Controversial I-45 plan spared for now
Any further work depends on whether TxDOT, feds can settle their dispute
Interstate 45 still is on a road to rebuild after Texas transportation officials on Tuesday kept the controversial project in the state’s 10year construction plans, but warned that failing to get federal highway officials to remove their hold on it could halt the plan altogether later this year.
The Texas Transportation Commission on Tuesday approved the state’s 2022-2031 unified transportation program, keeping the I-45 project listed in it. The unified program is the guidepost for freeway construction in Texas, as only projects included can receive state funding.
That approval, however, is contingent on settling a dispute between the Texas Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. Federal officials told TxDOT in March to stop work on the project until concerns related to its impacts on minority and low-income communities and how TxDOT addressed those effects is completed.
“It is not the local support that’s the problem. It’s Washington, D.C., (that) is the problem, imped
ing our ability to go forward with this project,” Texas Transportation Commission Chairman Bruce Bugg said.
“We will give FHWA 90 days and we will come back and revisit this,” Bugg said. “After the 90 days have expired, we will discuss what to do with the project.”
He said if progress has not been made on the issues, the commission could start the process of removing the project from the longterm plan. TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams said removing the project would require another 60-day public comment process.
In a statement, federal officials said FHWA “is providing the resources to complete the reviews in a timely manner and will communicate the results upon completion.” Officials did not specify whether that would be within the deadline set by the transportation commission, or acknowledge any of the state’s conditions.
Williams said discussions with federal officials are constructive and continuing, but he would not speculate whether it is practical or possible for federal officials to operate on the commission’s timeline.
The possibility of losing what could be the biggest transportation project in Houston left some pleading for supporters and critics to come to some agreement.
“This project cannot be everything that everybody wants or that everybody believes in,” Transportation Commissioner Laura Ryan of Houston said. “However, it can be transformative to the region and the state and an example of how Houston can start to be the example to heal and divide and master the art of compromise.”
A record-breaking amount of comment poured in as transportation commissioners weighed removing the project and shelving it until the community came to consensus.
TxDOT’s plan for the freeway would rebuild and widen I-45 from downtown Houston north to Beltway 8. The widening would add two managed lanes in each direction, similar to the Katy Managed Lanes along Interstate 10, along with added frontage road lanes in some spots.
In addition to the widening, the project would redesign the freeway system around the central business district by rerouting I-45 to follow the current path of Interstate 10 and Interstate 69. The changes would eliminate the elevated section of I-45 along Pierce, which divides downtown and Midtown, but allow for some access to local streets on the west side of the central business district.
Houston-area county and local officials urged the commission to keep I-45 going, calling it a longoverdue rebuild of the freeway north of downtown Houston.
“There hasn’t been any capacity added to I-45 in 30 years,” said Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey. “…The sooner we move forward, the better.”
TxDOT has spent $503 million on the project since 2005, just getting ready for construction, Bugg said.
Backers say the redesigned freeway will improve commuting times to jobs, replace outdated designs that have made I-45 unsafe for many drivers and upgrade a key cargo route. That is why local officials have consistently over years of work supported it, advocates said.
“We are here right now because it is time to move forward,” Sugar Land Mayor Joe Zimmerman said.
That support, however, is not universal or complete. Bugg, in comments Tuesday, said Mayor Sylvester Turner had announced his support of the project Monday.
Turner’s office, however, disputed that, noting the mayor has said the project should proceed and can be “transformational” for Houston, but only if done correctly. Turner signed and sent a proposed agreement to transportation officials outlining his support for the project but also asking TxDOT to concede to some changes.
Williams said TxDOT is reviewing the agreement and Houston officials said acceptance is the only form of support the mayor has provided.
“Nothing has changed,” said Mary Benton, spokeswoman for Turner.
All the changes, while popular with many suburban commuters and local officials, will have devastating consequences on the nearby neighborhoods, opponents say.
“It’s always been the case that highways seem to find the best pathways through Black and Hispanic areas of towns,” said critic Erin Eriksen, who was reading comments from a Henry Breeler.
More than 1,000 residences and 300 businesses would be displaced by the plan, though that number includes more than 200 apartments at the Clayton Homes housing project that previously were displaced by Hurricane Harvey flooding. TxDOT must still help Houston Housing Authority rebuild those units elsewhere.
The effects beyond simply taking homes make the project a loser for communities right next to it, critics said.
“Our realities are valid and real when it comes to inaccessible transportation that we go through,” said Houston native Melissa Martinez, who urged officials to reconsider the needs of low-income residents along the route.
Opponents have noted expanding the freeway, which TxDOT contends will reduce emissions by eliminating idling cars and trucks by giving them more space, will only fill again with more vehicles and lead to worse air quality.
“It should not be too much to ask that those remaking a significant portion of our transportation infrastructure do so in ways that moves our transportation infrastructure forward,” Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said in a statement. “Infrastructure can be designed to do more than just temporarily alleviate some traffic until it grows worse yet again.”
Supporters of the project say it is critical for travelers through the region and should be considered for its regional benefits.
“The citizens in my area desperately want to see this go forward,” said State Rep. Dennis Paul, RHouston, who represents southeast parts of Harris County.
As part of the UTP public comment process, TxDOT received 12,700 comments, 8,170 of them related to the I-45 project. The response, which included an online poll, was a record-breaking amount of public engagement for a TxDOT program, officials said.
Of those comments related to I-45, TxDOT said 5,529 — around two-thirds — supported keeping the funding in place.
Critics, however, questioned the process TxDOT used to solicit comments. The online poll, opponents said, set up a “take it or leave it” choice of either TxDOT’s vision or nothing at all.
“It is your responsibility as stewards of taxpayer dollars to engage the public in productive ways and you have failed to do so,” said Ines Siegel, interim executive director of LINK-Houston.
Supporters disagree, saying TxDOT went to historic lengths and spent 15 years developing the project and hosting at least four rounds of public meetings and hundreds of discussions with area officials, local groups and others.
“If this project is not completed, it is going to be tragic for our community,” said Galveston County Precinct 4 Commissioner Ken Clark, chairman of the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s Transportation Policy Council.