Uptown’s dedicated bus lane project has been delayed.
Projections estimate March 2019 despite vows of a 2018 finish date
Construction might be set to start soon on dedicated bus lanes down Post Oak through the Uptown area, but the latest projections don’t have buses using the lanes for nearly three years.
Despite earlier estimates to open the lanes in 2018, which Uptown Management District President John Breeding said was possible, even if it happened at “11:59 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2018,” the latest plans don’t have riders hopping aboard until March 2019.
The new date was confirmed last week during an update on the project by Metropolitan Transit Authority officials, who are working with Uptown to develop the project, estimated to cost $192.5 million.
Harper Brothers Construction was awarded a nearly $26 million contract earlier this month for the first phase of work on the northern end of Post Oak, Uptown spokeswoman Delia Mizwa said.
Uptown is leading the
project, which has faced opposition from some residents and business owners who fear the bus lanes will irrevocably ruin Post Oak.
Plans call for a bus-only lane in each direction in the center of Post Oak, linking a Bellaire-area transit center and Metro’s Northwest Transit Center.
Uptown officials have stressed it is part of a larger redesign of the street including trees and wider sidewalks.
When the bus lanes are built, Post Oak will have the same number of lanes for automobiles as it does today, officials said.
A separate project led by the Texas Department of Transportation will allow the buses to travel along Loop 610 for the portion of the line from Post Oak to Metro’s transit center north of Interstate 10.
The Loop 610 project will not be ready when trips begin in March 2019, said Clint Harbert, Metro’s senior director of system planning and development. It is scheduled for late fall, Harbert said, though Metro is estimating first-year operations on the possibility it might not be ready until early 2020.
The bus project, which has faced challenges on a number of fronts related to both Metro’s eventual plans for light rail along Post Oak and deep opposition to Uptown’s process for land acquisition, remains popular with some elected officials.
Mayor Sylvester Turner has lauded it as an example of the type of transitfocused projects the city must embrace to give residents an option beyond driving.
Still, like many projects that widen roads, including Metro’s light rail lines, the bus lanes have been criticized by nearby residents and businesses. Opponents recently held an event to note their concerns and urge Turner to rethink the city’s support.
Houston officials approve Uptown’s capital plans, as part of its role as a TIRZ district.
“Tens of thousands of Houstonians will be stuck in traffic for a bus project virtually no Houstonian will use,” opponents said in a news release.
Opponents have vowed to fight the project, including establishing a legal fund for any court challenges in the future.
Earlier attempts to halt construction in the courts were unsuccessful.