TRANSPORTATION
Updates on key transportation projects
TOP TRANSPORTATION STORIES TO WATCH IN 2022 Houston-areamobility groups plan for federal funds from$1.2 trillion bill
BY JISHNU NAIR
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 OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, HOUSTON GALVESTON AREA COUNCIL COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER Of the $1.2 trillion approved in federal funding, Texas will receive $35 billion.
Houston metro planning organizations will have 11 new grant programs to apply for.
President Joe Biden signed the $1.2 trillion Infra- structure Investment and Jobs Act into law Nov. 6, providing funds for projects nationwide. Texas is expected to get about $35 billion of that funding, while existing federal aid programs will receive an in ux of $265.4 billion over ve years, according to Chandra Bhat at the Univer- sity of Texas. Craig Raborn, transportation director of metro- politan planning organization the Houston-Galves- ton Area Council, said Houston-area entities 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 also 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. However, Raborn cautioned that other federal funding and regulatory hurdles needed to be cleared before the H GAC or other planning orga- nizations can begin discussing funding allocation. Once the new appropriations bill makes its way through Congress in 2022, Raborn said the H GAC plans to get public input into future transportation planning in the spring. The H GAC is updating the region’s four-year, 10-year and 25-year transportation plans, which will receive input from the public and local governments before informing the state of the prioritized projects to receive funds. Raborn said updates could be complete by the rst and second quarters of 2023.
He said it is too early to tell how much of the funding the Greater Houston area will receive and which projects will be allotted funds. Susan Lent, an adviser to the city of Houston, said the city might be a candidate for a $1.4 billion grant for weather preparation projects, a $250 million congestion relief program and a $3 billion railroad grade crossing elimination program. Construction could begin soon on a high-speed rail from Houston to Dallas by privately-owned Texas Central. Lent said a $36 billion program for high-speed rail lines is for governmental entities, but private entities can be subrecipients. Shawn Arrajj contributed to this report.
4 projects onHwy. 105 to begin across Conroe, Montgomery
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Timeline: TBD Cost: $78.4 million Funding source: TxDOT 4 The nal segment spans from
2 The segment between 10th Street and South Loop 336 in Conroe is expect- ed to be sent for construction bids in August, according to TxDOT information. The project will reconstruct the roadway and widen it from two to four lanes. Timeline: TBD Cost: $32 million Funding source: TxDOT 3 TxDOT anticipates seeking con- struction bids in August for the segment between South Loop 336 and FM 1484. The project will reconstruct Hwy. 105 and widen it from two to four lanes.
LAKE CONROE
BY ANNA LOTZ
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The Texas Department of Trans- portation is expected to start working on four segments of Hwy. 105 in 2022. 1 Construction between FM 2854 and I-45 began in October and is expected to take 20 months, including adding raised medians, sidewalks, pedestrian amenities, landscaping and upgraded tra c signals. Timeline: Oct. 4, 2021-TBD Cost: $9.8 million Funding sources: state, federal
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FM 1484 to the San Jacinto County line, east of Conroe. The project will reconstruct Hwy. 105 and widen the two-lane road to four lanes, according to TxDOT informa- tion. TxDOT anticipates sending the project out for construction bids in October. Timeline: TBD Cost: $72 million Funding source: TxDOT
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