TxDOT holds public meetings on potential reconfiguration of I-45 in southeast Houston – Houston Public Media

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is expected to begin construction this year on its controversial Interstate 45 Expansion Project, a multibillion-dollar, decades-long initiative that will widen the highway and will reroute from the west side of downtown Houston to the east.

The state agency is also monitoring an adjacent segment of I-45 and is asking Houston residents for their input this month on how it could be changed to meet future needs and adapt to the projected growth.

As part of its ongoing Gulf Highway Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) study, which began in 2019, TxDOT is hosting public meetings Tuesday and Thursday evening to solicit community input on the way it could improve the 14-mile stretch of I-45 between Interstate. 69/US 59 near downtown and Beltway 8 to the southeast. Virtual and in-person attendees will be presented with seven different potential traffic configurations for this portion of I-45 – ranging from no changes to the current configuration to the addition of general purpose and/or vehicle lanes for multiple occupancy (HOV), by raising the HOV lanes and adding shared-use paths for pedestrians and cyclists.

“There is no defined project,” said Danny Perez, a spokesman for TxDOT’s Houston office. “We explore options, opportunities and community needs from the beginning. We involve the community in the process from the beginning to get their input.”

Both in-person meetings are scheduled from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., with Tuesday’s event taking place at the Houston Marriott South, 6100 Gulf Fwy., and Thursday’s meeting scheduled at the Houston Texans YMCA, 5202 Griggs Rd. The meetings are will be held in English and Spanish, and a virtual option will be available on the TxDOT website starting at 5 p.m. Tuesday. The agency will accept public comments on the presentation until June 28.

Although the Gulf Freeway Study is separate from TxDOT’s North Houston Freeway Improvement Project (NHHIP), the aforementioned initiative which has drawn backlash regarding environmental and civil rights concerns as well as its cost and scope, the latter could be considered an extension of the former. Stop TxDOT I-45, a grassroots organization formed in opposition to the I-45 expansion project covering downtown and the highway segment to the north, plans to attend this week’s community meetings on the segment furthest south.

Located along this stretch of I-45 are Hobby Airport, the University of Houston, Texas Southern University, and communities such as Second Ward, Third Ward, Edgebrook, and Park Place.

Stop TxDOT I-45 plans to host a community dinner following Thursday’s meeting, to discuss TxDOT’s presentation with affected residents and stakeholders, at Spanky’s Pizza located at 4659 Telephone Rd.

“Although TxDOT has downplayed the connection between the Gulf Highway PEL Study and the North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP), the TxDOT I-45 ruling recognizes that these large-scale projects scale are often designed and implemented in tandem to limit opportunities for community cooperation change in the objectives, design and impacts of proposed projects,” the group said in a press release Monday. “It is crucial that residents remain engaged and informed, and public participation is essential to mitigate environmental impacts and prevent displacement. »

According to information posted on the TxDOT website, the company is considering changes to this portion of I-45 in response to high accident rates, poor road conditions, traffic congestion and increasing demand for trucks , as well as limited and disconnected infrastructure for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users. Community input is sought in an effort to align a potential construction project with the environmental and economic goals of affected residents and businesses, according to TxDOT.

TxDOT is conducting similar studies for a northern stretch of I-45, between Houston and Conroe, as well as portions of I-10, I-69 and Loop 610. Perez said no PEL studies had not been conducted for the I-45 project around and north of downtown, but said the state agency also sought community input early in the planning process.

As part of an agreement with the Federal Highway Administration, which at one point suspended the I-45 expansion project to investigate concerns raised by local elected officials and stakeholders, TxDOT is required to hold two annual public meetings during the design and construction of the initiative. The ELP study meetings, including this week’s, are not part of that agreement, Pérez said.

“We’re always looking at best practices and ways to improve that dialogue with the public and get public input, including them in the process,” he said. “All we’re doing is just including them in the process earlier than we traditionally have in the past.”