Houston METRO rapid transit line projects on hold

HOUSTON — At Thursday’s METRO board meeting, dozens spoke in favor of the University Corridor bus rapid transit line as the agency let a key funding application deadline expire and maintained its position to shelve the project indefinitely.

Thursday was the council’s deadline to move forward with a grant application from the Federal Transportation Administration for nearly $1 billion to help finance a significant portion of the project. The board said it may request this funding in the future.

The University Corridor BRT line would have connected the Tidwell Transit Center to the University of Houston and Westchase Park and Ride.

The METRO board of directors said last week that it was citing financial difficulties due to low passenger numbers since the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason for halting the project.

“We did a review and we concluded that, for this fiscal year, it was not something that we needed to move forward with due to the number of passengers,” said METRO Board Chair, Elizabeth Gonzalez Brock, during the meeting.

Executives also said that with new board members, the rapidly approaching deadline for federal grant funding has created unease among those who say they haven’t had time to fully consider the project and its impact.

KHOU 11 News spoke with Brock after the meeting and asked what would motivate the council to move forward with the project in the future.

“I think if we look at where we’re going to ensure ridership, we have initiatives that allow us to take care of some of our core services,” Brock said. “We can then continue to think about the areas in which we will expand. »

However, residents say the pause could risk the project never being completed.

“I am very disappointed that you are planning to abandon construction of the university’s BRT and I urge you to reverse this decision before it is too late,” one public speaker said.

“We want council to use our taxpayers’ money responsibly, but we also believe that rapid transit is a responsible use of that money,” another speaker said.

Brock said the council is maintaining the bond authority it obtained when voters approved the project in 2019.

Moving forward, the council said it will organize a citywide tour to meet directly with the community to explain the decision to pause the project and its future.