Tag Archives: TxDOT

RIP, Lone Star Rail

Posted on August 10, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This really does appear to be the end of the line. On a 17-1 vote late Monday, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization board decided to kick off a two-month process to remove from its official 25-year transportation plan the … Continue reading →

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The southern segment of the proposed Oklahoma City-South Texas passenger rail line

Posted on August 3, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

There’s more to it than connecting San Antonio with Austin and Dallas/Fort Worth. Two potential South Texas routes were selected for further study, according to [Rep. Henry] Cuellar. The first would originate in San Antonio and travel south outside of … Continue reading →

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Feds leave oversight of Texas Central to the state

Posted on July 21, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

No change in status. A proposed high-speed rail line between Houston and Dallas will remain a mostly Texas matter following a federal decision which opponents cheered as a blow to the project, while backers said provided a definitive scope of … Continue reading →

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Alignments proposed for Oklahoma City-South Texas passenger rail

Posted on July 20, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Check ’em out. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) have released 10 service and route options for new and improved conventional and high-speed passenger rail service connecting Oklahoma City, … Continue reading →

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I-45 onramp closures coming

Posted on July 6, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: The Texas Department of Transportation will close the Houston Avenue southbound and Allen Parkway eastbound entrance ramps to I-45 southbound on Friday, July 8 to begin construction on new ramps that will improve traffic flow and enhance … Continue reading →

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Still waiting for a design for I-45

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Pull up a chair and relax, this could take awhile. After 15 years of discussion, study and ideas for improvements ranging from enormous tunnels to a massive circulating freeway loop, planners are still at least six months from unveiling their … Continue reading →

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Turner reiterates the need to rethink transportation

Posted on May 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

New audience, same theme. Houston’s transportation future – and perhaps its economic vitality – relies on more options than new freeway lanes to make room for more cars, Mayor Sylvester Turner said Tuesday. “The solution is to increasingly take advantage … Continue reading →

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I-45 update: North St Bridge and more

Posted on May 13, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The latest update from the I-45 Coalition: Dear I-45 Coalition member, October 2015 was the last update … it’s now May 2016 … several things have changed in the past 8 months. As a quick summary, TxDOT will be rebuilding … Continue reading →

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Still seeking a downtown connection for the high speed rail line

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I’m hoping one gets found. Texas Central Partners, the private firm proposing the Houston-to-Dallas line, briefed a city council committee Monday, telling officials they remain on track to break ground in late 2017. “That might slide into early 2018,” said … Continue reading →

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Help a brick out

Posted on May 3, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From Swamplot: AN INDIEGOGO PAGE has just been launched to crowdfund the removal and reuse of an unexpectedly large group of well-preserved 1930s bricks from thenow-under-deconstruction Yale St. bridge over White Oak Bayou. The group calling itself Friends of Houston’s Yale Bridge Bricks says the funds will be used … Continue reading →

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Yale Street Bridge to be closed for construction

Posted on April 9, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Three words: Find alternate routes. There’s about to be a lot of yelling about Yale Street, as the historic span makes way for a modern replacement. Crews will close the bridge carrying the road over White Oak bayou on April … Continue reading →

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30 years of “Don’t Mess With Texas”

Posted on April 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Happy birthday to one of the greatest public service campaigns of all time. It seems it’s every Texan’s duty to at least once invoke the slogan “Don’t Mess With Texas.” You’ll see it on bumper stickers, in the movies, on … Continue reading →

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The Purple City plan for I-45

Posted on March 22, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Check it out. Should a major freeway plan consider the needs of cyclists? Of transit riders? And if we’re going to tear down and reconstruct the entire downtown freeway network of the fourth-largest city in America, shouldn’t the final result … Continue reading →

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Year 2 for “One Sticker”

Posted on March 9, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Surely this year will go more smoothly. Texas dropped its familiar green safety inspection sticker a year ago, creating confusion for millions of vehicle and trailer owners in the state. Though inspections didn’t change – but might soon, as some … Continue reading →

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High speed rail opponents sue TxDOT and AG’s office

Posted on March 6, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

They seek information that they say they have been denied so far. A group opposed to a private firm’s plans to build a bullet train stretching from Dallas to Houston has filed a lawsuit against the Texas Department of Transportation … Continue reading →

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SH 130 operator files for bankruptcy

Posted on March 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Boom. A private company that operates part of the Texas toll road with the highest speed limit in the country filed for bankruptcy Wednesday, fewer than three years after the section of the road it oversees first opened. The SH … Continue reading →

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Turner wants to rethink transportation

Posted on February 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I like the way he’s thinking. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, in less than a month on the job, has hit the streets at full speed. First he tackled potholes. Last week he tackled a state transportation department that’s spent the … Continue reading →

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Can you ever truly “fix” the 59/610 interchange?

Posted on February 3, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I kind of think the answer is “No”, but they’re going to try anyway. With Houston choking on traffic congestion from Clear Lake to Jersey Village, an infusion of $447 million in state funds promises relief sooner than expected at … Continue reading →

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Know any good, solvent highway construction firms?

Posted on January 16, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

TxDOT is looking for a few. Drivers on Interstate 45 will wait longer for better connections to Loop 610 and U.S. 59 because a Woodlands-based contractor will have to be replaced. The jobs, totaling about $102 million, were won by … Continue reading →

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The Katy Freeway cautionary tale on addressing congestion

Posted on January 3, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Turns out that throwing more lanes at the Katy Freeway hasn’t helped all that much. Several years ago, the Katy Freeway in Houston was a major traffic bottleneck. It was so bad that in 2004 the American Highway Users Alliance … Continue reading →

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More on the Gulf Coast Rail District and the high speed rail line

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron reports on the story. Officials with the Gulf Coast Rail District, Houston-Galveston Area Council, Texas Department of Transportation and Metropolitan Transit Authority are involved in a comprehensive planning study of rail, generally in the Washington Avenue and Interstate … Continue reading →

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Would the elevated 610 lanes really reduce congestion?

Posted on December 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Color me skeptical. The elevated lane design, officials said, would allow traffic headed around the loop, and not into the Uptown area, to flow more freely. The lanes would have no access to exits for San Felipe, Westheimer, Richmond or … Continue reading →

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More on the proposed 610 elevated lanes

Posted on December 19, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From Swamplot: Love that rush of vertigo from driving up the entrance ramp at Hidalgo St. onto the southbound West Loop? Freeway thrill-seekers may have some new options in a few years. The above rendering of new elevated express lanes … Continue reading →

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Elevating the West Loop

Posted on December 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose this was inevitable. Planners on Dec. 10 are scheduled to detail plans for elevated managed lanes along Loop 610, from north of Interstate 10 to U.S. 59. Long constrained by the development and parkland along the freeway, the … Continue reading →

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The Prop 7 funds are already being claimed

Posted on October 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Get ready for a lot more road construction in the near future. Voters have a little more than a week to decide whether to give Texas highways a $2.75 billion annual funding boost, but Houston-area officials are already making plans … Continue reading →

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Three I-45 updates

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From The Highwayman: Texas Transportation Commission members on Thursday approved a $3.6 million contract with Main Lane Industries, based in Houston, to replace the entrance ramp from Allen Parkway to southbound I-45. The ramp, which whips drivers through a steep … Continue reading →

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On cellphones and school zones

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I guess I need to talk about this. Six years ago, state lawmakers hoping to protect students banned drivers from texting and talking on hand-held cellphones in school zones. The ban, however, has never been enforced in Houston. City and … Continue reading →

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Why that empty private toll road has been so empty

Posted on August 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Someone did a study to try to answer that question. In the Austin area, more than 220,000 vehicles travel on I-35 on a daily basis. In contrast, SH 130, the tolled bypass around Austin only carries 40,000 vehicles daily. Why … Continue reading →

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Another group against the high-speed rail line

Posted on August 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From up north. A high-speed rail stop sounded like just the type of shot in the arm Ellis County needed. Development would flock to the station and, with a quick link to both Dallas and Houston, immediately make the county … Continue reading →

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Lone Star Rail faces Council vote in San Antonio

Posted on August 4, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a big step. While there is little opposition to the idea of a commuter rail line (the LSTAR) between San Antonio and Austin, the City takes serious pause when confronted with the yearly costs of operation and maintenance. But … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed over Uptown line

Posted on June 19, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

All things considered, I suppose this was inevitable. A homeowner’s association is suing Metro over its involvement in plans to run bus lanes along Post Oak Boulevard, saying the project puts the agency at odds with a 2003 referendum that … Continue reading →

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Uptown BRT construction begins

Posted on June 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I’m really rooting for this to succeed. Dignitaries will gather Monday to symbolically start construction of wider sidewalks and dedicated bus lanes meant to enhance Post Oak Boulevard and offer improved transit service, even as some residents and business owners … Continue reading →

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More on the proposed I-45 changes

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Offcite reads the documents and provides some bullet points. 1. I-45 Would Rival I-10 in Width The plan would dramatically widen I-45 to more than 30 lanes in certain sections. North of 610, I-45 would rival the Katy Freeway in … Continue reading →

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Mayoral candidate forum season gets underway

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Gentlemen, start your oratorical engines for these upcoming Mayoral candidate forums. The events, which will focus on arts and culture, economic development, and labor and community concerns, kick off a months-long cycle in which the candidates will appear before various … Continue reading →

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