2035 Regional Transportation Plan public meeting

Thurs, August 19th

Vilas Bhuchar, Aug 12, 10.

The Houston-Galveston Area Council is soliciting public comments on the 2035 Houston-Galveston Regional Transportation Plan through Monday, August 30th and also holding a public meeting on Thursday, August 19th from 5:30 to 7pm.

H-GAC’s Transportation Policy Council (TPC) recently approved a staff recommendation to commence a thirty-day public comment period on three scenarios for revising the 2035 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), the long-range plan required by federal statute. Because of declining revenue projections, the “baseline” scenario would reduce the $157 billion plan to $87 billion. The other two scenarios suggest ways in which more revenue could be raised to enable increased spending. Many projects have been removed from the plan, and this public event is an opportunity for the public to review those cuts and comment on the projects that stayed in the list, which include just over $6 billion for the exurban Grand Parkway, $4.8 billion for expansion of US 290, and $1.7 billion for improvements to State Highway 288 - together almost 15% of the entire remaining plan. More here.

For decades our community relied on State and Federal dollars to supplement local dollars that are used to grow and maintain the region’s Transportation system; unfortunately the funds from these sources have not kept pace with our region’s population growth. The result is that we can no longer afford to build everything that is planned.

A 30-day public comment period is now underway to give the public an opportunity to provide comments on revenue enhancing funding scenarios and associated projects for the 2035 RTP Update. The public comment period began on July 30, 2010 and will end on August 30, 2010 at 5:00 p.m.

H-GAC Public Meeting
Thursday, August 19, 2010
5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
3555 Timmons Lane, 2nd Floor
Conference Room A
Houston, TX 77027

H-GAC Public Comments
H-GAC Transportation Public Information, Houston-Galveston Area Council, P.O. Box 22777, Houston, Texas 77227-2777, email to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or fax to (713) 993-4508. For more information, please visit: http://www.2035plan.org.