Tag Archives: Department of Public Works and Engineering

Do we really need an engineer at the head of Public Works?

Posted on November 20, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The engineers think so. The Mayor, not so much. Mayor John Whitmire received a written rebuke from a national engineering group over plans to change city ordinance to no longer require an engineer to head Houston Public Works, according to a letter … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Can we get some help with these water repairs?

Posted on September 3, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t hurt to ask. Houston officials are seeking assistance from state lawmakers to help pay for some of the $4.93 billion in water utility improvements needed to prevent people from suffering widespread boil water notices and mass water loss, should … Continue reading →

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The Houston Avenue hullabaloo

Posted on February 26, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

It seems like every new Mayor makes at least one dumb self-inflicted error early on in their tenure, because being Mayor is hard and there are lots of things that need to be done with priority. I’d say this goes … Continue reading →

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Mayor proposes his water bill fix ordinance

Posted on December 5, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This sure got a lot of late momentum. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner is adding water bill reform to his to-do list as he approaches the end of his eight years in office. Turner announced at a Monday news conference nine … Continue reading →

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Prop A gets its first customers

Posted on November 26, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

First there was this: Council Members Carolyn Evans-Shabazz (District D) and Mary Nan Huffman (District G) joined Council Member Amy Peck (District A) to submit notice to the City’s Agenda Office to place an item on the City Council Agenda. … Continue reading →

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The goats are working hard for you

Posted on June 19, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I love this story. Soon Houston residents may actually celebrate a group of city workers standing around eating lunch or lying down on the job. Houston Public Works is poised to expand its use of goat herds to clear detention … Continue reading →

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

Houston to spend more fixing water pipes

Posted on December 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

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 →

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The boil notice

Posted on November 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Yeah, it’s a pain. And now schools are closed again, which my daughter appreciates but probably most grownups do not. Also a thing many grownups did not appreciate was how long it took for the boil notices to go out. … Continue reading →

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Houston’s preparations for the next freeze

Posted on February 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We learned from the experience, which I hope will serve us well for the next time. The grid’s near collapse last February had drastic consequences for local governments, none more acute than the challenge water systems confronted in trying to … Continue reading →

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How our water systems failed during the freeze

Posted on April 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good analysis of something that has received far less attention than the blackouts that resulted during the freeze. Which is interesting because the blackouts were the main cause of the water outages and resulting boil notices. And the fix here … Continue reading →

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What makes a mural?

Posted on September 11, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m kind of fascinated by this. For two decades, passersby could easily miss Bud Adams’ vacant midcentury modern building on the Southwest Freeway near Hillcroft. Not anymore. The low-slung, massive roof over the car dealership, formerly owned by the late … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

We have a consent decree

Posted on July 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It appears to be a done deal. Houston would add $2 billion to its planned sewer system improvements over the next 15 years under a proposed deal with state and federal regulators that is expected to produce higher water bills … Continue reading →

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We’re about to find out how much we’ll pay to fix Houston’s sewer system

Posted on March 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Be prepared. Houston would ramp up spending on its sewer system by $2 billion over 15 years under a proposed deal with state and federal regulators that is expected to produce higher water bills as soon as next year. The … Continue reading →

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Better sidewalks needs to be everyone’s job

Posted on December 28, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s the only way we’re going to make progress. Houstonians annoyed by cracked, missing or buckled sidewalks along their streets may be surprised to learn that city rules make residents responsible for fixing them. At the urging of council members … Continue reading →

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

Now how much would you pay to fix Houston’s sewer system?

Posted on September 24, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We may be about to find out. Federal and state authorities sued the city of Houston over its long-running struggle to limit sewage spills on Friday, marking the beginning of the end of a years-long negotiation that could force the … Continue reading →

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ReBuild re-vote

Posted on August 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Sort of. It’s complicated. Eight years after voters narrowly backed the idea, the controversial street and drainage program known as ReBuild Houston is expected to appear again on the November ballot in the form of an amendment to the city … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The latest report on city finances

Posted on February 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

A little light reading for you. Even after Mayor Sylvester Turner’s landmark pension reforms, the city of Houston is on pace to spend $1 billion more than it will take in over the coming decade, and must cut spending and … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Is this development really necessary?

Posted on November 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Boy, the optics of this sure are lousy. The Houston City Council has indefinitely postponed a proposal to build hundreds of homes in a west Houston floodplain amid questions about whether city leaders’ actions would match their rhetoric about mitigating … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Can we share these lanes?

Posted on August 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Metro is rethinking how the light rail lines run in parts of downtown. Traffic woes and collisions along the newest light-rail lines in downtown have Metro leaders toying with the idea of backpedaling on their promise not to close parts … Continue reading →

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

HCC Board censures Chris Oliver

Posted on July 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It’s the most they can do. The Houston Community College system’s board of trustees decided Thursday to reprimand a 21-year veteran of the elected board who has pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge. The board’s eight other members decried … Continue reading →

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Houston Public Works director caught up in HCC bribery case

Posted on July 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Unclear yet how big a deal this is, but it is a big deal. Houston Public Works Director Karun Sreerama made $77,143 in unlawful payments to a Houston Community College trustee who faces up to 10 years in prison after … Continue reading →

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Smarter streets

Posted on June 27, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

They’re coming soon to Houston. Houston City Council on Wednesday will consider a $33.6 million contract – partially funded by a $10 million federal grant – to add hundreds of traffic-tracking devices across the city so officials can receive better … Continue reading →

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Be careful what you flush

Posted on January 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Yeesh. Grease blockages are the main cause of Houston’s epidemic of sewer overflows, a problem so widespread that it has drawn the city into negotiations with the federal Environmental Protection Agency. The multibillion-dollar enforcement action that could result – likely … Continue reading →

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Potholing

Posted on July 20, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The city’s pothole repair program seems to be going well. Faster response by city crews to resident-reported potholes has saved thousands of drivers a bumpier ride around Houston the past six months, though officials warn there’s a long way to … Continue reading →

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

How much would you pay to fix Houston’s sewer system?

Posted on June 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever your answer to that question is, the real answer is that

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Meet the toucan light

Posted on April 16, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The first of its kind in Houston, though maybe not the last. The new traffic signal suspended above Appel at Yale and Seventh is a first for Texas, but also an adjustment for residents – some of whom are unsure … Continue reading →

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

More speed bumps coming

Posted on March 23, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Like ’em or not. Houston officials are speeding up the process of slowing down residential street traffic. A laborious process to improve traffic and safety by installing traffic calming devices such as speed humps is radically streamlined in a new … Continue reading →

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Flooding as election issue

Posted on June 11, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose this was inevitable. As thousands of Houstonians recover from the recent storms, the flooding is emerging as a political issue. Mayoral candidates are criticizing the city’s drainage infrastructure, attacking an unfinished project along Brays Bayou – around which … Continue reading →

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Changing pothole procedures

Posted on May 2, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Parker seeks to reduce the number of campaign issues for this fall by half. City officials are hoping to replace more concrete segments of streets in lieu of simply patching over Houston’s many potholes, part of an emergency response … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Fixing sidewalks

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I like this. Houston’s leaders often decry the condition of city sidewalks, whether missing, overgrown or buckled by tree roots. Then there’s the safety risks when pedestrians are forced to walk on the crumbling concrete or adjacent streets. But the … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Pothole progress

Posted on April 16, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Hooray. Two months after Mayor Annise Parker called Houston’s pockmarked streets a “crisis situation” and pledged to clear a mounting pothole repair backlog, the city has reduced open work requests by about 1,000 despite a steep increase in calls for … Continue reading →

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Heights-Northside mobility study

Posted on January 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Mostly of interest for folks in my area, here’s the city’s report on mobility for neighborhoods in the upper left quadrant of the Inner Loop. Final Report: Heights-Northside Sub-regional Mobility Study The Planning and Development Department, in partnership with the … Continue reading →

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Downtown dedicated bike lane delayed a bit

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Aiming for the end of the year now. Conversion of a traffic lane on Lamar into Houston’s main bike route through downtown has been delayed as officials finalize plans and wait for in-demand humps known as “armadillos” to arrive. Department … Continue reading →

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A bike lane to connect to bike trails

Posted on September 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Makes sense. Houston may get its first protected on-street bike route as early as October, as city officials prepare to convert a lane of Lamar Street downtown into a two-way cycling path connecting the popular Buffalo Bayou trails west of … Continue reading →

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