Category Archives: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Hazmat routes

Posted on April 11, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This story made me think about a thing I basically never think about, and now I wish I didn’t have to think about it. Toxic inhalants, flammable gases and explosive chemicals are just some of what rolls along Dallas-Fort Worth … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged Dallas, DPS, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Fort Worth, Grand Prairie, hazardous materials, I-35, I-610, I-635, TCEQ, Texas, trucks, TxDOT | 1 Comment

Metro approves University BRT route

Posted on April 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Still a lot of work to be done before any actual construction can begin. Metro officials on Wednesday approved a path for the 25.3 mile University Corridor in a rare split vote that keeps the region’s largest bus rapid transit project on track … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged BRT, construction, East End Management District, Eastwood, Federal Transit Administration, Houston, Metro, overpass, Sanjay Ramabhadran, Tom Lambert, underpass, University line | Comments Off

Preferred path decision for University BRT line delayed

Posted on March 26, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Still working out some issues with the community. A decision on the preferred path for Houston’s longest bus rapid transit line will wait a couple weeks longer following community outcry regarding a planned railroad overpass. Metropolitan Transit Authority’s board of … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged Adrian Garcia, BRT, construction, East End Management District, Eastwood, Houston, Metro, overpass, Sanjay Ramabhadran, underpass, University line | 1 Comment

Metro gets some BRT money

Posted on March 14, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Thank you, FTA, may we please have some more? Houston’s biggest bus rapid transit line, the planned University Corridor, is still on the drawing board, but already is drawing in federal funds. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, in a Thursday announcement, said … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged BRT, construction, Federal Transit Administration, Houston, Inner Katy line, John Culberson, light rail, Metro, Pete Buttigieg, Sanjay Ramabhadran, Tom Lambert, University line | Comments Off

I-45 project is back on

Posted on March 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Though it will still be several years before there is any real construction. Nearly two years to the day that federal officials paused TxDOT’s plans for rebuilding Interstate 45 and downtown Houston’s freeway system, national and state highway leaders have come … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged Adrian Garcia, Air Alliance Houston, bicycles, Christian Menefee, construction, Federal Highway Administration, flooding, Harris County, Houston, Houston Housing Authority, I-45, LINK Houston, NOAA, Stop I-45, TxDOT | Comments Off

If not for I-45 then for something else

Posted on March 5, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Money for highways never goes unspent. Drivers on Houston freeways likely can relate: Facing a slowdown when it comes to rebuilding Interstate 45, state transportation leaders are shifting gears and changing lanes. Unable to significantly move ahead with the controversial … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged construction, Federal Highway Administration, Harris County, Houston, Houston Ship Channel, I-10, I-45, I-610, Pete Buttigieg, Stop I-45, Texas, Texas Transportation Commission, TxDOT, White Oak Bayou | Comments Off

Metro’s first electric bus has arrived

Posted on February 27, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Metro’s next fleet of buses quietly is coming together, in more ways than one. The first of 20 electric 40-foot buses bought by Metropolitan Transit Authority has arrived in Houston, though it will be some time before it is … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged Automated Bus Consortium, buses, climate change, driverless cars, electric buses, Federal Transit Administration, HGAC, Houston, Metro | Comments Off

Tesla autopilot crash mystery solved

Posted on February 18, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It wasn’t on autopilot after all. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board apparently have solved the mystery of why no one was found behind the steering wheel of a Tesla that crashed near The Woodlands two years ago, killing … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged accidents, driverless cars, Elon Musk, NTSB, Tesla, Texas, The Woodlands | Comments Off

More on the state of B-Cycle

Posted on February 15, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I think they will come out of this in better shape, but change is always hard. In a sense, Maya Ford is just trying to get Houston Bike Share back in gear in the hope that it has a long … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged B-Cycle, bicycles, BRT, buses, Houston, Houston Bike Share, light rail, Metro, pedestrians, sidewalks | Comments Off

Metro CEO Lambert to retire

Posted on February 5, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I wish him well. After 44 years, Tom Lambert is hopping off the Metro bus. Lambert, president and CEO of Metropolitan Transit Authority, is retiring at the end of the year after leading Texas’ largest transit system for 11 years. … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged George Greanias, Houston, Metro, Sanjay Ramabhadran, Tom Lambert | Comments Off

A brief 11th Street update

Posted on January 31, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

From the latest Woodland Heights Civic Association newsletter: 11th Street Safety Improvements: Project Update The WHCA board hosted City officials (David Fields, Lauren Grove, and Colin Lupold) at the January 10th general meeting. We had around 50 or so on … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged bicycles, bike lanes, construction, Heights, Houston, local control, pedestrians, sidewalks, TxDOT, urbanism | 2 Comments

The Pierce Skypark and the Midtown McDonald’s

Posted on January 29, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating. The now closed McDonald’s in Midtown isn’t the only parcel at play in the area that could – when combined with a major proposed “sky park’ – help to reshape the southern edge of downtown. The Greyhound bus station next to … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged Central Houston, construction, downtown, Houston, I-45, I-610, Midtown, Pierce Skypark, Texas, TxDOT, US59 | Comments Off

Metro approves initial takeover of B-Cycle

Posted on January 28, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I’m optimistic about this. The Metro board approved a six-to-nine month transition period where operations now overseen by the nonprofit Houston Bike Share will move into the transit agency. Officials said rolling the bike borrowing system into the transit made … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged B-Cycle, bicycles, BRT, buses, Houston, Houston Bike Share, light rail, Metro, pedestrians, Sanjay Ramabhadran, sidewalks, Tom Lambert | Comments Off

Will Metro take over B-Cycle?

Posted on January 22, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I like the idea and hope Metro can really run with it. The Houston area’s biggest bus operator is considering getting in the bike business, infusing up to $500,000 into the city’s network of docked two-wheelers. Under the proposal, scheduled for a vote … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged B-Cycle, bicycles, BRT, buses, Houston, Houston Bike Share, light rail, Metro, pedestrians, Sanjay Ramabhadran, sidewalks, Tom Lambert | 1 Comment

I-45 construction never stops

Posted on January 17, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It just keeps moving on. Though attention remains on rebuilding Interstate 45 through northern parts of Houston, state highway officials also are planning for the next round of road work. The Texas Department of Transportation has scheduled two public meetings, … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged Conroe, construction, Houston, I-45, Spring, Texas, TxDOT | 2 Comments

So what’s the deal with that I-45 deal?

Posted on January 16, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Still to be determined. Houston, Harris County and the Texas Department of Transportation have an agreed path forward for rebuilding Interstate 45, and a lot of steps to get there. Details big and small remain works in progress and a … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged Air Alliance Houston, BRT, construction, Federal Highway Administration, flooding, Hardy Toll Road, Harris County, Harris County Attorney, Harris County Flood Control District, Houston, I-10, I-45, Independence Heights, lawsuit, Main Street line, Metro, Sanjay Ramabhadran, sidewalks, Stop I-45, Sylvester Turner, Texas, TxDOT, US59 | Comments Off

Driverless taxi service arrives in Austin

Posted on January 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Brace yourselves, Austinites. A rite of passage as an Austinite is feeling bewildered at other drivers’ choices behind the wheel, but that’s starting to change. Cruise, a driverless ridehailing app, has completed its first driverless rides in Austin, marking its official … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged Austin, California, Cruise, driverless cars, General Motors, Lyft, National Association of City Transportation Officials, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Phoenix, San Francisco, Texas, The Lege, Uber | Comments Off

The road construction chaos that we know of for 2023

Posted on January 7, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Forewarned, forearmed, etc. A new year will mean major developments for some of the biggest highway projects in the region, but drivers should not expect them to be finished until 2024. The largest projects by the Texas Department of Transportation … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged construction, Houston, I-10, I-45, I-610, Texas, TxDOT, Westheimer | Comments Off

Here come some hydrogen-powered trucks

Posted on January 4, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

There’s more than one way to do no-emissions transportation. The first time Rodrigo Peña climbed into the Hyzon truck’s cabin and eased his foot off the break, it wasn’t the awe of being inside the first hydrogen-powered freight truck to … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged California, Department of Energy, electric cars, Houston Ship Channel, hydrogen, Hyzon, Port of Houston, Talke, Texas, trucks | Comments Off

The ribbon is finally cut on the White Oak bike trail extension

Posted on December 31, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I’d been waiting for this. Hike and bike trail connectivity has just gotten better in the Houston Heights area now that work on a new connector is complete. The City of Houston held a ribbon cutting [last] Tuesday to celebrate … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged Bayou Greenway Initiative, bicycles, Bike Houston, bike trails, construction, Heights, Houston, Houston Parks Board, MKT Trail, White Oak Bayou | 2 Comments

Agreement reached on I-45 expansion plans

Posted on December 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I remain skeptical, but we’ll see. The bottleneck of design differences that has divided officials about remaking Interstate 45 north of downtown Houston is easing, officials said Monday, clearing the way for construction on the $10 billion project, perhaps in … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged Adrian Garcia, Christian Menefee, Commissioners Court, construction, Federal Highway Administration, Harris County, Harris County Attorney, Houston, I-45, Independence Heights, lawsuit, Rodney Ellis, Sheila Jackson Lee, Stop I-45, Sylvester Turner, Texas, TxDOT | 4 Comments

Driverless taxi update

Posted on December 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Things to watch out for in the nearer-than-you-think future, with Austin first in line. When transit systems experience delays, the reason usually isn’t very interesting: congested streets, medical emergencies, mechanical problems. But the cause of a recent holdup on San … Continue reading →

HISD to get funding for electric school buses

Posted on December 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news. Houston Independent School District is hopping on the city’s net-zero carbon emissions bus, so to speak, thanks to more than $6.2 million in funding from the Environmental Protection Agency. The funds are part of the EPA’s Clean … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, School days | Tagged Dallas ISD, electric buses, electric cars, Environmental Protection Agency, HISD, Houston, Joe Biden, Killeen ISD, Metro, school buses, schools, Socorro ISD, stimulus | 2 Comments

New rules for hot air balloon operators

Posted on December 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This caught my eye. More than six years after 16 people died in a hot air balloon crash in Central Texas, the Federal Aviation Administration has started enforcing new rules on commercial balloon pilots that were devised because of tragedy. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged Congress, Federal Aviation Administration, hot air balloons, Lloyd Doggett, Ted Cruz, Texas | Comments Off

Electric trucks and the power grid

Posted on November 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Very interesting. Next month, Tesla Inc. plans to deliver the first of its electric Semi trucks—able to haul a full 40 ton-load some 500 miles on a single charge. These massive batteries-on-wheels may accelerate the transition to electrified transport, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged charging stations, electric cars, electricity, National Grid, Tesla, Texas, trucks | Comments Off

IKEA gets self-driving trucks

Posted on November 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Not for home delivery. Not yet, anyway.

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged Dallas, driverless cars, Frisco, Houston, I-45, IKEA, Kodiak Robotics, Texas, trucks | Comments Off

Shepherd/Durham construction update

Posted on November 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good long story in the Chron. When the workers clear — still months away — Shepherd and Durham, along with some major side streets, will be remade, and in many ways reformed. The streets, dual thoroughfares that funnel traffic between Memorial Drive and … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged bicycles, bike lanes, BRT, buses, construction, Heights, Houston, I-10, I-610, Inner Katy line, Memorial-Heights Redevelopment Authority, Metro, pedestrians, Shepherd, sidewalks, urbanism | Comments Off

White Oak bike trail extension: The final polish

Posted on November 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I haven’t seen a news story or press release to say that the White Oak bike trail extension is now fully open, but what I have seen is bicyclists using the trail. So open it must be. And since the … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged A Tale of Two Bridges, Bayou Greenway Initiative, bicycles, Bike Houston, bike trails, construction, Heights, Houston, Houston Parks Board, MKT Trail, White Oak Bayou | 1 Comment

Texas Central insists they’re still alive

Posted on October 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s something, I guess. A lawyer for nearly 100 property owners who are living with the threat of their land being seized said he will seek legal action against Texas Central, the company that for a decade has promised to … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged construction, Dallas, eminent domain, Federal Railroad Administration, high speed rail, Houston, lawsuit, Supreme Court, Surface Transportation Board, Sylvester Turner, Texas, Texas Central High-Speed Railway | Comments Off

If we can’t get high speed rail in Texas…

Posted on October 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

… At least we can maybe get some more Amtrak service. San Antonio residents finally may get new rail service connecting them to Dallas, Houston and Austin, according to a Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) filing. In an Oct. 5 … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged Amtrak, Austin, College Station, Dallas, Federal Railroad Administration, Fort Worth, Houston, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, stimulus, Texas, Texas Central High-Speed Railway, Texas-Oklahoma Passenger Rail Program Corridor, TxDOT | 1 Comment

Another depressing story about the existential future of Texas Central

Posted on October 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s sad, y’all. People in the path of a proposed but floundering high-speed rail line between Houston and Dallas last week filed a letter that in many ways labels Texas Central Railroad the little engine that will never be. They … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged construction, Dallas, eminent domain, Federal Railroad Administration, high speed rail, Houston, lawsuit, Supreme Court, Surface Transportation Board, Texas, Texas Central High-Speed Railway | 2 Comments

White Oak bike trail extension: I think we’re done now?

Posted on October 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

When we last looked about a month ago, it was clear that the construction on the White Oak Bike Trail extension was almost done, as there was just a small amount of concrete to be poured to connect the trail … Continue reading →

Metro looks beyond parking lots for its park and rides

Posted on October 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I like the idea. It will need some careful thought and planning, but the idea seems to be on the right track to me. The Metropolitan Transit Authority spent decades developing a network of parking lots where drivers could leave … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged buses, construction, Medical Center, Metro, parking, Sanjay Ramabhadran, transit-oriented development | Comments Off

Too many bicyclists die on the roads around here

Posted on October 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We should be more upset about this. More than 100 bicyclists have died on Harris County roads over the past five years, according to data from the Texas Department of Transportation. A Chronicle analysis of TxDOT roadway crash data found … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged accidents, bicycles, Bike Houston, crosswalks, Fort Bend County, Harris County, Houston, pedestrians, Texas, The Lege, TxDOT | 1 Comment

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