North Houston Highway Improvement Project (project resumed March 2023)

[kernals12]

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/transportation/2022/08/31/432075/txdot-keeps-controversial-i-45-expansion-on-long-term-slate-of-projects/

TxDOT keeps controversial I-45 expansion on long-term slate of projects

ADAM ZUVANICH | POSTED ONAUGUST 31, 2022, 4:30 PM (LAST UPDATED: AUGUST 31, 2022, 5:15 PM)
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A busload of Houston residents traveled Tuesday to Austin, where they demonstrated outside of Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) headquarters and spoke out against its Interstate 45 expansion project, asking to have more of a say in its design and execution and in some cases asking for it to be removed from the state agency's long-term transportation plan.

About 60 members of STOP TxDOT I-45, a local grassroots organization that opposes the multi-billion-dollar freeway expansion, commented on the project and its potential impacts during a meeting of the Texas Transportation Commission, which oversees TxDOT. The five-member commission, without discussing the plan for I-45 or responding to the feedback from members of the public, still voted to keep the controversial project and its funding on TxDOT's slate of transportation work over the next 10 years.

It was the latest development in a drawn-out battle between TxDOT and Houston-area stakeholders who oppose the plan for the North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP), which calls for widening and rerouting I-45 between downtown and Beltway 8 and displacing more than 1,000 homes and businesses in low-income communities of color. Work on the project is largely on hold, per a request by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), while it investigates complaints made under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and audits TxDOT's implementation of federal environmental review requirements.

"We weren't discouraged," said Ally Smither, an organizer for STOP TxDOT I-45 who traveled to Austin and spoke before the commission. "We've come to expect TxDOT to treat us like this. We will keep showing up and keep waiting for the FHWA verdict."

TxDOT, through its media relations office, did not comment on the feedback it received from impacted residents and how that might have affected the decision by the transportation commission.

The Greater Houston Partnership, an economic development organization that represents about 950 businesses in the region, released a statement from president and CEO Bob Harvey saying it supports the transportation commission's decision to keep the I-45 project on TxDOT's Unified Transportation Program, which is the 10-year plan. TxDOT has said the goal of the project is to improve traffic flow, hurricane evacuation routes and stormwater drainage while accommodating high-occupancy, electric and self-driving vehicles.

"This project will improve mobility, address flooding issues and enhance Houston's overall quality of life," Harvey said. "The partnership advocates using the (NHHIP) to realize long-sought opportunities to reconnect communities with new pedestrian and cycling pathways while providing the prospects for new parks and greenspaces."

Impacted residents, groups like STOP TxDOT I-45 and Houston-area elected officials at the municipal, county, state and federal levels have expressed concerns about the project because of how many it will displace and also because of its potential to increase flooding risks as well as noise and air pollution. Harris County sued TxDOT over the project in March 2021, asking a federal judge to require TxDOT to give greater consideration to those concerns and work more closely with local stakeholders.

Molly Cook, another STOP TxDOT I-45 organizer who made the Tuesday trip to Austin, said she does not want the Houston region to lose out on the transportation funding that's been earmarked for the project, even though she opposes specifics of the plan. She does not want the project to displace any homes or businesses or expand the existing footprint of I-45, she said.

Houston City Council member Karla Cisneros, who represents residents who would be impacted by the I-45 project, expressed a similar sentiment in a letter submitted to the Texas Transportation Commission and shared with Houston Public Media. Cisneros urged TxDOT to work with local stakeholders "instead of fighting us," adding that highway reconstruction projects "need to solve serious existing problems, many of which were in fact created by construction of the highways in the first place."

According to Cook and Smither, residents from cities such as Austin, El Paso, Dallas, Fort Worth and San Antonio also attended Tuesday's meeting and expressed opposition to highway projects in their parts of the state.

"Our cities deserve better," Cisneros wrote in her letter. "On behalf of Houston and other urban residents of Texas, we insist that TxDOT partner with us. The state's aging highway infrastructure desperately needs attention, but it must be done responsibly and in collaboration with our cities. A project that goes away does not get us to where we want. Nor will a project that is just wrong get us to where we want. Let's work together."

A few months ago, a developer announced it was building a new subdivision in Fort Bend County with 14,000 homes and yet the demolition of 800 homes for a vital highway improvement project is going to cause a housing shortage??

[bwana39]

A few months ago, a developer announced it was building a new subdivision in Fort Bend County with 14,000 homes and yet the demolition of 800 homes for a vital highway improvement project is going to cause a housing shortage??

There are two schools in this demographic thought. There is the school of thought that there is new housing being started in greater Houston. (IE Fort Bend, Galveston, Brazoria, Montgomery, or even Trinity or Chambers counties. )
The other school of thought is there is a shortage of housing in the Fifth Ward.

Some people are clearly just oriented to the metro area. Others are oriented to a particular neighborhood.  Going farther, the affordability of the housing and/or the transportation related to the housing is GENERALLY greater in the more remote areas and less in more economically disadvantaged areas such as the fifth ward.

While we hear that people groups want integration and equality, is it always the case?  The bottom line is SOME if not MANY of some people groups  prefer to remain in mostly (voluntarily) segregated areas. That means that the loss of these housing units does indeed cause a decline in available properties and perhaps an actual shortage in that particular neighborhood.

[bwana39]

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/transportation/2022/08/31/432075/txdot-keeps-controversial-i-45-expansion-on-long-term-slate-of-projects/

TxDOT keeps controversial I-45 expansion on long-term slate of projects

ADAM ZUVANICH | POSTED ONAUGUST 31, 2022, 4:30 PM (LAST UPDATED: AUGUST 31, 2022, 5:15 PM)
Share

A busload of Houston residents traveled Tuesday to Austin, where they demonstrated outside of Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) headquarters and spoke out against its Interstate 45 expansion project, asking to have more of a say in its design and execution and in some cases asking for it to be removed from the state agency's long-term transportation plan.

About 60 members of STOP TxDOT I-45, a local grassroots organization that opposes the multi-billion-dollar freeway expansion, commented on the project and its potential impacts during a meeting of the Texas Transportation Commission, which oversees TxDOT. The five-member commission, without discussing the plan for I-45 or responding to the feedback from members of the public, still voted to keep the controversial project and its funding on TxDOT's slate of transportation work over the next 10 years.

It was the latest development in a drawn-out battle between TxDOT and Houston-area stakeholders who oppose the plan for the North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP), which calls for widening and rerouting I-45 between downtown and Beltway 8 and displacing more than 1,000 homes and businesses in low-income communities of color. Work on the project is largely on hold, per a request by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), while it investigates complaints made under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and audits TxDOT's implementation of federal environmental review requirements.

"We weren't discouraged," said Ally Smither, an organizer for STOP TxDOT I-45 who traveled to Austin and spoke before the commission. "We've come to expect TxDOT to treat us like this. We will keep showing up and keep waiting for the FHWA verdict."

TxDOT, through its media relations office, did not comment on the feedback it received from impacted residents and how that might have affected the decision by the transportation commission.

The Greater Houston Partnership, an economic development organization that represents about 950 businesses in the region, released a statement from president and CEO Bob Harvey saying it supports the transportation commission's decision to keep the I-45 project on TxDOT's Unified Transportation Program, which is the 10-year plan. TxDOT has said the goal of the project is to improve traffic flow, hurricane evacuation routes and stormwater drainage while accommodating high-occupancy, electric and self-driving vehicles.

"This project will improve mobility, address flooding issues and enhance Houston's overall quality of life," Harvey said. "The partnership advocates using the (NHHIP) to realize long-sought opportunities to reconnect communities with new pedestrian and cycling pathways while providing the prospects for new parks and greenspaces."

Impacted residents, groups like STOP TxDOT I-45 and Houston-area elected officials at the municipal, county, state and federal levels have expressed concerns about the project because of how many it will displace and also because of its potential to increase flooding risks as well as noise and air pollution. Harris County sued TxDOT over the project in March 2021, asking a federal judge to require TxDOT to give greater consideration to those concerns and work more closely with local stakeholders.

Molly Cook, another STOP TxDOT I-45 organizer who made the Tuesday trip to Austin, said she does not want the Houston region to lose out on the transportation funding that's been earmarked for the project, even though she opposes specifics of the plan. She does not want the project to displace any homes or businesses or expand the existing footprint of I-45, she said.

Houston City Council member Karla Cisneros, who represents residents who would be impacted by the I-45 project, expressed a similar sentiment in a letter submitted to the Texas Transportation Commission and shared with Houston Public Media. Cisneros urged TxDOT to work with local stakeholders "instead of fighting us," adding that highway reconstruction projects "need to solve serious existing problems, many of which were in fact created by construction of the highways in the first place."

According to Cook and Smither, residents from cities such as Austin, El Paso, Dallas, Fort Worth and San Antonio also attended Tuesday's meeting and expressed opposition to highway projects in their parts of the state.

"Our cities deserve better," Cisneros wrote in her letter. "On behalf of Houston and other urban residents of Texas, we insist that TxDOT partner with us. The state's aging highway infrastructure desperately needs attention, but it must be done responsibly and in collaboration with our cities. A project that goes away does not get us to where we want. Nor will a project that is just wrong get us to where we want. Let's work together."

There are some people who want all the freeways removed from the cities altogether.  They are a small but very vocal minority. They can be the proverbial "squeaky wheel".

There are groups who want transportation expansion except where they don't want it. NIMBY.

All projects can be controversial. If one person disagrees with the proposal and they can get others to listen and as little as THINK there might be merit to the argument, there is controversy. Controversial simply means one or more people disagree and people are listening. Something can be controversial and 95+% of the people agree with it. It doesn't take a majority or even significant number of people disagreeing to make something controversial. A small number of partisans can make anything controversial. The question is should the vocal minorities that create controversy  actually have the clout that they seem to be getting?

The only controversy with any merit is how much weight these minority voices should wield.

[kernals12]

A few months ago, a developer announced it was building a new subdivision in Fort Bend County with 14,000 homes and yet the demolition of 800 homes for a vital highway improvement project is going to cause a housing shortage??

There are two schools in this demographic thought. There is the school of thought that there is new housing being started in greater Houston. (IE Fort Bend, Galveston, Brazoria, Montgomery, or even Trinity or Chambers counties. )
The other school of thought is there is a shortage of housing in the Fifth Ward.

Some people are clearly just oriented to the metro area. Others are oriented to a particular neighborhood.  Going farther, the affordability of the housing and/or the transportation related to the housing is GENERALLY greater in the more remote areas and less in more economically disadvantaged areas such as the fifth ward.

While we hear that people groups want integration and equality, is it always the case?  The bottom line is SOME if not MANY of some people groups  prefer to remain in mostly (voluntarily) segregated areas. That means that the loss of these housing units does indeed cause a decline in available properties and perhaps an actual shortage in that particular neighborhood.

okay, I'm confused. Only a tiny portion of the 5th ward  at the SW corner will be impacted by this.

[bwana39]

Perhaps fifth ward is overly specific. The real problems on the highway are in the city council district "H" but the fifth ward community activists seem to be ramrodding it. The 5th ward activists do not limit themselves to the 5th ward.

[The Ghostbuster]

I'm starting to wonder if the North Houston Highway Improvement Project will ever be built. Or will TXDOT have to go back to the drawing board if the locals kill this project?

[Plutonic Panda]

I'm starting to wonder if the North Houston Highway Improvement Project will ever be built. Or will TXDOT have to go back to the drawing board if the locals kill this project?

Well it looks like it is moving forward, no? Is there a new timeline for construction?

[MaxConcrete]

I'm starting to wonder if the North Houston Highway Improvement Project will ever be built. Or will TXDOT have to go back to the drawing board if the locals kill this project?

Well it looks like it is moving forward, no? Is there a new timeline for construction?

We can't make any statements about the future of NHHIP until we get a decision from FHWA.

TxDOT is keeping the allocated funding in place so construction (of the funded sections) can proceed if FHWA authorizes the project to proceed. But TxDOT's keeping funding in the UTP does not mean it will proceed to construction.

If FHWA rules against the project, then anything can happen. Of course it depends on the details of FHWA's findings. The outcome could range anywhere from minimal changes to indefinite suspension to complete cancellation.

To answer Plutonic Panda's question: The latest information from TxDOT is in the May 2022 update below. Most likely the earliest possible start of any work has been further delayed another year to 2025 due to no response from FHWA.
https://ftp.txdot.gov/pub/txdot/commission/2022/0526/7c.pdf

I'm thinking that the FHWA decision about the project is going to be made by Pete Buttigieg. Since he surely has future political ambitions, there is a good chance his decision will seek to maximize endearment from the progressive wing of the Democratic party (which is now most of the Democratic party).

[Bobby5280]

I think TX DOT should re-direct the funding for that downtown Houston project elsewhere in the state. They only have numerous I-69 related projects to build (I-69, I-69E, I-69C, I-69W and I-369). Then I-2 is kind of related to the I-69 effort. I-27 and the Ports to Plains Corridor has just as much history. On top of that there's I-14. The Dallas-Fort Worth metro has plenty of super highway projects in need of build-out. The same goes for the San Antonio-Austin region. The El Paso metro has needs. US-287 between Amarillo and Fort Worth needs heavy improvement. It goes on and on.

But I guess the ultimate idea of cancelling that downtown Houston highway project is so all the funding can be hijacked to build bicycle paths and extremely over-priced subway lines.

[MaxConcrete]

The Houston Business Journal is reporting that demolition of the Lofts at the Ballpark has resumed.

https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2022/09/08/txdot-lofts-at-the-ballpark-demolition-i45-project.html?cx_testId=40&cx_testVariant=cx_27&cx_artPos=0#cxrecs_s

The Texas Department of Transportation has resumed the demolition of the three-building Lofts at the Ballpark apartment complex, despite the pause previously issued on the Interstate 45 expansion project.

"Delaying demolition presents significant public health and safety concerns and would require resources to keep the buildings secured,"  TxDOT said in a Sept. 8 statement to the Houston Business Journal. "Demolition of the initial building is underway, and a timeline for the additional buildings is to be determined."

Demolishing the apartment project will make way for the expansion of I-45, part of the massive North Houston Highway Improvement Project</a>. The NHHIP has been met with opposition from many people in the Houston area due to a claim that the project will disproportionately affect minority communities. The Federal Highway Administration put a pause on the project to investigate the claim.

The apartment demolition process had been halted in June, when Mayor Sylvester Turner announced Houston's permitting office put an administrative hold on the project. The hold was issued so the FHWA could determine whether or not the apartment complex was an early acquisition in the project, meaning it was purchased prior to the federal pause. As an early acquisition, demolition is allowed to continue.

"TxDOT has indicated it will not be seeking any further permits," Turner's June statement said. "State and federal properties are exempt from local building codes and do not require demolition permits. Assuming no objection by FHWA, and no demolition permit being requested by TxDOT, the city has no legal basis to stop the demolition."

The demolition of the property does not conflict with the FHWA's terms regarding the NHHIP pause, TxDOT said in its Sept. 8 statement to the HBJ. In an email from the mayor's office, city of Houston Attorney Arturo Michel said the Texas attorney general has said that the state of Texas is exempt from complying with building code ordinances for property that it owns or controls.

[MaxConcrete]

Pro-project editorial from the Greater Houston Partnership, which is the most influential business organization in the region. The GHP was silent for a long time but they have finally started public advocacy, which could be helpful to get the project moving.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/Opinion-Let-s-move-forward-on-I-45-TxDOT-17430928.php

[kernals12]

Buttigieg visited Houston. Sounds like he has an open mind about the project
https://www.masstransitmag.com/management/news/21280652/tx-buttigieg-touts-federal-funding-during-tour-of-houston-transportation-projects

Stop I-45 activists got snubbed.

[MaxConcrete]

Good news! Demolition of the Lofts at the Ballpark is in progress.

http://dallasfreeways.com/dfwfreeways/AARoads/20220917_NHHIP_005-1600.jpg

[kernals12]

Good news! Demolition of the Lofts at the Ballpark is in progress.

http://dallasfreeways.com/dfwfreeways/AARoads/20220917_NHHIP_005-1600.jpg

May every 5 over 1 apartment complex meet the same fate.

[Scott5114]

Sort of strange that it looks like nobody went through to salvage all of the cabinets, etc. from inside the building before demo began. You'd think the apartment company would have wanted to reuse them somewhere.

[Plutonic Panda]

Somewhat of an update: https://www.axios.com/local/houston/2022/09/20/central-houston-txdot-nhhip-cap-park

[kernals12]

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/transportation/2022/09/21/433518/could-central-houstons-proposed-downtown-amenities-make-the-i-45-project-more-palatable/amp/

Stop I-45's dishonesty or ignorance is showing here. They claim Central Houston's vision could be implemented without the project, except:

I-69 would remain Elevated, so no deck park.
Pierce Elevated would remain a freeway, so no "high line" style project


They also claim the project would not address "our reliance on single occupancy vehicles", except the additional lanes will be reserved for carpools and buses.

It's pretty clear Stop I-45 is a fringe group trying to push an extremist anti-car agenda and is using the people who will be displaced as pawns.

[MaxConcrete]

The Clayton Homes housing project on Runnels Street is fully vacated and fenced. Relocating all the residents of the 184 units is a big step, since they (presumably) all needed subsidized housing.

There is no evidence of demolition about to start. But as the photo shows, the fence has been breached. There is an abundance of homeless people in the area who would probably like to seize control of the property, so I think TxDOT will need to proceed with demolition promptly.

http://dallasfreeways.com/dfwfreeways/AARoads/20221113-NHHIP_010_1600.jpg


http://dallasfreeways.com/dfwfreeways/AARoads/20221113-NHHIP_007-1600.jpg

[Bobby5280]

Yeah, those vacated apartment buildings look like they could up in flames pretty well from homeless squatters starting camp fires inside of them to stay warm.

[Plutonic Panda]

More ridiculous tactics to thwart this plan:

Community petition to designate White Oak Bayou as park could thwart I-45 expansion in Houston

A petition was started in November and over 1,900 signatures are already in support of the designation, with a total goal of 3,200 signatures.

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/transportation/2022/12/05/438696/community-petition-to-designate-white-oak-bayou-as-park-could-thwart-i-45-expansion-in-houston/?fbclid=IwAR1wp6CtvwuEJdrAMu_--PDnG4nEQ_Q_wAiHfVhAPLabuTCg_Kz_Uu9RDro

[kernals12]

The City of Houston and TxDOT have reached a memorandum of understanding to mitigate the impact of the project.

https://www.houstontx.gov/mayor/press/2022/nhhip-mou.pdf

[MaxConcrete]

The City of Houston and TxDOT have reached a memorandum of understanding to mitigate the impact of the project.

https://www.houstontx.gov/mayor/press/2022/nhhip-mou.pdf

Also

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/transportation/article/I45-expansion-project-back-on-17663766.php

This looks like mostly good news. My main point of concern is the provision "Reducing the NHHIP Footprint". Any reduction will require lane removal, or compromising standards (such as ramp radius).

[kernals12]

The City of Houston and TxDOT have reached a memorandum of understanding to mitigate the impact of the project.

https://www.houstontx.gov/mayor/press/2022/nhhip-mou.pdf

Also

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/transportation/article/I45-expansion-project-back-on-17663766.php

This looks like mostly good news. My main point of concern is the provision "Reducing the NHHIP Footprint". Any reduction will require lane removal, or compromising standards (such as ramp radius).

Any freeway that's built in a dense urban area not on existing ROW is going to have to make some compromises.

[MaxConcrete]

NHHIP was discussed at today's commission meeting. https://www.txdot.gov/about/leadership/texas-transportation-commission/meeting-dates-agendas.html

The TxDOT manager handling the federal investigation says that FHWA has finished its investigation and the recommended agreement has been submitted to the office of the Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg.

Now it's up to Buttigieg. The question is, will he accept the agreement as-is, or seek modifications to curry favor with anti-highway interests?

[TheBox]

Kinda off-topic, but is it just me or is North Fwy (I-45) inside the SHT/Beltway 8 is showing it's age compared to Katy Freeway (I-10), Northwest Freeway (US-290), and even both Southwest and Eastex Freeways (US-59/I-69)?
Especially for a major freeway that connects 2 big cities in Texas

the newly rebuilt Katy and Northwest freeways may be an unfair comparison yes (and were on the same level before they were both rebuilt the past two decades, if not worse), but even Southwest and Eastex Freeways ages much better than North Freeway does when neither of those tw US-59/I-69 freeways connect to any city that's on the level of Dallas, San Antonio, nor Austin (the RGV, Corpus Christi, Longview-Marshall look like small towns in comparison)

Just compare North Fwy to the Northline Commons and you'll see my point

EDIT: not to mention, kinda thin in comparison