Tag Archives: construction

The road construction chaos that we know of for 2023

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 , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The road construction chaos that we know of for 2023

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

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 , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Agreement reached on I-45 expansion plans

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Houston to spend more fixing water pipes

Seems like a good idea. The city is poised to at least double its annual spending on water line repairs, citing two years of pipe breaks and leaks driven in part by ongoing drought conditions. Houston lost nearly 20 billion … Continue reading

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Concept Neighborhood’s Second Ward project

Sounds really cool. I hope they can pull it off, and in a reasonable amount of time. Plans to turn a swath of the East End into a walkable district are getting larger and more ambitious – setting the groundwork … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Concept Neighborhood’s Second Ward project

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

White Oak bike trail extension: The final polish

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

Texas Central insists they’re still alive

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 , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Texas Central insists they’re still alive

Another depressing story about the existential future of Texas Central

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 , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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

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

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on White Oak bike trail extension: I think we’re done now?

Metro looks beyond parking lots for its park and rides

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 , , , , , , | Comments Off on Metro looks beyond parking lots for its park and rides

Is this enough lipstick for the I-45 project?

You decide. A downtown economic development group hopes proposed “green” and multimodal amenities will make the controversial I-45 expansion plan more palatable for the project’s critics. The multi-billion-dollar plan by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to widen and reroute … Continue reading

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

West 11th construction is about to start

Get ready, here it comes. City staffers are finalizing a plan to add protected bike lanes along 11th Street in the Heights and reduce the number of driving lanes, despite pushback from some residents in the area. Crews will begin … Continue reading

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

Still wondering about the existential future of Texas Central

I really hoped this would be a thing. If it isn’t, it’s a great wasted opportunity. Ten years ago, a company calling itself Texas Central High-Speed Railway announced plans for a trailblazing bullet train that would whisk passengers between Dallas … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Still wondering about the existential future of Texas Central

Woodland Heights Civic Association opposes I-10 elevation proposal

That’s my neighborhood, and this is the email they sent out on Thursday about it. In recent weeks the WHCA has challenged TxDOT on their plan to elevate I-10 near our neighborhood between Heights Blvd. and I-45. Due to the … Continue reading

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

White Oak bike trail extension: Getting close to done

It’s been a bit more than a month since the last update, and as you can see a lot has gotten done. As you can see, the trail itself is about 90% done, with only the far west end still … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on White Oak bike trail extension: Getting close to done

Elevating I-10

My antennae are up about this. A state proposal to elevate Interstate 10 near White Oak Bayou is raising concerns among neighbors, who worry about the effects a higher freeway would have on noise and drainage. The $347 million project, … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Elevating I-10

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

TxDOT sued over its enviromental impact assessments

Very interesting. After college, Michael Moritz got a job in Houston analyzing fatal car crashes. Moritz, a 27-year-old native of San Antonio, stood on Interstate Highway 45, one of the most dangerous stretches of highway in the country, and documented … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on TxDOT sued over its enviromental impact assessments

If the only choices are “take it or leave it”, well…

Leave it doesn’t sound so bad given the alternative. One year ago, opponents of the state’s plan to rebuild Interstate 45 in Houston criticized the “take it or leave it” option state officials offered regarding amending plans for the mega-project. Tuesday, as … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on If the only choices are “take it or leave it”, well…

White Oak Bike Trail extension: Look! Concrete!

A few days after the Fourth of July, I saw this on the White Oak Bike Trail extension: See here for the previous update. That’s the view from where the current trail had ended. I actually saw this bit of … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

There’s no cheap housing in Houston any more

What are we going to do about that? In the sprawling Houston region, those who could not afford homeownership in the city’s urban core always had options. They could trade proximity for affordability. But as rising home prices and mortgage … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on There’s no cheap housing in Houston any more

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

White Oak Bike Trail extension: Over the culvert we go

We have a bridge from one side of the construction to the other: You can see the outline of the overpass in my previous photos; you can also see how quickly an expanse of blank concrete can get graffitied. I … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on White Oak Bike Trail extension: Over the culvert we go

Is there one last twist in the West 11th Street saga?

This was posted as an update to the change.org petition in support of the West 11th Street project: The opposition to making 11th street safer is asking TXDOT to stop the project-we need your help! The group that has organized … Continue reading

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

Is Texas Central in trouble?

This story sure questions its stability. The departure of Texas Central Railway’s CEO has critics of the proposed bullet train between Houston and Dallas optimistic the controversial project has reached its last stop, far short of ever starting construction. “Texas … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

West 11th Street will proceed as planned

Good. Plans to narrow 11th Street in the Heights, which have divided residents wider than the four-lane road some are trying to maintain, will proceed, Mayor Sylvester Turner said Tuesday. “This change isn’t easy and won’t satisfy everyone,” Turner said … Continue reading

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

OK, now I know what the White Oak Bike Trail extension will look like

In my last post about the construction of the White Oak Bike Trail extension, I said that I couldn’t quite envision what the finished product would look like. That was partly because there were three things that looked like they … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on OK, now I know what the White Oak Bike Trail extension will look like

CURBS Houston

In my last post about the West 11th Street project, I’ve noted that opposition to the project has been featured in news stories about it, but I have not seen any mention of organized support from the neighborhood – BikeHouston … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

I don’t really know what the White Oak Bike Trail extension is going to look like

There’s not a whole lot of change since the last update a month ago, at least in terms of how things look and what the final shape of the update might be. There are two particular areas of question for … Continue reading

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

Yeah, we’re still talking about West 11th Street

We can’t help it, sorry. When Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner assured concerned Heights residents he’d take “a closer look” at plans to reduce 11th Street to one lane in each direction, he likely didn’t expect a sightseeing tour to give … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Yeah, we’re still talking about West 11th Street

The MKT Bridge has reopened

This pleasant surprise came out on Thursday evening. A vital and long-unused bridge in a buzzing Houston neighborhood is set to reopen. The M-K-T Bridge, located in The Heights near White Oak Bayou, will be accessible to users on Friday, … Continue reading

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

Yes, you can use toll road funds for non-road projects

Who knew? Surplus revenues from Harris County’s toll road system for years have paid for improvements to nearby roads and infused funds into street rebuilds around the county. Now, the Harris County Toll Road Authority is about to go off-road. … Continue reading

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

We’re still talking about West 11th Street

My neighborhood sure can monopolize the discussion. Sorry about that. A discussion planned to laud Houston’s efforts to expand bicycling access Thursday turned into a debate on the merits of a two-mile stretch of 11th Street. The city’s plan to … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment