian/bicycle path underpass, said Yuhayna Mahmud, project manager with METRO. “Because this is a smaller footprint, the ood control concerns are min- imized, and we added ood control elements to the underpass to make sure those are addressed,” Mahmud said at the April 5 meeting.
The line is a piece of METRONext, a $7 billion plan set to be executed over the next 20 years that is covered by a mix of federal funding and a $3.5 billion bond referendum approved in 2019 by nearly 70% of area voters. Mahmoud said design work was about 30% completed as of the April 5 meeting. Construction could begin in late 2024, and the line could open in 2028, o cials said.
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BELLAIRE MEYERLAND WEST UNIVERSITY EDITION • MAY 2023
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