TXDOT on I-45 expansion

TXDOT is holding public meetings tonight and Thursday night regarding I-45 and light rail expansion.

The Texas Department of Transportation is holding two public meetings this week to present results of a study that analyzed possibilities for expanding the North Freeway.

TxDOT staff and consultants will describe study results and then listen to concerns and respond to questions from the public.

Meetings will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Davis High School, 1101 Quitman, and at the same time Thursday in the community room of Greenspoint Mall, 12300 North Freeway. For information, call 713-802-5000.

This study of Interstate 45 from downtown Houston to The Woodlands is part of the Metropolitan Transit Authority's examination of light rail in the corridor. Voters last year approved a transit-expansion plan that includes building light rail from downtown to Bush Intercontinental Airport. A draft environmental impact study for the first phase, University of Houston-Downtown to Northline Mall, is scheduled to be finished later this year.

Residents of my neighborhood and nearby neighborhoods vociferously opposed the original proposals to widen I-45 north of downtown. There's a cemetary just east of I-45 and just north of I-10, so any widening in that area would have to go westward, which is to say into the bordering residential areas. You can see why that went over so poorly. I can't quite tell from this little bitty story if that's on the menu or if it's just the next phase of light rail expansion, but if you live in this area, you might want to check it out.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on October 26, 2004 to Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | TrackBack