Tag Archives: TxDOT

Harris County to pause the I-45 lawsuit

Posted on November 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Gonna give talking a try. You never know. Harris County will pause its lawsuit against the Texas Department of Transportation over the proposed Interstate 45 widening in hopes that it leads to a consensus that has eluded them for more … Continue reading →

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Republicans want to get the I-45 project going again

Posted on November 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We all want things. Seven Republican members of Congress from the Houston area are urging federal transportation officials to quickly wrap up a review of Texas’ planned Interstate 45 rebuild, arguing that much of the opposition to the project is … Continue reading →

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Another look at I-35 expansion

Posted on October 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

From Slate: Built on top of tree-lined East Avenue, the road opened in 1962, cutting off Black and Mexican-American East Austin from Downtown. Like urban renewal projects in other American cities, the road’s destructive legacy has recently been reconsidered in racial terms. … Continue reading →

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The fight over widening I-35

Posted on September 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Hold tough, Austin. We feel your pain here. In May 2019, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) unveiled a $7.5 billion plan to expand the abhorred stretch of I-35 that snakes through the center of Austin. Dubbed the Capital Express … Continue reading →

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I-45 remains in the funding plan

Posted on September 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

For now. Ask again in 90 days. Interstate 45 still is on a road to rebuild after Texas transportation officials on Tuesday kept the controversial project in the state’s 10-year construction plans, but warned that failing to get federal highway … Continue reading →

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Will TxDOT pull funding from the I-45 project?

Posted on August 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It could happen. Supporters of state plans to rebuild Interstate 45 from downtown Houston northward trekked to Austin on Thursday to keep the imperiled project on pace, fearing the region could be stuck with an aging freeway and no sign … Continue reading →

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The I-45 survey

Posted on July 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Who thought this was a good idea? The fate of the massive $9 billion project may depend on how many people who agree with Smith or agree with Davies fill out an online poll — after 15 years of planning, … Continue reading →

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Can you tell me how to get (safely) to Memorial Park?

Posted on July 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Safety is nice. A $200 million-plus plan to improve [Memorial Park] is aimed at making it a signature destination for all Houstonians. With that success, though, will come the same challenges anything popular in Houston faces: How will people get … Continue reading →

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Back to the public input phase for I-45

Posted on July 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

They hear, but will they listen? Hemmed between a request for a pause by federal highway officials and an outcry from opponents, planners of a massive rebuild of Interstate 45 in Houston are taking their plans back to the public … Continue reading →

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Feds tell TxDOT to slow down on I-45

Posted on June 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

On pause for however long. In two letters released Wednesday — one to the Texas Department of Transportation and another to Harris County leaders — the Federal Highway Administration said it expected Texas officials to halt work [on I-45], including … Continue reading →

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Traffic deaths are way up

Posted on June 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not good, y’all. With traffic levels returning to normal levels post-COVID, Texas is on track for more than 4,000 deaths on state roads, a total unseen since the mid-1980s when the state had millions fewer residents and far deadlier streets, … Continue reading →

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Cybersecurity insurance for TxDOT

Posted on June 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not an optional thing these days. Pending final approval from the legislature, the Texas Department of Transportation plans to spend about $100,000 annually on cybersecurity insurance aimed at repaying the state should it incur expenses related to loss of business … Continue reading →

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The I-45 effect on Metro

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

There will be a lot of disruption to mass transit as a result of the I-45 project. Metro’s board on Thursday approved hiring design and engineering firm STV Incorporated for services related to the controversial Interstate 45 project. Though the … Continue reading →

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Not everyone opposes the I-45 project

Posted on April 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Life is a rich tapestry. Jill Rafferty proudly acknowledges she bothers a lot of people. Better to rub them the wrong way, she reasons, than let a lack of attention wash her Independence Heights neighborhood away. Flood control efforts, mostly … Continue reading →

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The federal hurdle to the I-45 project

Posted on April 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I mostly missed this when it happened. The Federal Highway Administration has asked Texas’ transportation department to halt construction on an Interstate 45 expansion project, citing civil rights concerns. The news comes the same day Harris County announced it was … Continue reading →

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The lack of regional consensus on I-45

Posted on March 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is really frustrating. Regional transportation officials on Friday reaffirmed their support for a planned $7 billion widening of Interstate 45 in Houston, over strong objections from city and Harris County officials that the resolution passed was a toothless enabling … Continue reading →

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Harris County sues TxDOT over I-45

Posted on March 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. Plans to rebuild Interstate 45 in Houston, which state officials say need to move forward as they work through concerns expressed by critics, took what could be a lengthy detour into federal court Thursday. In … Continue reading →

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Are you ready for some I-10 construction?

Posted on March 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Well, ready or not… State highways officials set out in 2004 to develop a plan to remake Interstate 45 and add managed lanes, only to face increasingly stiff opposition in the past three years from elected officials and community activists … Continue reading →

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TxDOT plows ahead with I-45

Posted on February 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

What did we expect? Texas highway officials [last] Thursday gave themselves the green light to rebuild Interstate 45 in Houston, a crucial step in the process, despite lingering concerns from critics that the proposed $7.5 billion widening project is out … Continue reading →

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There’s a real lack of consensus about the I-45 project

Posted on February 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It seems unlikely that TxDOT could just throw up its hands and walk away from this, but it’s at least a possible scenario. A proposed agreement devised to bring planners and critics of a massive redesign of Interstate 45 together … Continue reading →

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More bike riders, more bike fatalities

Posted on January 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We should try to do something about this. The COVID pandemic sparked a surge in bike sales and bike riding across the Houston region at a time when pedaling — and driving — area streets is deadlier than ever. A … Continue reading →

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We’re not #1, at least for now!

Posted on December 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

For the time being, probably not for very long, the most congested stretch of highway in Texas is not in Houston. Traffic on the West Loop has always been a mess and now it has a ranking from Texas transportation … Continue reading →

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The next phase of the I-45 fight is about to begin

Posted on December 8, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Where it goes from here is still up in the air. The opening of this story was at a rally on Sunday that opposed the current I-45 plan. The rally, part of a flurry of events from concerts to block-walking … Continue reading →

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Texas Central once more gets to deal with the Lege

Posted on November 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

They’re both farther along, and not as far along, as they might like heading into this session. Less than two months before the Texas Legislature begins its next session, the yearslong battle over a controversial high-speed rail project is expected … Continue reading →

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A bad streak

Posted on November 13, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Twenty years. Geez. For 20 years, Texans have been dying to get somewhere, and there is little sign they will stop anytime soon. Saturday marks 20 years of at least one death a day on Texas roads, a grim milestone … Continue reading →

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Who gets to be on the I-45 panel?

Posted on July 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m not thrilled about this. Houston will have a say in a regional response to design differences in the planned widening of Interstate 45 within the city — and so will Sugar Land, Montgomery County and Waller County. After voting … Continue reading →

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Bike lanes coming to Shepherd/Durham corridor

Posted on July 18, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. Houston officials with some regional help have nearly solved funding a $100 million rebuild of Shepherd and Durham that adds bike lanes, wider sidewalks, improved drainage and new concrete to one of the most car-centric corridors within Loop 610. … Continue reading →

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Who gets displaced by I-45?

Posted on June 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Worth keeping in mind, the cost of expanding I-45 is more than just dollars. The I-45 project’s toll on local property owners would be unprecedented for TxDOT in Houston, potentially relocating hundreds of families and businesses. Estimated to cost at … Continue reading →

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TxDOT hit with ransomware

Posted on May 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Not great. Texas’ transportation agency has become the second part of the state government to be hit by a ransomware attack in recent days. On Thursday, someone hacked into the Texas Department of Transportation’s network in a “ransomware event,” according … Continue reading →

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The city’s vision for I-45

Posted on April 29, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I like the way this is shaping up. The city of Houston is prepared to ask for major changes in state plans to rebuild Interstate 45 that potentially could scale back the planned widening of the freeway and put a … Continue reading →

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Driving may be down, but traffic fatalities are not down as much

Posted on April 27, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a bit of a conundrum. COVID-19 can keep millions of Texans at home and cut vehicle travel roughly in half in many cities, but cannot keep hundreds from dying on state roads — continuing a stubborn trend of carnage … Continue reading →

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Is it finally going to be Infrastructure Week?

Posted on April 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this: Lawmakers have been talking about striking a deal to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure for years. It might take a pandemic to finally get them to do it, and Texas officials are already … Continue reading →

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Les traffic, easier construction

Posted on March 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll be talking about the knock-on effects of the coronavirus pandemic for years to come. A lighter load on Houston-area freeways and COVID-19 concerns have not slowed the heavy machinery making way for more lanes or new ramps along many … Continue reading →

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There’s still (a little) time to affect the I-45 design

Posted on February 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

There’s stuff happening this week. After that, it gets harder. City officials and consultants will spend the coming weeks finalizing a few ways to turn the region’s largest and most controversial freeway rebuild of recent years into an Interstate 45 … Continue reading →

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