At its meeting on May 22, the Transportation Policy Council approved amendments to the 2019-22 Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) and the 2045 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) that will provide additional funding to cover planning and administrative costs for mobility studies in southeast Harris County, Montgomery County Precinct 2, and Liberty County as well as an intersection safety audit and regional travel survey.

The council also discussed future amendments that would increase or adjust funding to a number of regional improvement projects. These projects include the extension and widening of Garth Road - a major commercial thoroughfare to Baytown and many surrounding communities - reconstruction of two one-way couplets and access improvements along Shepherd and Durham, the widening of SH 146, SH 242, and FM 517 in Brazoria County, and widening and constructing a grade separation along US 90A at SH 99.

The council continued discussing the North Houston Highway Improvement Project , which involves the reconstruction and widening of I-45 North from Beltway 8 North to and around Downtown Houston. On May 12, the City of Houston sent a letter to the Texas Department of Transportation outlining the city's goals for the project and identifying opportunities to address community concerns regarding the project's impact on neighborhoods along the freeway. The letter included a set of suggested action items to achieve their goals. Some of the action items were designing alternative lane configurations along segments 1 and 2 that reduce the required right-of-way, retaining and expanding local street connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists, studying how bridges along the freeway can be designed for flood mitigation, and partnering with METRO to determine how regional express bus and bus rapid transit can reliably operate along the corridor.

Towards the end of the meeting, the council heard a presentation from Veronica Green, senior transportation planner, on the Ports Area Mobility Study. The study began in 2017 to assess and identify freight mobility improvements that will better connect the region's four deep-water ports with emerging population and employment centers to establish a stronger future for the region's freight economy. The study revealed that the region's expected population growth will drive demand for importers and distributors and that truck trips to the deep-water ports will likely double by 2045. It recommended a number of improvements, such as reducing empty container movements through a virtual container yard concept, extended port gate times, and increasing the variety of dedicated transport systems. Some transport system options highlighted in the study included Freight Shuttle, EagleRail, and possibly even hyperloop.

To listen to the audio recording of the latest TPC meeting, click HERE . The next meeting is scheduled to take place at 9:30 a.m., Friday, June 26 via teleconference webinar. Click HERE for more information. Public comments on agenda items may be sent by email to [email protected]. Comments received by 9 a.m., Friday, June 26 will be entered into the meeting record.

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