mollusk Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 On 6/29/2018 at 11:17 AM, dbigtex56 said: The bottleneck isn't quite as bad, but it's still there. (***gnaws on steering wheel in frustration***) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted October 8, 2018 Share Posted October 8, 2018 The link to the original video no longer works. It can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o77gBQ-SvlY&feature=youtu.be Any post-Harvey estimates on the construction timeline for this project? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/transportation/2019/01/21/318445/houston-area-communities-vie-for-much-needed-transportation-funding-for-local-projects/ The city is looking for funding for this project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trymahjong Posted January 22, 2019 Author Share Posted January 22, 2019 I had heard at Cohen’s townhall that lower Westheimer from Bagby to Montrose is paid for.!! But from Montrose to Shepherd is still seeking funding. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trymahjong Posted January 23, 2019 Author Share Posted January 23, 2019 (edited) Update I heard David Robinson speak at last nights Neartown/Montrose monthly meeting. Many of his remarks were Buget centered and the hardship police- firemen pay parity was putting on COHbuget. When asked about lower Westheimer renovation funding......he seemed to say that the renovations from Main to Montrose and from Montrose to Shepherd were two projects where one was funded one was not. Now those are looked at as one project that is partially funded. Edited January 23, 2019 by trymahjong 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilcal Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 The City of Houston submitted the Lower Westheimer S. Main to Shepherd portion to the Houston Galveston Area Council to try to obtain federal funding. It was the only road diet project submitted that I saw. They released draft rankings (PDF warning) in January and it was ranked 20th out of 63. Unfortunately, HGAC only has funding for the top 10 projects. The cost estimate was $33,432,000 and HGAC calculated the benefits to be $96 million. They requested funding for the 2023 year. It did not fare particularly well in the "Planning Factors Score" which I'm not sure how exactly that is calculated. I believe they are letting everyone revise their application once, so we'll see a new rankings in the next month - 3 months I believe. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 6 hours ago, wilcal said: The City of Houston submitted the Lower Westheimer S. Main to Shepherd portion to the Houston Galveston Area Council to try to obtain federal funding. It was the only road diet project submitted that I saw. They released draft rankings (PDF warning) in January and it was ranked 20th out of 63. Unfortunately, HGAC only has funding for the top 10 projects. The cost estimate was $33,432,000 and HGAC calculated the benefits to be $96 million. They requested funding for the 2023 year. It did not fare particularly well in the "Planning Factors Score" which I'm not sure how exactly that is calculated. I believe they are letting everyone revise their application once, so we'll see a new rankings in the next month - 3 months I believe. Well this sucks! 2023!? WTH!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luminare Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 (edited) 6 hours ago, wilcal said: The City of Houston submitted the Lower Westheimer S. Main to Shepherd portion to the Houston Galveston Area Council to try to obtain federal funding. It was the only road diet project submitted that I saw. They released draft rankings (PDF warning) in January and it was ranked 20th out of 63. Unfortunately, HGAC only has funding for the top 10 projects. The cost estimate was $33,432,000 and HGAC calculated the benefits to be $96 million. They requested funding for the 2023 year. It did not fare particularly well in the "Planning Factors Score" which I'm not sure how exactly that is calculated. I believe they are letting everyone revise their application once, so we'll see a new rankings in the next month - 3 months I believe. What sucks is that nearly all the funding is being diverted to the suburbs. With the exception of the Shepard/Durham complete streets, most of the money is being put to projects beyond 610. Oh yeah, and I guess a few bikeways and bus stop improvements. Yaaaaaa?????? EDIT: I get it. There is a significant population in this city that lives in the suburbs, and these areas need to be served as well, but the trend is people moving into the inner city. Plus the roads in town are in way worse shape than anything beyond 610. Edited February 18, 2019 by Luminare Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 1 minute ago, Luminare said: What sucks is that nearly all the funding is being diverted to the suburbs. With the exception of the Shepard/Durham complete streets, most of the money is being put to projects beyond 610. Oh yeah, and I guess a few bikeways and bus stop improvements. Yaaaaaa?????? That's def a bright spot but man all of that money going to the burbs is ridiculous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luminare Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 Just now, j_cuevas713 said: That's def a bright spot but man all of that money going to the burbs is ridiculous. Yeah remember that highway that we expanded to 12 lanes...lets throw more money at that. I mean really? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerNut Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 So the number 1 major funding is for BRT/HOV on I10 downtown to 610? Does this mean this will be funded without funds from the bond referendum? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 5 minutes ago, BeerNut said: So the number 1 major funding is for BRT/HOV on I10 downtown to 610? Does this mean this will be funded without funds from the bond referendum? That’s a great question. BRT from DT to 610 would be awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triton Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 Will those roads even still be driveable by 2023?? Those outer lanes between Montrose and Bagby are getting so bad, Evel Knievel wouldn't even dare it... 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilcal Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 16 hours ago, Luminare said: EDIT: I get it. There is a significant population in this city that lives in the suburbs, and these areas need to be served as well, but the trend is people moving into the inner city. Plus the roads in town are in way worse shape than anything beyond 610. Houston-Galveston Area Council serves a 13 county area in SE TX. Inside 610 really doesn't have that much population compared to the rest of it. Isn't the pop like 200k? It's pretty low. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilcal Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 15 hours ago, BeerNut said: So the number 1 major funding is for BRT/HOV on I10 downtown to 610? Does this mean this will be funded without funds from the bond referendum? Basically, yes. BUT, I don't think it's actually a part of the scheduled bond referendum projects because they were counting on this. H-GAC said that they will have funds to fun only 1 of the 3 "major" projects. Also, from what I heard, this two-way HOV/BRT will be elevated. They are selling it as a flood-proof connection from dowtown Houston center of government to the Transtar/County Operations center thing at I-10/610. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 6 minutes ago, wilcal said: Houston-Galveston Area Council serves a 13 county area in SE TX. Inside 610 really doesn't have that much population compared to the rest of it. Isn't the pop like 200k? It's pretty low. More like 500,000, but your point stands. It is only around 7% of the population of the entire area and not adding anywhere near the numbers as the areas outside the Loop (despite what it may seem like to those of us who live inside the Loop and focus on urban growth and development.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerNut Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 22 minutes ago, wilcal said: Houston-Galveston Area Council serves a 13 county area in SE TX. Inside 610 really doesn't have that much population compared to the rest of it. Isn't the pop like 200k? It's pretty low. What percentage of employment and tax base is encompassed inside the Loop? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilcal Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 9 minutes ago, BeerNut said: What percentage of employment and tax base is encompassed inside the Loop? I'm not sure. Inside 610 is 97ish square miles and the H-GAC represents 12,444 sq miles (.779%). You can see in the linked PDF that half of the score that they calculate comes from a cost to benefit ratio, and that benefit is calculated based on usage. It's clearly not aimed purely at relieving traffic as the lower Westheimer scored pretty well while being classified a road diet. Basically, what I'm getting at is that they are attempting to normalize for usefulness without factoring in what part of the area it is in. Also, I did find a population number for inside 610. In 2010 census it was 443,949. The highest was the 1960 census at 493,377. I bet we eclipse that in 2020. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 30 minutes ago, BeerNut said: What percentage of employment and tax base is encompassed inside the Loop? I'm not sure, but we can get a pretty good idea of the current status and the expected growth trajectories from these maps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 11 hours ago, Triton said: Will those roads even still be driveable by 2023?? Those outer lanes between Montrose and Bagby are getting so bad, Evel Knievel wouldn't even dare it... These are the same lanes that the 82 Wesheimer buses are forced to negotiate. The ride between Bagby and Montrose is deafening and bone-rattling. Every bolt and rivet in those poor buses shriek in protest at this abuse. I can't help but wonder what effect this has on the useful life of a bus. Often, what we don't pay for in one way forces us to pay in another. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLWM8609 Posted February 20, 2019 Share Posted February 20, 2019 7 hours ago, dbigtex56 said: The ride between Bagby and Montrose is deafening and bone-rattling. Every bolt and rivet in those poor buses shriek in protest at this abuse. I can't help but wonder what effect this has on the useful life of a bus. Bus manufacturers learned to build stronger buses after the Grumman 870 A-frame crack issue in the early 80s that impacted transit fleets nationwide, including Houston. Potholes in places like NYC were causing the frames to crack and the buses to sag in the middle and eventually stop. I wouldn't be surprised if Westheimer was the cause of some of those frame cracks way back then! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plumber2 Posted April 6, 2019 Share Posted April 6, 2019 I remember a poorly maintained abandoned train track crossing on Westheimer about in front of what is present day Katz restaurant. It was horrible, and probably broke many a shock absorber. Why the city didn't just pull up the old tracks embedded in the pavement instead of just continually paving over it, I'll never know? It's been gone for years now, but I remember it still being there as a young driver as late as 1970. However I'm sure the GMC Dreamliners handled it much better than the Grumman's would have. Those Dreamliners were solid! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trymahjong Posted April 7, 2019 Author Share Posted April 7, 2019 On 1/22/2019 at 5:28 PM, trymahjong said: I had heard at Cohen’s townhall that lower Westheimer from Bagby to Montrose is paid for.!! But from Montrose to Shepherd is still seeking funding. AnotherEllen Cohen meeting this time a CIP held in latter March— its. “For Sure” that lower Westheimer renovation project that was 100% paid for and destined to begin in late 2018-2019 is now labeled ” a partially funded project from Bagby to Shepherd” with a not specific start date. Fully funded pocket park at 424 Westheimer start date set back. Those street repaired from Main to Bagby where new sidewalks were installed- not an official COH sidewalk improvement project. afew of the answers from Cohens panel; were confusing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted April 7, 2019 Share Posted April 7, 2019 (edited) 3 hours ago, trymahjong said: AnotherEllen Cohen meeting this time a CIP held in latter March— its. “For Sure” that lower Westheimer renovation project that was 100% paid for and destined to begin in late 2018-2019 is now labeled ” a partially funded project from Bagby to Shepherd” with a not specific start date. Fully funded pocket park at 424 Westheimer start date set back. Those street repaired from Main to Bagby where new sidewalks were installed- not an official COH sidewalk improvement project. afew of the answers from Cohens panel; were confusing. I’ll take whatever reconstruction we can get at this point. But no specific start date is annoying. This city will build sidewalks and find funding in the blink of an eye for a big event but hell if it’s the general citizens we have to wait forever. And if the pocket park if funded then start on the damn thing smh why is the date being set back, makes no sense Edited April 7, 2019 by j_cuevas713 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trymahjong Posted April 10, 2019 Author Share Posted April 10, 2019 No real reason I should speculate....but I think money matters at COH are probably a headache right now— some of that money might have been borrowed for now an$ paid back later. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 38 minutes ago, trymahjong said: No real reason I should speculate.. No real reason you shouldn't, either. You've been a reliable source of information about projects in the Montrose area; those of us who haven't attended the various planning meetings and town halls appreciate the summaries you provide. Saying money matters at COH are probably a headache is putting it mildly. The financial effects of TS Harvey will be felt for years, and the additional strain of complying with Prop B will surely delay and scale back many plans that are on the books. IMO, the condition of Lower Westheimer has reached the point where renovation is mandatory, not optional. I'm in favor of starting where it's most urgently needed - the stretch between Elgin and Montrose Blvd. We can't afford not to fix it. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_cuevas713 Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 57 minutes ago, dbigtex56 said: No real reason you shouldn't, either. You've been a reliable source of information about projects in the Montrose area; those of us who haven't attended the various planning meetings and town halls appreciate the summaries you provide. Saying money matters at COH are probably a headache is putting it mildly. The financial effects of TS Harvey will be felt for years, and the additional strain of complying with Prop B will surely delay and scale back many plans that are on the books. IMO, the condition of Lower Westheimer has reached the point where renovation is mandatory, not optional. I'm in favor of starting where it's most urgently needed - the stretch between Elgin and Montrose Blvd. We can't afford not to fix it. I couldn't agree more. At least the stretch between Elgin and Montrose would be good for the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobruss Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 I would put Richmond from 59 to Shepherd right up there with Westheimer. Alabama from San Jacinto to 288 is also a bad stretch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerNut Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 2 hours ago, bobruss said: I would put Richmond from 59 to Shepherd right up there with Westheimer. Alabama from San Jacinto to 288 is also a bad stretch. Hopefully with the METRO bond vote coming up Richmond will get redone when they put in BRT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLWM8609 Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 On 4/6/2019 at 11:47 AM, plumber2 said: I remember a poorly maintained abandoned train track crossing on Westheimer about in front of what is present day Katz restaurant. It was horrible, and probably broke many a shock absorber. Why the city didn't just pull up the old tracks embedded in the pavement instead of just continually paving over it, I'll never know? It's been gone for years now, but I remember it still being there as a young driver as late as 1970. However I'm sure the GMC Dreamliners handled it much better than the Grumman's would have. Those Dreamliners were solid! Probably was the old GH&SA line that had the bridge over Buffalo Bayou where the pedestrian bridge is now. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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