METRO publishes University Line FEIS

Record of Decision next step

Jay Blazek Crossley, Jan 25, 10.

The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) has released the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on the proposed University Light Rail Line, a key component of the plan to build 5 new light rail lines to connect the Houston region’s largest dense centers of jobs and population.

The West University Examiner published a story highlighting the displacements listed in the FEIS, which are more than what METRO planned in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, published in 2007. Off the Kuff responded to the negative coverage - picked up by Swamplot and ABC Channel 13 News - by trying to put the numbers in perspective with analysis from Christof Spieler, of the Citizens’ Transportation Coalition, and some historical information on other transportation projects provided by Houston Tomorrow.

Decklan Plunkett, owner of the Harp, an Irish bar on Richmond between Dunlavy and Mandell, personified the situation, saying on one of the Channel 13 stories, “I think the city needs the light rail going down Richmond, but we have to survive the construction process.” METRO is pursuing an extensive program to mitigate the business interruptions during and after construction. METRO has posted a web page of Frequently Asked Questions about the University Light Rail line, including “How will light rail construction affect my business? What will METRO do to mitigate that effect?”

In a related note, David Wolff, Chariman of METRO, published an opinion editorial in the Houston Chronicle “advocating a seamless and unified approach to transit that maximizes connectivity and provides ease of use,” specifically calling for expanding METRO’s service boundaries to a larger area of the Houston region contributing the 1% sales tax to fund a wider regional transit system.

In another related note, the Houston Chronicle reports that METRO has indicated that they will seek to alter the terms of the contract to build four light rail lines by adding $100 million to the contract in exchange for the contractor agreeing that 98% of costs would be fixed as opposed to the previous arrangement of 75%, which could have left the door open to increasing and unknown costs.

The 2010 University Corridor FEIS may be downloaded as several pdfs at this link.
METRO’s Press Release on the University Corridor FEIS
The 2007 University Corridor DEIS may also be downloaded as several pdfs at this link.

Previous public processes are discussed at length in the FEIS, including responses to each separately identified comment. The following is noted at the beginning of the FEIS, indicating that there will be no additional formal public events:

A 45-day public review period was provided for the July 2007 DEIS. During that time, two public meetings and a public hearing were held in the study area to facilitate public input. A summary of the comments received during the review period are presented along with responses in Chapter 11 of this FEIS.

The following persons may be contacted for additional information concerning this document:
FTA Regional Contact
Ms. Laura Wallace
Community Planner
Federal Transit Administration, Region VI
819 Taylor Street
Room 8A36
Fort Worth, Texas 76102
Phone: 817-978-0561
e-mail: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Local Agency Contact
Ms. Ujari Mohite
Project Manager
METRO Capital Planning
1900 Main Street
Houston, Texas 77002-5600
Phone: 713-739-3713
e-mail: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)