Transportation
290 Corridor:
In the past 25 years, the US 290 Corridor has seen remarkable growth. Population has increased by 57% and road usage has skyrocketed by 95%. State road capacity, however, has only grown by 8%. Over the next 25 years, the population in the corridor is expected to increase by 64% and road usage is expected to increase 214%. The chronically congested 290 Corridor is facing serious problems.
Given these numbers, I requested $267 million for the US 290 Corridor to relieve congestion and improve the quality of life for the people who live and work along the corridor. With $227 million designated for the US 290 Corridor Expansion Project and $40 million for the Hempstead Commuter Rail, Texans can look forward to more time at home with their families and less time on the road.
In addition to reduced travel time, these funds will create over 50,000 jobs, attract new businesses to Houston, make the air we breathe cleaner, and expand a critical hurricane evacuation route.
Members of the Houston Community agree this request is an absolute necessity:
• Ed Emmett – Harris County Judge: “Commuter rail is a necessary part of solving the congestion problems in the 290/Hempstead corridor. I appreciate Congressman Culberson’s leadership in addressing this priority for Harris County residents.”
• Reginald Lillie – Chairman of the Board of Directors, Cy-Fair Chamber of Commerce: “I want to offer my very strong support for Congressman Culberson’s request in the highway reauthorization bill for $267 million for the reconstruction of Hwy 290 and the $ 40 million for commuter rail along Hwy 290 also. These two projects are critically important to the mobility and economic development of Cy-Fair/ NW Houston, Waller and Prairie View communities. This is proof of his commitment and willingness to use every means within his Congressional capacity to bring relief of a major mobility burden and the possibility of expanded economic development to the residents and businesses of these communities.”
• Barbara Thomason – President, Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce: “This is an extremely important corridor for northwest Harris County and one that has grown increasingly glutted in recent years from traffic resulting from the sheer growth of neighborhoods and business expansions. Without the influx of funding that could bring commuter rail and highway improvements to this corridor, we will quickly see the deterioration of this corridor. We see this as a critical, narrow window of time in which to act. We must be as proactive as possible so that our sprawling communities can have the infrastructure they need to maintain their economic health.”
To learn more about 290 Corridor Expansion Project, please click here.
The Katy Freeway:
My first promise to you in 2001 when I was sworn in as your new Congressman was to do whatever was necessary to get the Katy Freeway rebuilt as fast as humanly possible. In January 2001, the project was short more than $500 million, and was scheduled to be finished as late as 2016. Rather than accept a funding shortfall and lengthy construction timetable, I found a federal law that allowed the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to partner with the Harris County Toll Road Authority to expand the freeway in half time without any earmarked federal highway dollars.
According to TxDOT, without the $500 million infusion from the Harris County Toll Road Authority, other Houston transportation projects would have been delayed and the I-10 expansion would have been spread out over a much longer period of time.
Our federal gas tax dollars are stretched thin and often used for wasteful projects not even related to transportation. As a dedicated fiscal conservative, I can proudly report that I have kept my first promise to you by rebuilding the Katy Freeway in record time without any earmarks, and I am pushing to make the innovative Katy Freeway expansion a model for the rest of the country.
To learn more about the Katy Freeway project, visit www.katyfreeway.org.
METRO Rail:
As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I have secured over $46 million for design and engineering costs for Metro’s north and southeast rail lines, and over $7 million for its exemplary bus service. I also helped ensure that Metro was reimbursed for 50% of the construction costs of the Main Street Line since the line was approved by the Federal Transit Administration and financed entirely by Metro.
In 2003, voters went to the ballot box and supported a new rail on Westpark. Metro promised the 2003 rail ballot resolution “will be binding on Metro and will constitute [a] contract with the voters…and may not be repealed, altered or rescinded by any succeeding Board without voter approval at a subsequent election.”
Since the voters approved this resolution, I will continue working with Metro on a line that complies with the ballot language and protects local neighborhoods. This line could run within the Southwest Freeway right-of-way to Westpark, without taking a lane of traffic or homes along either side of the freeway.
