What does city get in I-45 plan?
Agreement with Feds, TxDOT means project can proceed
Are we there yet? The plodding, stop-and-go pace of the proposed I-45 expansion has felt a little like, well, I-45 itself in rush hour Houston traffic — after a construction lane closure, two wrecks and a stalled 18-wheeler.
After two long years of acrimony and struggle, though, leaders have agreed to get moving. We’re farther than we’ve ever been toward securing the kind of community wins we’ve long supported, but not there yet.
Harris County sued the state back in March 2021, only withdrawing its lawsuit when the two sides reached an agreement back in December. The federal government, meanwhile, responded to complaints from community groups and launched a civil rights investigation. Even as officials fought in public, they assured voters that they were still on speaking terms behind closed doors. This week, the plan officially known as the North Houston Highway Improvement Project got the green light once again after federal and state transportation officials announced they had reached a new voluntary agreement.
So, did TxDOT listen to Houston’s concerns about the 25-mile project’s impact on displacement, flooding, air pollution and more?
It appears so. While the new federal agreement with the state mirrors earlier agreements with
the county and city, this one has teeth because the feds, unlike local officials, actually have the power to enforce the provisions.
That’s important because, at this point, there’s a lack of trust among local officials and residents about whether TxDOT will keep its promises to avoid demolishing homes and businesses; improve flood management; add air monitors; build sidewalks and bike paths; and replace parks and housing.
The agreement makes it clear there will be consequences — including legal action or even withholding federal dollars — if the state doesn’t keep commitments such as trying to keep the project’s design within the current footprint.
In addition to promising an additional $3 million for the Houston Housing Authority and a meager $1.5 million for parks and trails, the agreement also requires TxDOT to hold regular public meetings and provide project updates.
Representing one of the groups that filed the initial civil rights complaint, LINK Houston Executive Director Gabe Cazares sounded a cautious note of approval saying in a statement that the latest agreement with the Federal Highway Administration seemed “much more robust, with firm deadlines and expectations” and that it was “enforceable as the federal government has authority over TxDOT.”
At a moment when national transportation leaders seem to be rethinking the devastating role highway construction has historically played in too many low-income and Black and Hispanic neighborhoods, a promise for more oversight is welcome.
Still, others were skeptical that the federal government would actually take action if the state reneges.
“They are doing what federal agencies do, using the term ‘enforcement’ when historically we have seen no followthrough,” Joetta Stevenson, president of the Greater Fifth Ward Super Neighborhood who joined the initial civil rights complaint against the project, told the Chronicle.
There is a risk this all falls apart. It took decades for TxDOT to develop the I-45 proposal and modifying the basic parameters — how big it is, how transit is integrated, meeting new flood standards — is a massive undertaking. With years yet to go before construction even begins, it’s possible administrations change and priorities, too.
“We have to take the structures we’re given and work within those confines,” County Attorney Christian Menefee said.
While state and federal officials seem to be increasingly aware of the potential negative impacts of ever-expanding highways, what really encourages us is the continued work of community groups exercising what historian Kyle Shelton called “infrastructural citizenship,” using decisions about the built environment to assert their rights.
“To truly reconnect communities and build a more sustainable and equitable nation, the Biden administration must ensure that transportation policies and projects promote accessibility as well as racial and environmental justice,” Cazares said Tuesday. “Without accountability and active oversight, TxDOT will continue causing maximum harm to communities already exploited by previous highway expansions.”
We share those concerns but believe that this agreement, with its promise of continued public engagement, might help turn the tide.
Tuesday’s news is good news but it’s the work of community that will make it meaningful.