Harris County withdraws Grand Parkway Seg E funding

Stimulus funds to be shifted

Jay Blazek Crossley, Oct 26, 09.

UPDATE (10/27/09 3:23 pm): The revised memo, approved today by the Commissioners Court, contains two changes from the original memo. A sentence stating that Segment E might never receive the wetlands permit has been removed. It appears that Art Storey, head of the Harris County Public Infrastructure Department, has been walking back that statement since it was first reported two weeks ago. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett had disagreed with Storey’s original assessment, although he admitted that he had not read the negative comments submitted by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and the US Fish & Wildlife Service.

The second change states that the construction of Segment E should not go forward “until a program is developed that considers other segments of SH 99 [the Grand Parkway]...” Storey’s original memo was more specific, referring to “other segments of SH 99 in Harris County, Segments F1 and F2…”

Notes from the meeting
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UPDATE (10/27/09 12:43 pm): Just got word from Houston Tomorrow’s Steve Hawley that Harris County Commissioners Court has officially approved the request. Harris County will ask the Texas Transportation Commission to reallocate funding that was set aside for the proposed Grand Parkway Segment E for other projects in the area.

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After delaying two weeks to give County Attorney Vince Ryan time to look over the wording, Harris County Commissioners Court is expected to vote tomorrow to divert stimulus funds from the Grand Parkway, according to the Houston Chronicle. They will be formally requesting that the Texas Transportation Commission reallocate ARRA funds that had been allocated to the proposed Grand Parkway Segment E to instead be used for other projects in Harris County. Art Storey, Director of the Harris County Public Infrastructure Department, suggested that the Commissioners make this move after it became clear to him that Segment E of the Grand Parkway may never receive the necessary environmental permits for its construction because of concerns from the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Comments

.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) said:

Good riddance! We do NOT need the Grand Parkway or any other new super highway now or anytime in the future, especially in an environmentally sensitive area like the Katy Prairie. I would rather enjoy Texas rice grown in the prairie and beef raised there than have to curse more suburban sprawl. The Grand Parkway is nothing more than a sprawl generator. Put the money that would have been spent there into our light rail systen, our future commuter rail system, or railroad grade crossing replacement with overpasses and underpasses. The rail line along Highway 290 would be a good place to start.

Posted on Nov 03, 09 at 12:23 am

richard wells said:

I am a Native Houstonian and real estate agent and am thankful to have your organization looking out for the positive future of Houston. I remember sitting in a monorail car in 1961 when the city did not look to the future then. We have a real chance at making commuter rail a reality again. I hope it happens.

Posted on Nov 06, 09 at 6:58 pm

.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) said:

Houston desperately needs the Grand Parkway if they plan to continue the evacuations due to hurricanes. Bring it on. Hurricanes for the city of Houston are when not if. Not to mention the economical growth for the area.

Posted on Dec 17, 09 at 2:13 pm

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