Tag Archives: BRT

Mayor Whitmire appoints a new Metro Chair

Congratulations and welcome aboard. Mayor John Whitmire on Tuesday announced CenterPoint Energy executive Elizabeth Brock would lead the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s board of directors. If approved, Brock would be the first Hispanic woman to lead the transit agency. “She brings … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

I-10 elevation update

From the Woodland Heights Civic Association January newsletter: I-10 Heights to I-45 Project Update: Community Advocacy Leads to Significant Changes The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has announced modifications to its $347 million plan to elevate a section of Interstate … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Gulfton BRT route approved

Moving forward. Long-sought improvements to transit service in Gulfton – arguably among the Houston region’s most transit-starved areas – have an official line on the map, though rapid service remains years away. Metropolitan Transit Authority officials on Thursday approved the … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Gulfton BRT route approved

Squeezing in the Gulfton BRT extension

Hope they find a way everyone can live with to make this work. Bringing better bus service to one of Houston’s most transit-dependent and oft-ignored areas has Metro officials balancing, yet again, how best to upgrade service without upsetting advocates and drivers. Approval … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Squeezing in the Gulfton BRT extension

B-Cycle hits the brakes

Unfortunate. Hopes for a much-needed infusion of cash from a new partnership with Metro have yet to be fulfilled, leading Houston Bike Share to warn users that prices will increase and the number of available stations will shrink, starting May 1. The nonprofit … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on B-Cycle hits the brakes

Metro approves University BRT route

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 , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Metro approves University BRT route

Preferred path decision for University BRT line delayed

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 , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Metro gets some BRT money

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 , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Metro gets some BRT money

More on the state of B-Cycle

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 , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on More on the state of B-Cycle

Metro approves initial takeover of B-Cycle

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 , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Metro approves initial takeover of B-Cycle

Will Metro take over B-Cycle?

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 , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on So what’s the deal with that I-45 deal?

Shepherd/Durham construction update

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Shepherd/Durham construction update

The slow but steady march of Houston’s non-car transportation infrastructure

Good story. When he arrived in Houston two years ago, what David Fields saw belied what he had heard. The nation’s fourth-largest city has long been known as car-centric and geared toward commuting, with a web of wide freeways that … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The slow but steady march of Houston’s non-car transportation infrastructure

More on the planning for the University BRT line

Yes, Metro has to make some predictions about where transit will be needed. Building a line that goes through some of the densest parts of town probably helps with that. Metropolitan Transit Authority officials told voters in 2019 “we have … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on More on the planning for the University BRT line

Time to meet the University Line BRT plans

A big step forward, but there are many miles yet to go. The biggest of Metro’s big bus offerings is about to turn from lines on a map to a full-fledged discussion for Houston residents, as transit officials prepare for … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Metro approves I-10 Inner Katy BRT route

Big step forward. Metro officials Thursday settled on the route for a busway along Interstate 10 that they predict will improve transit for urban and suburban travelers, whether they hop on board or not. The elevated busway planned along the … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Metro approves I-10 Inner Katy BRT route

Turns out it’s not great debuting a transit service in a pandemic

What are you gonna do? The future of Houston transportation is not moving many people, even as traffic rebounds to pre-pandemic levels and ridership returns to many Metropolitan Transit Authority lines. The Silver Line, billed as a viable alternative to … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Turns out it’s not great debuting a transit service in a pandemic

Get ready for more construction in 2022

Happy New Year! Here are the places you’ll want to avoid driving in 2022. Flush with green, Houston area transportation officials have a whiteboard full of highway and transit projects poised to start in 2022, but rolling out all that … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Get ready for more construction in 2022

Here comes that Universities BRT map

Show me the route! The largest and most-sought segment of Metro’s planned bus rapid transit expansion in Houston is poised next week to officially move from being just lines on a map to the starting line — even if construction … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Metro moving forward on new BRT line

As they should. Even with fewer riders hopping aboard and a more dour financial outlook, Metro officials say the agency is full steam ahead on a host of projects aimed at adding buses to scores of routes and neighborhoods. That … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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

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

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Can you tell me how to get (safely) to Memorial Park?

Get ready for your first Universities Line BRT map

Feel the excitement! No, seriously, we’ve waited a long time for this. The largest and most-sought segment of Metro’s planned bus rapid transit expansion in Houston is poised next week to officially move from being just lines on a map … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Let’s try and get those federal transit funds now

Works for me. Transit officials, sensing the timing may be right to tap federal funds for major projects, are moving quickly on portions of a planned bus rapid transit line viewed by some as the backbone of Houston’s future movement. … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Let’s try and get those federal transit funds now

The I-45 effect on Metro

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

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The I-45 effect on Metro

Are you ready for some I-10 construction?

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

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Metro moving forward with its construction plans

As well they should. Carrin Patman greeted the supporter by grabbing both of his hands in a packed downtown Houston event space above a bustling sports bar. The buffet laid out for Metro’s 2019 election night watch party was thoroughly … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Metro moving forward with its construction plans

Uptown BRT officially opens

Meet the Silver Line. T.J. Buttons is used to a bus ride in Houston giving him plenty of time to check his phone. On that front, Houston’s first bus rapid transit route failed miserably. “It’s so fast,” Buttons said as … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Time for your regularly scheduled announcement that the Uptown BRT line opening has been pushed back

Maybe for the last time, though. We hope. Rapid bus service is coming to Uptown next month, a couple weeks later than Metro first said this summer and two years later than expected when construction began in 2016. Service will … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Time for your regularly scheduled announcement that the Uptown BRT line opening has been pushed back

Bike lanes coming to Shepherd/Durham corridor

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

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Metro slows its roll on system improvements

Not a surprise. Houston-area transit officials will wait out a little more of the coronavirus crisis before soliciting bids on five of the first projects in their $7 billion construction bonanza for bus and rail upgrades. “Moving this by a … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Uptown BRT pushed back to July

Sigh. Opening day for Houston’s first bus rapid transit line has been pushed back to mid-summer as construction enters the final steps along most of the route before reaching a three-month testing period. Service is expected to start no earlier … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Uptown BRT pushed back to July

Uptown BRT line update

It’s coming, it’s coming. Hold your horses. The new year will come with a new sight in Houston: Big gray buses bounding along a dedicated lane on Post Oak through Uptown. For the first few weeks, however, people will not … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Uptown BRT line update

Endorsement watch: For the Metro bond

All of the candidate endorsements have been done by the Chron, but there remain the endorsements for ballot propositions. Which is to say, the Metro referendum and the constitutional amendments. I’ll address the latter tomorrow, but for now here’s the … Continue reading

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments