Houston’s game-changing bus rapid transit project is in danger

When Houston-area residents approved METRONext — an ambitious public transportation overhaul — in 2019, it was hailed as a visionary step forward in a city little known for wise investments in public transportation. Not only did the plan solicit extensive public comment, but it also garnered the support of 68 percent of Harris County voters at the polls.

A pandemic and a change in administration later, a key part of that plan that would connect long-underserved areas to bustling urban centers is now in jeopardy. The University Corridor Project would bring together everything from the immigrant-heavy community of Gulfton to the commercial buzz of Uptown and the resources of our city’s major universities with a vital east-east corridor served by frequent and fast bus. It could be the new backbone of the city.

Abandoning this vision would be a serious mistake.

MetroNext showcased 75 miles of new high-speed transit, or BRT, bus lines, which operate essentially like rail but with rubber tires and help extend the reach of rapid transit, free from traffic jams. The University Corridor was perhaps the most critical, filling a missing east-west link between West Houston communities, Uptown, major universities and many other areas.

This week, METRO announced that it was withdrawing from the project. At the METRO board’s strategic planning committee, staff argued that taking over the university’s entire BRT, plus two others at the same time, would hamper the agency’s capacity to fund core operations or make other improvements.

There’s a lot at stake. If METRO chooses not to advance the University Corridor BRT project to the next phase of the federal grant process by June 27, it will lose nearly $1 billion in funding, or 60% of the project costs.

Notably, METRO has completed 30% of the geotechnical design based on current conditions and has obtained federal environmental clearance for the project which will expire in November 2026. If METRO does not meet the June deadline to move to the next phase , much of this work will need to be done. to update or redo. While this would not prevent METRO from applying in the future, the project’s current favorable standing with the federal government would undeniably be less certain.

The committee suggested that the pandemic and ridership difficulties contributed to the financial crisis. But that’s not the whole story.

The University Corridor project was born after the effects of the pandemic were already known. , METRO’s board of directors affirmed that the agency was committed to the project and able to carry it out financially. METRO’s finances are among the healthiest of any transit agency in the country, with robust sales tax revenue and a AAA credit rating. Not to mention, voters gave METRO $3.5 billion in bonding capacity to build the METRONext plan.

Meanwhile, increasing ridership has become the North Star of the current board. Despite the narrative we hear from METRO leaders, ridership is up. Analysis of data from our 2024 Transit Equity Report shows that METRO saw the second highest recovery among the top 20 metro areas. Ridership on the local bus system has now exceeded pre-COVID-19 levels. Improving service where people already travel is precisely the best opportunity for growth.

Not to mention, our current climate crisis demands that we invest in solutions. Houston’s Climate Action Plan shows that the highest percentage of greenhouse gas emissions come from the transportation sector. In a region already facing the impacts of climate change and aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it is imperative that METRO leaders invest in the future by building a key part of the rapid transit system by bus: the university corridor.

And yet, instead of cutting the University line, METRO is about to abandon it altogether.

What would a reduction look like? One option is a shorter initial operating segment. The University Corridor BRT can first be built just between Westchase and Wheeler Transit Center, in the right-of-way that METRO already controls along Westpark Drive and the high-occupancy, tolled lanes of I-69. This alternative option would allow METRO to move forward with a proof-of-concept rapid transit project connecting Gulfton, Uptown and many other communities across some of the most congested parts of our region, while preserving the financial capacity for operations and other improvements. In the future, other possibilities to realize the full project could be considered based on continuous evaluation.

We agree that METRO needs to increase its ridership and maintain a healthy budget, which is why we urge them to reconsider the strategic planning committee’s recommendation. Don’t lose the vision of METRONext now.

Gabe Cazares is the executive director of LINK Houston, a nonprofit organization that advocates for equitable transportation solutions. Peter Eccles is the Director of Policy and Planning, and Nick Arcos is the Director of Communications for LINK Houston.