TRANSPORTATION UPDATES
TxDOT plans for more electric vehicle charging stations
CHARGING KATY Electric vehicle charging stations can be found at 14 locations throughout the local area.
Charging station Charging station coming soon
SOURCES: RELIANT ENERGY, PLUGSHARE/COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
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52% increase in alternative-fuel vehicle ownership over the past five fiscal years statewide President Joe Biden’s administration aims to have 50% of new car sales be electric vehicles by 2030 .
To support the growth of electric vehicles, Houston is addressing air quality concerns and long-term funding strategies for electric vehi- cles and charging stations across the area. Texas has also been allocated federal money to fund electric vehicle infrastructure, which will be distributed over the next five years. As of Sept. 13, there were over 20,440 electric vehicles registered in Harris County, according to data from Dallas-Fort Worth Clean Cities and the North Central Texas Council of Governments. However, electric vehicles account for 0.58% of all registered vehicles in Harris County. Meanwhile, there were more than 6,970 electric vehicles in Fort Bend County, accounting for 1.02% of registered vehicles; Waller County had only 175 electric vehicles, or 0.34% of vehicles, data showed. While electric cars are becoming more accessible, charging stations
are more difficult to find, said Harry Tenenbaum, director of commer- cialization and infrastructure at nonprofit Evolve Houston. “The first step is learning more and finding out how many people don’t have access to charge at home,” Tenenbaum said. The federal government and the state have invested in infrastructure to meet the growing demand and improve accessibility. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas estimates Houston will have 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2028, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. Electric vehicle infrastructure requires generating enough power, transmitting energy across the grid and bringing energy through electric chargers, Tenenbaum said. Under the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in November 2021, Texas is expected
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to receive more than $400 million from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program over the next five years. Beginning in 2023, an estimated $42 million-$43 million is expected to flow through the Houston-Galveston Area Council to deploy more electric vehicle chargers in the region.
“Fortunately, there are a lot of people and a lot of organizations that are not only interested in this, but passionate as well and provide whichever resources they can ... to investigate the impacts of the human health and environmen- tal impacts of transportation,” Tenenbaum said.
Public comment period closes on FM 529 widening project
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The Texas Department of Transportation closed the public comment period on a road project seeking to widen sections of FM 529. The agency held the public comment period from Aug. 30-Sept. 15 on the proposed project, which is designed to improve mobility and safety along a 12-mile stretch of FM 529 from the Grand Parkway to FM 362, according to TxDOT project documents. The FM 529 road portion from the Grand
Parkway to Katy Hockley Cut Off Road would be widened from two to six lanes divided by a raised median and an open-ditch drainage system to convey stormwater. From Katy Hockley Cut Off Road to FM 362, the road would be widened from two to four lanes divided by a raised median and outside shoulders. The proposed project comes as TxDOT projects traffic volume will grow almost six times the
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existing volumes on FM 529 between the Grand Parkway and Katy Hockley Cut Off Road by 2045. TxDOT will next develop a project schematic, request project approval, acquire right of way and then begin construction, though the agency has not provided a timeline for that process. The project is expected to cost $123 million.
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