NY Times on Grand Parkway

Almost certain to cause sprawl

Steve Hawley, Mar 11, 09.

UPDATE: The Harris County commissioners unanimously approved 17 engineering contracts worth $11.9 million for Segment E of the Grand Parkway.

UPDATE: Segment E of the Grand Parkway is “almost certain” to promote urban sprawl and threaten the Katy Prairie, according to a front-page New York Times article on Monday, March 23. The article notes that Bridgeland and other developers are “eagerly awaiting” the road,” but that transportation advocates oppose the project.

UPDATE: Brandt Mannchen, air quality chair of the Sierra Club’s Lone Star Chapter, explains the lawsuit in an opinion letter to the Katy Times.

The Harris County Commissioners Court unanimously approved $9.8 million in engineering contracts for Segment E of the Grand Parkway yesterday. During public comments, Brandt Mannchen, air quality chair of the Lone Star chapter of the Sierra Club, informed the commissioners that the Sierra Club has filed suit against the Federal Highway Administration, alleging that the agency’s environmental assessment of the Grand Parkway was inadequate.

Sierra Club legal complaint (pdf, 148 kb)

Mannchen and six others, including representatives of the Citizens’ Transportation Coalition, showed up to criticize the project, while four representatives of Katy-area business interests defended the project. Peter Houghton, senior executive officer of the Bridgeland development, said, “We need this road to continue the build-out of Bridgeland.”

According to a consultant who testified before the commissioners, Segment E would serve between 12,000 and 20,000 cars every day upon completion. By 2035, he said daily traffic would increase to 50,000 to 80,000 vehicles. The project is expected to cost between $400 and $500 million.

On Monday, several Houston organizations questioned the expenditures and argued that the county had other, more useful projects it should pursue instead of Segment E.

Commissioners Court notes, March 10 (pdf, 264 kb)

Last week, the Texas Transportation Commission, the governing body of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), unanimously approved $181 million in stimulus funding for Segment E, despite objections from a number of citizens and advocacy groups. TxDOT’s stimulus selection process also elicited heavy bipartisan criticism from the state legislature. The Grand Parkway debate featured prominently in a front-page Washington Post story on March 9:

Washington Post: Money stimulates debate in states over plan’s goals

The Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) will hold three public meetings later this month providing updates on Segments E, F, and G of the Grand Parkway. In addition, H-GAC will discuss the transportation impacts of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, as well as unrelated local roadway and transit projects. The meetings will be held on March 24, 25, and 26.

Local press coverage:

Houston Chronicle: Harris County commissioners approve $1.6 billion budget (March 11)
Environment News Service: Bird-rich Texas coastal prairie at risk of development (March 10)
Houston Press: Sierra Club sues over Grand Parkway (March 10)
KTRK Channel 13: New toll road project gets green light (March 10)
KPRC, Channel 2: County approves $10M for Grand Parkway (March 10)
KHOU, Channel 11: Activists say road will go nowhere (March 10)
Houston Chronicle: Grand Parkway work stirs dissent (March 9)
KUHF Radio: Citizens urge Harris County to study Grand Parkway tolls (March 9)