Tag Archives: construction

Architect hired for Ismaili Center construction on Robinson Warehouse site

Posted on February 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This is the most exciting bit of local news I’ve seen in years. The worldwide Ismaili Muslim community announced Wednesday it is moving forward with plans to make Houston the site of its first U.S. cultural center and to create … Continue reading →

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Joint processing center opens

Posted on February 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This was a long time coming, but it should be worth the wait. More than a decade after city voters approved a bond measure to fund it, Houston and Harris County opened a joint inmate processing center Thursday that officials … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Does the Astrodome redevelopment need air conditioning?

Posted on January 31, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I hadn’t thought about this, to be honest. As work continues on the initial stages of preparing the Astrodome for its new life as a parking and events venue, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo raised questions last week about the … Continue reading →

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Have you started avoiding the 59/610 interchange yet?

Posted on January 6, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Better get started. I-69 at the 610 West Loop is a traffic hot spot in Houston. The two freeway segments that meet at the interchange top the list of the most congested in Texas, according to the Department of Transportation … Continue reading →

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Are we ready for Texas Central?

Posted on December 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This is more about the experience than anything else. Texas Central said it will break ground late next year on the first bullet train line in the United States, which will connect Dallas to Houston, and the train, technology and … Continue reading →

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Uptown update

Posted on December 1, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The work is ending, the work continues. The end is near for construction that has clogged Post Oak and delayed drivers, but the buses at the center of the project will not start rolling for at least another year as … Continue reading →

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What to do with the county courthouse?

Posted on November 19, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Seems like a problem. More than 15 months after flooding from Hurricane Harvey shuttered Houston’s 20-story criminal courthouse, county leaders say they will begin in January on the first phase of a multi-part $86 million restoration project, which won’t be … Continue reading →

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The state of the high speed rail line

Posted on November 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

A good long read from the Trib. Private developer Texas Central Partners LLC plans to build a train that will shuttle people between Dallas and Houston in 90 minutes along a 240-mile route roughly parallel to a highway corridor that … Continue reading →

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The timeline for the Astrodome

Posted on October 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Work will get started after the Rodeo. According to Ryan Walsh, executive director of the Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation and NRG Park, the final phase of asbestos abatement is scheduled to get underway at the Dome next week … Continue reading →

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Emmett speaks post-bond

Posted on September 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

With the flood bond referendum safely passed, we now turn to what comes next. Land and housing preservation is key to the Houston region becoming more resilient, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said Tuesday, on the heels of last weekend’s … Continue reading →

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More details on the flood bond referendum

Posted on August 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Early voting starts today. The Harris County Flood Control District on Monday released its complete list of projects that would be funded by the county’s $2.5 billion flood infrastructure bond proposal, two days before early voting on the measure begins. … Continue reading →

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The World Cup and its possible infrastructure effects

Posted on July 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Assuming Houston does get to be a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, that could spur some major projects, for transportation and recreation and who knows what else. Houston will not receive final word on the bid until … Continue reading →

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Reinventing Jones Plaza

Posted on April 27, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Big changes coming to downtown. Jones Plaza, the often-empty, 1.5-acre public space at the heart of Houston’s Theater District, may finally become a true people magnet courtesy of the second face-lift in its 51-year history. This time, Houston First Corporation, … Continue reading →

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Just a reminder, the I-45 construction is going to be massive

Posted on March 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I can’t quite wrp my mind around the scope of it. I suspect a lot of us feel the same way. Birds flitting in and out of the grass and trees along this strip of marsh pay no heed to … Continue reading →

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County approves Astrodome plan

Posted on February 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Like it or not, here it comes. Harris County Commissioners Court voted unanimously Tuesday to move forward with the final design and construction of a $105 million project to transform the cherished piece of Houston’s sporting history into what officials … Continue reading →

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We could be getting to the end of 290 construction

Posted on January 5, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

By the end of the year. We think. Most major construction along the main lanes of U.S. 290 will end in 2018. Every new wide lane open. Every bridge built. Eleven lanes, including a reversible HOV lane, from Loop 610 … Continue reading →

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Another step in the Uptown BRT process

Posted on December 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Gotta build those bus lanes on the Loop, too. A bus guideway along Loop 610 will cost slightly more than anticipated, based on bids opened Wednesday in Austin. Williams Brothers Construction, a mainstay of highway building in the area, was … Continue reading →

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HISD proposes to rebuild four schools damaged by Harvey

Posted on December 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Seems reasonable. Students at four storm-damaged Houston ISD elementary schools wouldn’t return to their home campuses until at least 2020 under a district proposal for replacing the structures announced Monday. The $126-million plan calls for the four campuses — Braeburn, … Continue reading →

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County approves floodplain regulation change

Posted on December 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Five hundred is the new one hundred. The Harris County Commissioners Court voted unanimously on Tuesday to make significant changes to the way the county regulates new development, including a slew of new restrictions in Hurricane Harvey’s wake that officials … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina, Local politics | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Harris County to consider floodplain regulations change

Posted on November 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Seems like a good idea to me. Nearly three months after Hurricane Harvey, Harris County is proposing using 500-year floodplains instead of 100-year floodplains for new development, the first significant overhaul of county elevation requirements in nearly two decades. The … Continue reading →

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Abandon hope, all ye who drive here

Posted on November 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Just stay away. Far, far away. Houston’s worst chokepoint is about to be a construction zone for the next five or six years, in the hopes that drivers eventually reap the rewards. Federal, state and local lawmakers gathered Monday on … Continue reading →

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Buffalo Bayou Brewing to build new facility

Posted on November 19, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We remain in a craft beer renaissance. Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co., which launched nearly six years ago with a beer called 1836 honoring the date of Houston’s founding, is preparing to break ground on a $14 million brewery and restaurant … Continue reading →

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We will never stop widening our highways

Posted on November 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Eventually, everything will be used for extra highway capacity. For people in western Harris and Fort Bend counties, now is the time to sit down with your toddler and ask what kind of Interstate 10 they’d like to have. Texas … Continue reading →

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People who oppose the Uptown Line continue to oppose the Uptown Line

Posted on October 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Film at 11. A plan for faster bus service along Post Oak, the centerpiece of a larger project to remake Uptown’s Main Street, continues to divide its supporters and transit skeptics, even as work accelerates and commuters brace for limited … Continue reading →

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The Acre

Posted on October 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Meet downtown’s newest park. As park spaces go, Houston’s newest urban oasis is a mere postage stamp, occupying just over an acre of privately held land, developed with private money. But in post-Harvey Houston, the value of every inch of … Continue reading →

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The Sports Authority at 20

Posted on September 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

A few stadia, a little mission creep. Where has the time gone? As the Harris County Houston Sports Authority celebrated its 20th anniversary Monday night with a reception for current and former directors and board members, it moves into its … Continue reading →

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Who will rebuild Houston?

Posted on September 11, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Vox points out what should be obvious. Unauthorized immigrants were crucial to rebuilding New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. And they are likely to be desperately needed as Texas rebuilds to clean streets, demolish buildings, and reconstruct homes and offices. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina, La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Remember the Katy Prairie

Posted on August 31, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the four things we could have done differently to maybe mitigate some of the worst effects of Harvey: Preserve and restore as much prairie land as possible Much of northwest Houston used to be covered in prairie land, where … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

The process for I-45

Posted on July 27, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This time it’s different, more or less. The region’s largest looming highway project – a massive rebuild of Interstate 45 from the Sam Houston Tollway to downtown Houston – has a lot of people looking into the rear-view mirror, pressing … Continue reading →

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Try to wrap your mind around what I-45 will look like post-construction

Posted on May 17, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Swamplot is here to help. HAVING TROUBLE SIFTING through some of the massive freeway jumbles in the latest plans for that major I-45 reroute between Downtown and the Beltway? This new video (making the rounds this month as TxDOT hosts a set of public meetings … Continue reading →

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TxDOT public hearings on I-45 widening scheduled for May 9th & May 11th

Posted on May 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox, from Jim Weston of the I-45 Coalition: The I-45 Project – Planning Stage is coming to an end!  This next meeting is a HEARING –  much different from the public meetings that TxDOT has been holding. This … Continue reading →

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Complete Communities

Posted on April 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Turner makes an announcement about a new program for revitalizing some core neighborhoods. Mayor Sylvester Turner plans to focus Houston’s community development efforts on five low-income neighborhoods as part of his Complete Communities initiative announced Monday. The program comes … Continue reading →

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Get ready for lots of road construction

Posted on April 4, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Because a lot of money is fixing to be spent on it. A sweeping revision of state highway plans adds nearly $9 billion in new funds for improving Texas roadways, including a $1.32 billion infusion in the Houston area for … Continue reading →

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Metro still fixing rail car issues

Posted on March 30, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Someday this will all be over. Houston’s light rail system is fully open, but closing out a complicated rail car purchase that nearly derailed the new lines remains a challenge for transit officials. Metropolitan Transit Authority officials continue withholding $12.9 … Continue reading →

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