TRANSPORTATION UPDATES West University Place approves construction contract for Edloe Pathway
COMPILED BY SHAWN ARRAJJ & MELISSA ENAJE
ONGOING PROJECTS
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The future of Edloe Street in West University Place has been decided after members of the West Univer- sity Place City Council approved a construction contract for the Edloe Pathway project at a Jan. 9 meeting by a 4-1 vote. The project covers roughly one-half of a mile, from Georgetown Street to Albans Road, and will cost the city an estimated $672,719, according to information submitted with the agenda item. The city is willing to use its capital reserve fund to finish the pathway, Mayor Pro Tem John Montgomery said, adding that costs could rise with inflation if the project is delayed. The contract was awarded to PMG Project Management Group, which has worked with the city of Houston on park projects in the past, accord- ing to Susan White, the city’s director of parks and recreation. When the city initially bid the proj- ect in 2022, only one bid came back in September, prompting the Council
to send the project back out for more bids in October. A total of nine bids were received during the second round in December, from which PMG was selected. Improvements to the pathway include adding landscaping, native plants, drinking fountains and benches; handling irrigation system improvements; creating the pathway using recycled materials; and adding new fencing along the west side of Poor Farm Ditch. City staff has looked at lower-cost alternatives for portions of the project, including for two of the highest cost items—the aluminum fencing along Poor Farm Ditch and the actual pathway on Edloe Street, White said. Mayor Susan Sample highlighted the importance of citizen safety, which she said was a major factor in project design. “To me, it would be really hard for me to say no to something so important to our city,” Sample said at the meeting. “Safety is a big part of
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Westheimer Road ramp to Loop 610 As the Texas Department of Trans- portation continues to work on new ramps connecting Loop 610 South to I-69 in southwest Houston, the southbound entrance ramp from Westheimer Road was closed Jan. 3. It will remain closed through fall 2023. The overall ramp project is intended to improve safety and mobility by widening the connector ramps to two lanes, increasing sight distances and providing remedies to reduce drivers quickly moving from lane to lane. Timeline: late 2017-end of 2024 Cost: $259 million Funding source: TxDOT
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our quality of life. ... [The pathway] possibly would transform the most dangerous path in the city into the safest one.” Council Member John Barnes voted against the project, advocating for more time for staff to go over costs and data. Construction on the Edloe Pathway began in January, and work could be completed by the spring, White said. “According to the way the bid is written, completion is anticipated in mid-May 2023 at the earliest,” White said.
ALL INFORMATION ON THIS PAGE WAS UPDATED AS OF JAN. 30. NEWS OR QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE OR OTHER LOCAL TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS? EMAIL US AT BMWNEWS@COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM.
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BELLAIRE - MEYERLAND - WEST UNIVERSITY EDITION • FEBRUARY 2023
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