Buffalo Bayou Master Plan

[20thStDad]

I wish they would do a zip line too. That'd be a good time while trying to hold on to my bike.

[skwatra]

i went out and took some pictures yesterday, i'll post when i get a chance. doesn't really show much, just some elevation markers and marked off areas. its kinda hard to tell where the bridge will land on the south side.

off topic of the bridge, but i saw a construction trailer in the field on the SE corner of Allen and Montrose next to the Bellaire. Any idea what's going up there? Did a quick search but couldn't find anything here.

[ricco67]

i went out and took some pictures yesterday, i'll post when i get a chance. doesn't really show much, just some elevation markers and marked off areas. its kinda hard to tell where the bridge will land on the south side.

off topic of the bridge, but i saw a construction trailer in the field on the SE corner of Allen and Montrose next to the Bellaire. Any idea what's going up there? Did a quick search but couldn't find anything here.

Glad to hear it!

I saw the trailer and such down there as well, but I think that's just a staging area for the construction.

[skwatra]

Glad to hear it!

I saw the trailer and such down there as well, but I think that's just a staging area for the construction.

I didn't think that trailer had anything to do with the bridge, is that plot owned by the city?

It may be though, I was just hoping for something new.

[20thStDad]

They should put a presidential head at each end and one in the middle.

[skwatra]

Here are some shots from Monday. Kinda hard to figure out exactly what the plans are right now. Also there's a big hole dug up as today, so these are already out of date.

From Allen Parkway side looking north:

Stepping back a bit from the top of the hill:

From the Memorial side looking south:

Looking north across Memorial:

From Memorial looking southwest at the Montrose/Studemont bridge:

[skwatra]

the construction trailer is on the SW corner of Montrose and Allen is for MDC (Millis Development and Construction). They have signs up on the other side of the bayou as well, and on the north side of Memorial, as well as farther east away from the bridge site. looks like there's other work planned as well to clean stuff up around there.

so it is a staging site for the bridge.

[skwatra]

Here are some pics from last week, so about a month after breaking ground. They're making progress.

All of these are from the Allen Pkwy side looking north, the first one from the top of the hill the rest from down the hill near the trail:

[Highway6]

Though I didn't have a camera on me, I did see some of the access improvements going on while biking.

At the point in the trail where it travels under Memorial for about 100 yards.. Right here... On the Western end, they have been building a rather nice curved stone wall under Memorial. It appears they will be adding a trail running along the North side of Memorial from this point to Montrose in order to connect connect the new bridge with Montrose and the existing trail system.

[scarface]

Well the title say it all folks! I'm curious as to what happened to the Buffalo Bayou Master Plan efforts. The last major thing was done in 2006 when they landscaped the Buffalo Bayou Walk and lit the underpass blue. I thought, according to these plans that they were going to try to start widening it in sections of downtown and trying to clean it a little.

Did these plans just go out the window? Please help me because I have to admit, I'm a little jealous of the aggressive progress being made in the Trinity River Bridges in Dallas. Sorry, not trying to bring Dallas in to this but just saying.

http://www.buffalobayou.org/

[livincinco]

Well the title say it all folks! I'm curious as to what happened to the Buffalo Bayou Master Plan efforts. The last major thing was done in 2006 when they landscaped the Buffalo Bayou Walk and lit the underpass blue. I thought, according to these plans that they were going to try to start widening it in sections of downtown and trying to clean it a little.

Did these plans just go out the window? Please help me because I have to admit, I'm a little jealous of the aggressive progress being made in the Trinity River Bridges in Dallas. Sorry, not trying to bring Dallas in to this but just saying.

http://www.buffalobayou.org/

Good question. I was really excited about the plans for the International Coffee Building, but I haven't heard a word on that either.

[lockmat]

I get their newsletter and usually it just talks about their tree planting events.

Also, this was on their website front page:

http://www.buffalobayou.org/pdf/ShepherdSabineFlierJune2010.pdf

Updates also will be provided on projects currently underway and planned for the near future, including:

~ Construction of a new pedestrian bridge and trails.

~ Harris County Flood Control District “pilot project” that seeks to restore a small stretch of the bayou channel.

~ City of Houston and TxDot’s rebuilding of the bike trails that have fallen into disrepair.

Edited July 3, 2010 by lockmat

[TheNiche]

Did these plans just go out the window?

Nope, but their funding did. Non-profits like these are struggling all over the country as municipalities, states, the private sector, and philanthropists are all reigning in spending to cope with the economy.

[Original Timmy Chan's]

I don't have stats to back it up, but I believe the bayou is probably as clean as it's been in decades. Buffalo's not clean enough to swim in by EPA standards, but it's much better today than in years past when it was no more than an open sewer for Houston. I don't know if there are any streams in SE Texas that meet EPA standards for swimming...maybe someone with more background than myself can chime in.

[AtticaFlinch]

I don't have stats to back it up, but I believe the bayou is probably as clean as it's been in decades. Buffalo's not clean enough to swim in by EPA standards, but it's much better today than in years past when it was no more than an open sewer for Houston. I don't know if there are any streams in SE Texas that meet EPA standards for swimming...maybe someone with more background than myself can chime in.

As a teen, I used to swim in the San Jacinto River on occasion. Ain't nothing wrong with me, plus the flipper I grew about ten years ago helps me swim faster.

[20thStDad]

I don't have stats to back it up, but I believe the bayou is probably as clean as it's been in decades. Buffalo's not clean enough to swim in by EPA standards, but it's much better today than in years past when it was no more than an open sewer for Houston. I don't know if there are any streams in SE Texas that meet EPA standards for swimming...maybe someone with more background than myself can chime in.

I doubt any of us know more than you about the natural drainage pathways of Houston. I know a little about NPDES and water discharge monitoring, what are the contaminants specified in the swim/no-swim rule? I would think at the least it's coliform, total hydrocarbons, and probably a few toxics.

EDIT: I have no intention of swimming in Buffalo Bayou, but if I ever had to jump in to save someone (or retrieve a frisbee while drunkily discing it up) I want to know what I'm getting into.

Edited July 5, 2010 by 20thStDad

[Subdude]

Well the title say it all folks! I'm curious as to what happened to the Buffalo Bayou Master Plan efforts. The last major thing was done in 2006 when they landscaped the Buffalo Bayou Walk and lit the underpass blue. I thought, according to these plans that they were going to try to start widening it in sections of downtown and trying to clean it a little.

Did these plans just go out the window? Please help me because I have to admit, I'm a little jealous of the aggressive progress being made in the Trinity River Bridges in Dallas. Sorry, not trying to bring Dallas in to this but just saying.

http://www.buffalobayou.org/

The same as many of those sort of visionary plans, it was more in the strain of "wouldn't this be nice?" rather than legally binding, so there was no reason to think it would ever be fully implemented. Some features were nice, like the prison island north of downtown. Others less so, like "Symphony Island" further downstream.

[Bungled Bungalow]

There were two public input meeting put on by the Buffalo Bayou Partnership this past week for their plans to rehab the stretch from Sabine to Shepherd. One was on Monday and the other on Tuesday. I made it to the Tuesday meeting which was at the United Way building on Waugh. There were a lot of suggestions made and topics covered; flood control, an official dog park, bigger parking areas (bleh), a possible Cafe/restaurant east of the Jewish Cemetery (Bigger bleh), water quality issues, canoe/kayak put ins, and restoring the bayou channel to a more natural condition after the bulldozing and straightening the Army Corp did back in the 50's(?).

I was impressed by the man (whose name I forgot) that ran the meeting. He did a very good job taking questions and suggestions and then either answering the question or handing the question off to Anne Olson from the Bayou group, or Kevin Shanley from the urban planning and design firm SWA Group who is consulting on the project. We'll have to see what the general plan looks like, I think they may have said something would be out in the fall.

More info:

http://www.buffaloba...herdsabine.html<br>

http://www.swagroup.com/index.html

None of this is related to the trail construction/rehab that the city is going to start in the next year, which I have mixed feeling about. The city plans were at the meeting, and it looks like the new trail will be very nice, and include a pedestrian bridge at Shepherd courtesy of TXDot. My gripe is that a lot of the steeper hills and tighter curves are being are being brought into "code", which I translate to "boring".

BB

Edited July 5, 2010 by Bungled Bungalow

[barracuda]

Chronicle coverage of the meetings here: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/heights/news/7090405.html

"More shade, parking, restrooms and a dog park are among ideas for trails and green space along Buffalo Bayou from Shepherd Drive to Sabine Street."

[C2H]

I'm glad that plans are still being talked about west of downtown, but I'm more interested in seeing more aggressive plans about developments and cleaning the Bayou downtown. Like Scarface said, the Bayou is filthy and is more of an eyesore than an assett in the areas of downtown. They need to get a plan to clean up all the trash and actually clean the water of its muddy appearance. There's so much potential with this Bayou and its not being realized.

[UrbaNerd]

Well, some related bad news

Three boats from the Buffalo Bayou Partnership, including a fire-destroyed tour pontoon, were recovered early this morning after vandals untied them from their dock and sent them floating down the bayou Tuesday night.

Authorities are investigating whether the release of the boats is linked with a 2 a.m. Tuesday fire at the Drennan field office where the boats are docked.

The fire destroyed the pontoon boat, valued at $50,000, and damaged the bio-vac boat, which helps clean the bayou, said Trudi Smith, director of public relations and events for the partnership.

[20thStDad]

I'm glad that plans are still being talked about west of downtown, but I'm more interested in seeing more aggressive plans about developments and cleaning the Bayou downtown. Like Scarface said, the Bayou is filthy and is more of an eyesore than an assett in the areas of downtown. They need to get a plan to clean up all the trash and actually clean the water of its muddy appearance. There's so much potential with this Bayou and its not being realized.

The trash we can fix. The muddiness I think we are stuck with due to the land that it runs through. There isn't a clear (natural) waterway anywhere near here that I know of. Until we find a way to make it 20 ft deeper and 20 degrees cooler it's just gonna be brown funkiness.

[livincinco]

The trash we can fix. The muddiness I think we are stuck with due to the land that it runs through. There isn't a clear (natural) waterway anywhere near here that I know of. Until we find a way to make it 20 ft deeper and 20 degrees cooler it's just gonna be brown funkiness.

If you removed the mud from the bayou and made it run clear, wouldn't that make it less natural?

[TheNiche]

The trash we can fix. The muddiness I think we are stuck with due to the land that it runs through. There isn't a clear (natural) waterway anywhere near here that I know of. Until we find a way to make it 20 ft deeper and 20 degrees cooler it's just gonna be brown funkiness.

The brown color is silt from the Beaumont Formation through which the Buffalo Bayou runs. Soils from this geologic formation are fine and easily eroded and suspended in water. Digging deeper wouldn't fix it, but lining the bottom of the bayou with articulated concrete may help some. That was done along much of Sims Bayou, and although it does create kind of a stark and artificial look, it at least isn't offensive to the eyes.

[TheNiche]

If you removed the mud from the bayou and made it run clear, wouldn't that make it less natural?

I think he specified "natural" in order not to be confused with an unnatural waterway such as the rides at Splashtown, impounded reservoirs, pools, canals, or detention ponds.

[Porchman]

If you removed the mud from the bayou and made it run clear, wouldn't that make it less natural?

That's what Terry Hershey thought... http://www.buffaloba...rg/history.html

We are stuck with a muddy bayou... and no mountains (except for the scary ash pile on the ship channel).

They are working on trash with the pink monster. I hope the pink monster was not a victim of the fire.

Edited July 8, 2010 by Porchman

[20thStDad]

The brown color is silt from the Beaumont Formation through which the Buffalo Bayou runs. Soils from this geologic formation are fine and easily eroded and suspended in water. Digging deeper wouldn't fix it, but lining the bottom of the bayou with articulated concrete may help some. That was done along much of Sims Bayou, and although it does create kind of a stark and artificial look, it at least isn't offensive to the eyes.

I don't think it will ever run clear, I should have used more hyperbole in my suggestions. But yeah, if we altered our geology to include a rock bed and traded the surface runoff water for spring fed water we'd be set.

Being from LA I'm used to dirty water, I'll settle for getting rid of the trash and working on making the banks more attractive (which is pretty hard when heavy rains and rising water dump all that pretty silt everywhere).

[BBPTrudi]

Some of you are asking what projects have been accomplished along Buffalo Bayou recently. Please refer to the following link to Buffalo Bayou Partnership's (BBP) most recent newsletter to update you on some projects taking place along the West Sector, from Sabine Street to Shepherd Drive.

http://www.buffalobayou.org/documents/BBPNL_Summer2010-m.pdf

Also, please continue to check-in on our website at buffalobayou.org (under Visionary Plans - Shepherd to Sabine Project) for updates of plans along this stretch of the bayou.

In addition to this stretch of Buffalo Bayou, several projects in the East End are taking place - 4-miles of new hike and bike trails, 50 acres of land acquire, development of a 10-acre park - Buffalo Bend Nature Park, planning for a boat launch at North York.

Please do feel free to contact me with any questions at tsmith@buffalobayou.org. Thank you for your interest in Buffalo Bayou, and as you know, this waterway is historic to Houston, and we strive to accomplish our mission of revitalizing and transforming Houston's most significant natural resource.

Trudi Smith, Director of PR and Events at Buffalo Bayou Partnership

[Porchman]

Some of you are asking what projects have been accomplished along Buffalo Bayou recently. Please refer to the following link to Buffalo Bayou Partnership's (BBP) most recent newsletter to update you on some projects taking place along the West Sector, from Sabine Street to Shepherd Drive.

http://www.buffaloba...ummer2010-m.pdf

Also, please continue to check-in on our website at buffalobayou.org (under Visionary Plans - Shepherd to Sabine Project) for updates of plans along this stretch of the bayou.

In addition to this stretch of Buffalo Bayou, several projects in the East End are taking place - 4-miles of new hike and bike trails, 50 acres of land acquire, development of a 10-acre park - Buffalo Bend Nature Park, planning for a boat launch at North York.

Please do feel free to contact me with any questions at tsmith@buffalobayou.org. Thank you for your interest in Buffalo Bayou, and as you know, this waterway is historic to Houston, and we strive to accomplish our mission of revitalizing and transforming Houston's most significant natural resource.

Trudi Smith, Director of PR and Events at Buffalo Bayou Partnership

Also, if you want to get down and dirty - really dirty - contact Trudi about opportunties to do so. (OO! That sounds really dirty:lol:) In various clean-up and landscaping projects, I have enjoyed spending the time. It's refreshing to put in the physical effort outside my own garden and it's really cool to enjoy a small piece of this natural asset.

[Arivechi]

Some of you are asking what projects have been accomplished along Buffalo Bayou recently. Please refer to the following link to Buffalo Bayou Partnership's (BBP) most recent newsletter to update you on some projects taking place along the West Sector, from Sabine Street to Shepherd Drive.

http://www.buffaloba...ummer2010-m.pdf

Also, please continue to check-in on our website at buffalobayou.org (under Visionary Plans - Shepherd to Sabine Project) for updates of plans along this stretch of the bayou.

In addition to this stretch of Buffalo Bayou, several projects in the East End are taking place - 4-miles of new hike and bike trails, 50 acres of land acquire, development of a 10-acre park - Buffalo Bend Nature Park, planning for a boat launch at North York.

Please do feel free to contact me with any questions at tsmith@buffalobayou.org. Thank you for your interest in Buffalo Bayou, and as you know, this waterway is historic to Houston, and we strive to accomplish our mission of revitalizing and transforming Houston's most significant natural resource.

Trudi Smith, Director of PR and Events at Buffalo Bayou Partnership

Thanks so much for posting that link. I don't know that I would have stumbled on it on my own. I am really excited to see the in-progress and near-future bike/hike path projects.