Tag Archives: construction

Shepherd-Durham project halted

Posted on April 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

It’s like deja vu all over again. Houston city officials have put the brakes on the middle piece of a planned redesign of Shepherd and Durham drives along the edge of the Heights, a decision that community officials and others … Continue reading →

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I-10 elevation update

Posted on January 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

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 →

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Sunnyside solar farm update

Posted on January 9, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I’m really rooting for this. As Efrem Jernigan surveyed the young men attending a solar installation training session on his plot in Sunnyside, he spoke about his dreams for the land nearby. The 240-acre former city dump across Reed Road … Continue reading →

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Connecting Uptown and Memorial Park

Posted on November 12, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I approve of this. The overwhelming task of getting to Memorial Park from Uptown by bike or on foot is poised to vastly improve, provided a $22 million project for a bridge across Buffalo Bayou and underpass of Loop 610 … Continue reading →

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Ismaili Center construction milestone

Posted on October 29, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Cool. Houston’s new Ismaili Center is set to reach its tallest point in construction in the coming days, marking a milestone celebrated by dignitaries and local officials during a topping-off ceremony Monday at the cultural landmark’s site in the Montrose … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: For the hospital bond

Posted on September 29, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good call. It’s unacceptable for a public hospital whose mission is to save lives to instead endanger them due to aging infrastructure that’s been neglected for too long. The pipe break was the second of three in 2020. Just weeks … Continue reading →

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Connecting Buffalo Bayou Park and Memorial Park

Posted on September 14, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I approve of this. Two popular Houston parks may finally be bridged together after Harris County Precinct 4 unveiled a $13.5 million Buffalo Bayou Greenway Connector project to join the recreation areas. Harris County Commissioner Lesley Briones announced $170 million … Continue reading →

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Harris Health bond officially on the ballot

Posted on August 18, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Harris County voters will be asked to approve a $2.5 billion bond issue from the Harris Health System to fund the rebuilding and upgrading of several hospital district facilities, including an expansion of Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital. Harris County … Continue reading →

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Harris Health moves closer to a bond issue

Posted on August 13, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Almost certainly coming soon to a ballot near you. Harris County Commissioners on Tuesday briefly discussed a $2.5 billion bond proposal from the Harris Health System to fund the rebuilding and upgrading of several hospital district facilities, including the replacement … Continue reading →

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The sidewalk situation

Posted on July 10, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We have a lot of work to do. Growing up in Gulfton, Sandra Rodriguez walked just about everywhere. Her father took the family’s only vehicle to work, so Rodriguez and her four siblings got used to the southwest neighborhood’s patchy … Continue reading →

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Another neighborhood road projects/bike lanes update

Posted on June 20, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Once again, from the Woodland Heights Civic Association. We would like to provide you with important updates regarding the road projects in our area. Firstly, we are pleased to inform you that the construction of the 11th Street project is … Continue reading →

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Texas to invest in microchips

Posted on June 19, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Cool. Leaders in the semiconductor industry and their Texas allies were alarmed by supply chain disruptions to the sector during the pandemic. Now the state is seeking to turn the lessons learned in the past three years into an opportunity. … Continue reading →

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Coliving

Posted on June 16, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I’m fascinated by this. In one of Montrose’s newest residential projects opening next year, renters will be able to walk into fully furnished spaces stocked with basic supplies, paying rents below market rate in one of Houston’s trendiest neighborhoods. Rent … Continue reading →

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Ashby 2.0 gets sued

Posted on June 7, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s party like it’s 2007, baby! Just when the 16-year battle over the proposed Ashby high-rise site in Boulevard Oaks appeared to drawing to a close, opponents have filed a lawsuit that again puts the fate of the project into … Continue reading →

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River Oaks Theater renovations set to begin

Posted on May 22, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

A bit of good news. The next step in River Oaks Theatre’s comeback starts this week. Construction on renovations to the historic movie theater will begin soon with an eye towards reopening by the end of the year. Movie-loving Houstonians … Continue reading →

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A ride down the West 11th bike trail

Posted on May 7, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve been riding the West 11th bike trail since it opened, mostly to go to some of my favorite lunch places. It’s been great, modulo the occasional hazards like trash/recycling bins out for collection and delivery trucks or construction vehicles … Continue reading →

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The I-45 project will be old enough to vote before it is finished

Posted on May 6, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Isn’t that nice? Often called a once-in-a-generation project, the planned $9.7 billion-plus rebuild of I-45 from downtown Houston north to Beltway 8, including a total reconstruction of the downtown freeway system, is expected to take a generation to build. A … Continue reading →

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Harris Health seeks bond issue

Posted on April 29, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Probably on your ballot this November. Harris Health board members on Thursday unanimously agreed to move forward with a $2.5 billion bond proposal to build a new Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital and make what they say are sorely needed upgrades … Continue reading →

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Ashby 2.0 cleared for groundbreaking

Posted on April 23, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It’s actually happening. Along-embattled residential high-rise project in Boulevard Oaks is set to move forward, with one Houston City Council member calling the news “terrible.” The Langley , a new luxury rental community jointly developed by El Paso-based Hunt Companies, … Continue reading →

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Metro approves University BRT route

Posted on April 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

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 →

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Preferred path decision for University BRT line delayed

Posted on March 26, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

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 →

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Metro gets some BRT money

Posted on March 14, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

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 →

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Muskville, Texas

Posted on March 12, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

What did Bastrop do to deserve this? Elon Musk is planning to build his own town on part of thousands of acres of newly purchased pasture and farmland outside the Texas capital, according to deeds and other land records and … Continue reading →

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Ashby Highrise 2.0 gets a permit

Posted on March 10, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It’s happening! For years a controversial proposal to build a high rise in the wealthy enclave of Boulevard Oaks appeared to be dead — a lesson in how land-use battles can erupt even in a city with virtually no zoning. … Continue reading →

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I-45 project is back on

Posted on March 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Though it will still be several years before there is any real construction. Nearly two years to the day that federal officials paused TxDOT’s plans for rebuilding Interstate 45 and downtown Houston’s freeway system, national and state highway leaders have come … Continue reading →

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If not for I-45 then for something else

Posted on March 5, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Money for highways never goes unspent. Drivers on Houston freeways likely can relate: Facing a slowdown when it comes to rebuilding Interstate 45, state transportation leaders are shifting gears and changing lanes. Unable to significantly move ahead with the controversial … Continue reading →

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We do need more felony courts

Posted on March 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This is a good start. County officials are considering adding new district courts and making more room for detainees in an effort to reduce to county’s court backlog and alleviate overcrowding at the Harris County Jail. During Commissioners Court on … Continue reading →

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Can you print a house?

Posted on February 4, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We’re gonna find out. 3D printing is taking home construction to new heights. In Houston, a giant printer is building what designers say is the first 3D-printed two-story house in the U.S. The machine has been pouring a concrete mix … Continue reading →

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A brief 11th Street update

Posted on January 31, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

From the latest Woodland Heights Civic Association newsletter: 11th Street Safety Improvements: Project Update The WHCA board hosted City officials (David Fields, Lauren Grove, and Colin Lupold) at the January 10th general meeting. We had around 50 or so on … Continue reading →

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The Pierce Skypark and the Midtown McDonald’s

Posted on January 29, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating. The now closed McDonald’s in Midtown isn’t the only parcel at play in the area that could – when combined with a major proposed “sky park’ – help to reshape the southern edge of downtown. The Greyhound bus station next to … Continue reading →

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A new proposal for adding sidewalks

Posted on January 25, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I’d like to hear more about this. Some homeowners and developers soon may be able to opt out of requirements to build sidewalks and instead pay a fee into a new fund the city would use to build sidewalks across … Continue reading →

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I-45 construction never stops

Posted on January 17, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It just keeps moving on. Though attention remains on rebuilding Interstate 45 through northern parts of Houston, state highway officials also are planning for the next round of road work. The Texas Department of Transportation has scheduled two public meetings, … Continue reading →

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

Posted on January 16, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

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 →

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Universal Studios to open a theme park in Frisco

Posted on January 14, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest, at least to those in the target demographic. Another major development is coming to Frisco. City business leaders on Wednesday morning announced that a new Universal Studios theme park is planning to come to the booming Collin County … Continue reading →

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