Tag Archives: Grand Parkway

Of course we could have done more on flood mitigation before now

Posted on December 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

From the Chron: Harris County faces challenge, opportunity managing $2.5B flood bond program. I want to focus on this bit. Jim Blackburn, co-director of the Severe Storm Prediction, Education, and Evacuation from Disasters Center at Rice University, estimates the bond … Continue reading →

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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 →

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From the “we don’t want those people coming here” files

Posted on July 30, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Stay classy, Spring. The headline wasn’t subtle: “Stop Metro from coming to Spring.” The article,published July 15 on the website Spring Happenings, warned that bus service would “give criminals an easy way in and out” of the north Harris County … Continue reading →

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On the environmental challenges to the Houston region

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I turn the mic over to Jim Blackburn, in a reprint of an article he wrote for Offcite in 2014. The future of the City of Houston might be more affected by extreme weather events than by any other factor. … Continue reading →

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Council approves Costco tax rebate

Posted on July 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I still don’t think this is a good idea. The Houston City Council on Wednesday approved a $1 million economic development deal to help Costco build a store outside the city limits. In a rambling discussion ending in a 12-3 … Continue reading →

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Where the congestion is

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the On The Move blog: Dallas motorists suffer the most highly congested road conditions in Texas, says a recent report from the Texas Department of Transportation. The state’s top three bottlenecks are all located in Dallas County, according to … Continue reading →

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HuffPo on the Grand Parkway

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Huffington Post take a look at that great boondoggle in northwest Harris County, the Grand Parkway Segment E extension from I-10 to 290. Texas faces a transportation funding gap of $315 billion over the next 20 years, according to … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed to stop Grand Parkway

Posted on August 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see how it goes. The Sierra Club has filed a lawsuit to block construction of the Grand Parkway in west Harris County until federal and state officials conduct a new analysis of the flooding consequences. The environmental group says … Continue reading →

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Grand Parkway news

Posted on July 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From Houston Tomorrow: The Sierra Club lawsuit to stop construction of the proposed SH99 toll road over the Katy Prairie will see its day in court by September,according to KUHF. The Sierra Club filed suit against “the Federal Highway Administration … Continue reading →

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Who wants to help build the Grand Parkway?

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The State of Texas wants to know. The Texas Department of Transportation, which has responsibility for the parkway in Harris, Montgomery and Chambers Counties, is moving toward use of a public-private partnership to get faster funding for the multibillion-dollar, 184-mile … Continue reading →

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Grand Parkway protest

Posted on May 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Misplaced priorities: $4.8 billion to advance SH-99 while US-290 commuters sit in traffic Coalition to protest Grand Parkway as poster child of all that’s wrong with Texas transportation policy (Houston, TX) – As TxDOT hosts the final … Continue reading →

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How would you spend $350 million of TxDOT’s money?

Posted on May 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

David Crossley would like to know. Let’s say you found $350 million to do a great transportation project for the Houston region. Would you use it to build a 400-foot-wide, 15-mile-long segment of brand-new highway across the Katy Prairie wetlands … Continue reading →

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Grand Parkway gets state funding

Posted on May 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

No money for schools, but there is money for this. The Texas Transportation Commission [Thursday] morning unanimously approved allocation of $350 million for construction of the Grand Parkway’s Segment E in west Harris County. […] The $350 million approved [Thursday] … Continue reading →

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TxDOT gets Grand Parkway approval

Posted on March 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Another step in the march of the inevitable. The state Transportation Commission on Thursday granted the Texas Department of Transportation authority to begin design work and negotiating contracts to build a key segment of the Grand Parkway. The unanimous vote … Continue reading →

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How Houston commutes

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Great post from Greg that looks at how people in some Census tracts get to work. One point to highlight: The Solo Drivers … This is an obviously large portion of the population. But there are some very interesting variations … Continue reading →

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TxDOT to take on primacy for Grand Parkway

Posted on February 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From Houston Tomorrow: “There are potential opportunities to help advance [the Grand Parkway] in its entirety over the short term,” according to John Barton, assistant executive director for the Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) engineering operations, told the Transportation Policy … Continue reading →

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Harris County hands the Grand Parkway back to the state

Posted on January 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Commissioners Court wants TxDOT to take over construction of the Grand Parkway. Harris County took control of the project about 15 months ago in the belief that the Texas Department of Transportation did not have the money to build it, … Continue reading →

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The Grand Parkway takes another inevitable step forward

Posted on November 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

No money to fix traffic lights, but there’s always money for the Grand Parkway. Commissioners Court on Tuesday authorized the Harris County Toll Road Authority to negotiate with the Texas Department of Transportation over the development of three Grand Parkway … Continue reading →

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Harris County CIP will ignore Hempstead managed lanes

Posted on June 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Earlier this month, I blogged about the status of the US 290 expansion, for which TxDOT’s plan rested on the assumption that the Harris County Toll Road Authority would go forth with the construction of managed lanes along Hempstead Highway. … Continue reading →

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The Grand Parkway ain’t dead yet

Posted on October 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It may not receive stimulus funds, but don’t go presiding over Last Rites for the Grand Parkway. Commissioners Court on Tuesday delayed a planned request to reallocate $181 million in federal stimulus funds for part of the 180-mile Grand Parkway … Continue reading →

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Grand Parkway will not get stimulus funds

Posted on October 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As the Chron story headline says, it wasn’t so shovel-ready after all. Harris County officials will request that $181 million in federal stimulus funding for portions of the county’s controversial Grand Parkway tollroad project be shifted to other projects, citing … Continue reading →

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Just how viable is the Grand Parkway anyway?

Posted on July 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

So it’s official, Commissioners Court has voted to seek stimulus funding for the Grand Parkway Segment E despite numerous concerns about the way they went about it. Houston Tomorrow explores a facet of this that I hadn’t been aware of … Continue reading →

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Cities lose out in transportation stimulus funding

Posted on July 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This is not a surprise, but it is a missed opportunity. Two-thirds of the country lives in large metropolitan areas, home to the nation’s worst traffic jams and some of its oldest roads and bridges. But cities and their surrounding … Continue reading →

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Stimulus funds and road projects

Posted on July 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Stimulus funds are coming to a road that may be near you. Texas received $2.25 billion from the stimulus for transportation. That’s on top of the $3 billion it got in federal highway funds this year. The regular federal allotment … Continue reading →

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Katy Freeway managed lanes set to open

Posted on April 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Christof notices a banner ad on chron.com for the Katy Freeway managed lanes, which are set to open on Monday, April 18, and gives us an update on them. The lanes will now be open 24 hours a day, 7 … Continue reading →

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Radack’s Hill

Posted on April 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Who says Harris County is flat? Not County Commissioner Steve Radack, who is building a hill in Hockley for soap box derby enthusiasts. It is a vision seven years in the making for Radack, who predicts the hill will draw … Continue reading →

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OK, you can use some stimulus money on rail

Posted on March 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Whew! Federal transit officials on Tuesday reversed course and agreed to allow Metro to use nearly $30 million in economic stimulus funds for utility relocation work on the proposed North and Southeast rail lines, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee announced. Just … Continue reading →

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A better idea for the Grand Parkway

Posted on March 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

If we must build the Grand Parkway Segment E, then this would be a far more preferable way to do it. Probably less expensive, too.

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Commissioners Court OKs Grand Parkway Segment E work

Posted on March 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday approved an agreement to build and maintain a segment of the Grand Parkway connecting the Katy Freeway and U.S. 290, but questions over what would happen if the county ultimately decided the … Continue reading →

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Activists tell TxDOT to slow down and be open

Posted on March 6, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The following is a press release from a coalition of activists, including the Sierra Club, Environment Texas, Independent Texans, Houston Tomorrow, and the CTC: Representatives of a broad coalition of quality of life, political reform, and environmental groups and citizens … Continue reading →

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Morrison speaks on the Grand Parkway

Posted on March 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Fort Bend County Commissioner Richard Morrison writes about the recently-greenlighted Grand Parkway Segment E and the possibility that stimulus funds could be used to fund what will become a toll road. If Segment E is funded from the stimulus money … Continue reading →

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Here come stimulus money

Posted on March 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The first batch of funds is arriving. The Department of Housing and Urban Development allocated more than $500 million to Texas cities and counties on Monday, part of a wave of stimulus money expected to flow into the state. Federal … Continue reading →

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Grand Parkway Segment E gets a go-ahead

Posted on February 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday approved an agreement to build and maintain a segment of the Grand Parkway connecting the Katy Freeway and U.S. 290, but questions over what would happen if the county ultimately decided the … Continue reading →

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