Still tweaking the Metro referendum

Extending one rail line to Hobby Airport instead of two has generated some savings in the projected cost, which can then allow for other things to be done.

The expected price of extending the Green Line and Purple Line light rail to Hobby Airport, by combining the two lines and focusing on a route along Broadway, dropped from $1.4 billion to about $1 billion, Metropolitan Transit Authority officials said Friday.

Metro’s board is nearing a final vote on asking voters for permission to borrow $3.5 billion for a suite of transit projects, the first portion of the agency’s MetroNext long-range plan. Officials must approve a plan by mid-August and call for an election, in order to have it appear on the November ballot.

Likely projects for the ballot proposal include extensions of the Red, Purple and Green light rail lines, 75 miles of proposed bus rapid transit and various park and ride additions or expansions.

Because of the estimated $400 million savings, those projects could be joined by a $336 million extension of the light rail line from Hobby to the Monroe Park and Ride lot near Interstate 45, and relocating the Kingwood Park and Ride closer to Interstate 69, at an estimated cost of up to $60 million.

Both projects were popular with respondents during Metro’s year-long public meeting process about a long-range transit plan, and also have support from local elected officials.

The Kingwood site was an obvious choice, Metro CEO Tom Lambert said, because it was affected by flooding when Tropical Storm Harvey deluged Houston. The existing site along Kingwood Drive also is time-consuming for buses to navigate, compared to a location closer to the freeway.

The Monroe rail extension, meanwhile, would provide a place for suburban residents to park and then ride the rail to various job centers.

“I think we have some conservative votes we won’t get if we don’t do it,” said Metro board member Jim Robinson, who has pressed for more investment in park and ride locations.

I have no opinion at this time about extending the rail line beyond Hobby. I’d be very interested to see what that does to the ridership projections, which to me are the most important factor. I’m also a little curious as to why this extra rail could be added at such a late date but the proposed Washington Avenue extension couldn’t be. Maybe because there was always going to be something at the one end and we were just trying to decide the details, I don’t know. I will admit to some self-interest in asking this question. Anyway, we should have the final proposition soon, and from there the real campaign can begin.

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6 Responses to Still tweaking the Metro referendum

  1. Jules says:

    If they want me to vote for it, they need to get rid of the brt to the non-existent hsr station

  2. Adoile Turner III says:

    i will say that the monroe extension will be a lot less opposed to criticism considering that there is already a huge right of way along both airport and monroe with mostly low density low to middle income homes and businesses and it can use the HOV flyover that already exists. the washington corridor however is becoming extremely affluent the corridor is very tight and only getting more dense just a lot more study and criticism would come with a project like that this late.

  3. Adoile Turner III says:

    and why would they remove one project simply because you wouldn’t use it that area is also a point we’re several routes currently meet near 18th & Hempstead. so i’m sure several people would utilize that connection

  4. Jules says:

    It’s not a matter of me not using it, it’s a matter of me not wanting to pay to solve Texas Central’s “last mile” problems, especially when the entire project is in doubt.

  5. David Fagan says:

    How does “Extending one rail line to Hobby Airport instead of two has generated some savings”? It doesn’t “generate” anything, it prevents extra spending.

    I will not vote for this, it’s too expensive, we do not want to be like Detroit.

  6. Adoile Turner III says:

    So you would throw a largely affordable yet expansive transportation project because of a bus going literally not even one extra mile to a stop that is once again served by 6 current metro routes. forget HSR this helps houston mobility now and the gain in ridership from that highly connpoint is enough to warrant the extension even without HSR

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