Tag Archives: construction

Let’s renegotiate that lease

Posted on March 24, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

How sweet it is, for the Texans. As county leaders and officials with Bob McNair’s nascent football team were closing in on a deal for a new football stadium in the early 2000s, the Texans landed a late concession that … Continue reading →

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It’s always the highrises

Posted on March 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

We have such a weird history of them in this town. A proposal to build a mixed-use tower in Montrose has hit a roadblock after the Houston Planning Commission rejected a variance request needed for the project, sending developers back … Continue reading →

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The Polk Street connection

Posted on March 16, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Closing off streets is a tough thing to do. On Feb. 1, signs went up announcing the city’s plan to abandon Polk Street between St. Emanuel and Hamilton streets. The closure is part of Houston First Corporation’s $2 billion overhaul … Continue reading →

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The GRB gets bigger

Posted on March 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Cool. Houston Mayor John Whitmire and Houston First head Michael Heckman on Thursday unveiled plans for a $2 billion overhaul of the George R. Brown Convention Center, a project they said would “transform” the city’s downtown and east side while … Continue reading →

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Turning office space into coliving space

Posted on March 1, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Definitely worth considering. Nationwide, commercial vacancies are becoming increasingly noteworthy as the gulf between residential rental rates and stagnant wages widens. Low-income earners, folks making between $20,000 and $30,000 annually (typically minimum wage employees, students and seniors living on Social … Continue reading →

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If the Texans want a new stadium, they can build it themselves

Posted on February 20, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Yeah, no. When Texans owner Cal McNair named a new team president last month, the first thing he touted about Mike Tomon’s resume was his “extensive history in stadium development.” Tomon was previously an executive at Legends, a stadium operations … Continue reading →

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Ismaeli Center update

Posted on February 16, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

An almost-20-year saga is drawing to a close. I’m excited to see what the end result is. Work has resumed on the massive Ismaili Center near Buffalo Bayou after the death of the Aga Khan IV, the leader of the world’s millions … Continue reading →

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More construction chaos on the bike trails

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

What the hell, man? Not one, but two popular trail bridges spanning White Oak Bayou were struck by loose construction materials from ongoing work along Interstate 10, closing both spans as well as a key stretch of trail, isolating portions … Continue reading →

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A look at that new ramp up from the White Oak Bayou trail

Posted on February 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I managed to get a better view of the new ramp up from the White Oak Bayou trail to Studemont: Even without the MKT Bridge being out of commission again, the trail network is completely disrupted by the I-10 elevation … Continue reading →

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MKT Bridge closed again for repairs

Posted on February 3, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Dammit. The 100-plus-year-old MKT Bridge in Houston, a popular pathway for pedestrians and cyclists, is closed for an indefinite amount of time as the Texas Department of Transportation evaluates significant damage to the bridge after equipment from a nearby construction … Continue reading →

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I-10 elevation project is now underway

Posted on January 14, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I had managed to forget that this was out there. And then I had to get on I-10 west on Monday morning and was rudely reminded. A major construction project off Interstate 10 has kicked off with the intent to … Continue reading →

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San Antonio gets more funds for its first BRT line

Posted on December 24, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. If only we had the same inclinations. San Antonio and Bexar County landed a $268 million federal grant to fund more than half the cost of the VIA Green Line, the Alamo City’s first-ever Advanced Rapid Transit … Continue reading →

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The I-45 project is officially underway

Posted on December 4, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Brace yourselves. Houston drivers are facing more than a dozen years of work on freeways in and around the central business district — at a cost that could come close to or exceed $6 billion. All that work, however, will … Continue reading →

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The Ashby Highrise is getting close to being finished

Posted on December 1, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Wow! Developers recently hit a key milestone in the construction of a high-rise apartment complex in Boulevard Oaks that sparked one of the fiercest land battles in Houston’s history, more than 17 years a high-rise on the site was initially … Continue reading →

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The data centers of Medina County

Posted on October 10, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting story. When Suzanne and Anthony Stinson married in 1980, they moved to a pioneer-built house outside of Castroville and raised their children on land that had been in his family since the 1840s. Back then, “it was all country … Continue reading →

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Maybe the Inner Katy Line is only mostly dead

Posted on September 15, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

That’s one takeaway from this. Houston transit officials are approaching the next few months as a transitional period, as they assess basic improvements, the demands of travel and the expectations of riders eager for better service. “We are going to … Continue reading →

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Of course the I-45 project will cost more than expected

Posted on September 13, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Same as it ever was. The first major road work set for downtown Houston related to the $11.2 billion-plus rebuild of the freeway core and Interstate 45 remains on track for next year, but at a cost of $80 million … Continue reading →

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Metro to kill Inner Katy line

Posted on August 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This is such bullshit. The Metropolitan Transit Authority will further reduce its previously planned bus rapid transit efforts while boosting police presence on its routes and increasing its investment in so-called microtransit under its proposed fiscal 2025 budget. The draft … Continue reading →

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On burying a freeway and building a park over it

Posted on August 12, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Noting this for the record. As a high-stakes project to sink I-35 through downtown Austin kicks into gear this summer, city officials and the University of Texas are looking to Dallas for a possible glimpse of the future. The vision: … Continue reading →

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Of course the I-10 project will cost more than expected

Posted on August 9, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The sun rises in the east, water is wet, etc etc etc. Lifting Interstate 10 out of White Oak Bayou’s floodway is poised to cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars more than anticipated, as bids to build the project … Continue reading →

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More on the I-10 project and “No Higher No Wider”

Posted on July 28, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This story is primarily about the effect of the proposed I-10 widening/elevating would have on the Cottage Grove neighborhood, which was previously split in two by the highway’s construction in 1968. That’s all worth reading, but I’m focusing on a … Continue reading →

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San Antonio gets BRT (*) funds

Posted on July 14, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

At least someone is moving forward with a big transit project. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, whose 28th district stretches from Laredo to South and East San Antonio, has secured $110 million in federal funding for VIA’s first rapid transit route. … Continue reading →

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Metro officially fails to follow through on the Universities Line

Posted on June 29, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Cowards. Transit officials received a busload of criticism Thursday for the decision to pause the long-planned east-west spine of rapid transit in the region, with some critics questioning whether the decision was an attempt to kill the line altogether. “I … Continue reading →

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One more time for keeping the Universities line going

Posted on June 25, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Raj Mankad is a Chron editorial board member and a neighbor of mine, who once took public transit from Houston to Galveston to prove it could be done. He has now taken to the op-ed pages in favor of not … Continue reading →

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LINK Houston advocates for the Universities line

Posted on June 24, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

From Sunday’s op-ed section, three leaders of LINK Houston advocate for the Universities BRT line as promised in the 2019 Metro referendum. This is the part that is most of interest to me: There’s a lot on the line. If … Continue reading →

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Ellis requests full Metro board vote on halting Universities BRT

Posted on June 23, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s at least put it on the record. Concerned the University Corridor rapid transit line project could be delayed for years, Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis on Friday called on Metro to move forward with the voter-approved project and hold … Continue reading →

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Rice Stadium 2.0?

Posted on June 21, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This was unexpected. Rice University might build a new football stadium soon, according to a new report. Although the Rice Owls football team’s home has already undergone improvements, Rice school administrators have stated that some significant changes are now required. … Continue reading →

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Metro officially puts Universities BRT line in the freezer

Posted on June 20, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Goddammit. The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County will not pursue the University Corridor bus rapid transit line, a core element of the MetroNext program, delaying the project indefinitely. During a Tuesday meeting of the board of directors’ Strategic Planning … Continue reading →

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I-45 construction set to begin

Posted on June 13, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Ready or not, here it comes. Houston’s largest-ever freeway project is one step closer to starting construction, with crews poised to begin digging in the dirt along Interstate 69 by fall. After years of planning and sometimes fiery debate, the … Continue reading →

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A closer look at the HISD bond proposal

Posted on June 9, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

From the Houston Landing, which put together five highlights from the proposal. 1. Elementary and middle schools to see the biggest upgrades All schools will see some level of investment under the bond plan, but elementary and middle schools will … Continue reading →

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Shepherd-Durham project back on track

Posted on June 5, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

First, I got this in my inbox, from the Mayor’s office. Mayor John Whitmire and the Memorial Heights TIRZ have reached a compromise on the design of the Shepherd Durham Phase II project that maintains the terms of the Federal … Continue reading →

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Is this an opportunity for cooperative cost savings?

Posted on May 16, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Reading through this story about how Harris County is spending the public safety portion of its 2022 bond funds, I have a question. New Harris County law enforcement facilities are one step closer to breaking ground after Commissioners Court earlier … Continue reading →

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The Swift Warehouse renovation

Posted on May 13, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I’m always a sucker for stories about historic warehouse renovations, so of course I’m going to note this. A Houston development team known for turning run-down, defunct buildings into hip, bustling projects is planning to transform a historic warehouse complex … Continue reading →

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We need to pay more attention to the I-10 construction proposals

Posted on May 9, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

By which I mostly mean I need to pay more attention to them, because they sound terrible. Between the shrill of large trucks barreling down Interstate 10 – when only the whoosh of cars dominates the din – Matt Tetlow … Continue reading →

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