H-GAC reaches 35-year milestone

Metro Planning Organization

Vilas Bhuchar, Mar 04, 10.

The Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC), which acts as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for transportation planning in the Houston-Galveston area, including Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, and Waller counties, recently celebrated its 35-year anniversary.

The Council’s website includes a flash presentation documenting some of the more significant events that have occurred since the Council’s 1974 inception, including:

1974 - Governor Dolph Briscoe designates H-GAC as the region’s MPO, which makes it responsible for regional transportation planning decisions.

1978 - Voters approve the creation of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) and 1 percent sales tax.

1988 - Hardy Toll Road is completed, Sam Houston Tollway (Beltway 8) opens, and IH-45 Gulf Freeway HOV lanes open.

1990 - Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) of 1990 set new federal health standards in the U.S., and the Houston-Galveston area is classified as a severe nonattainment area for ozone.

1991 - The Texas Legislature combines the Department of Highways and Public Transportation, the Department of Aviation, and the Texas Motor Vehicle Commission to create the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).

2004 - METRORail begins service on Main Street.

2009 - The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) provides $593 million for transportation projects for the Houston-Galveston area, including $106 million for transit.