The Houston-Galveston Area Council Transportation Policy Council on Friday voted unanimously to approve an amendment to the 2011-2014 Transportation Improvement Program and to the 2035 Regional Transportation Plan Update to program $162 million of state bond funding for outbound improvements to the US 290/IH 610 interchange.
“This is the complimentary pair to the inbound connectors that we improved earlier,” said Transportation and Air Quality Program Manager Alan Clark. “We think that this project is not only significantly going to relieve congestion at IH 610 but also really reduce the number of crashes that we see at that location.”
The TPC voted unanimously to accept Access Management Studies of SH 105 and FM 1764 for incorporation into the Regional Transportation Plan.
The members recognized H-GAC Chief Operating Officer Steve Howard, who is retiring, an action that Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, the TPC chair, called “one of those bittersweet items that appear on the agenda periodically”. Listen: MP3 RealPlayer.
“It’s been a privilege to serve on this group for all these years,” Howard said. “It’s gratifying to see how much progress our region has made on transportation issues over the years.”
Transportation Program Manager Shelley Whitworth reviewed the progress on compliance with mobile source emissions reductions resulting from Clean Air Programs funded by the TPC, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the United States Environmental Protection Agency and others.
The board deferred action on approval of the Nominating Committee’s recommendations for additional at-large members to the Technical Advisory Committee.
All other agenda items on the agenda were approved by unanimous vote. Agenda
(The agenda link includes background documents on each item as well as additional audio excerpts from the meeting).
Baytown Council Member Terry Sain, Conroe Downtown Development Manager Larry Calhoun, Galveston Council Member Dianna Puccetti, League City Council Member Mick Phalen, Pasadena Council Member Darrell Morrison, Texas City City Engineer Doug Kneupper, West University Place Mayor Robert Fry and Chambers County Engineering Project Manager Tommy Bridwell were absent and not represented by alternate members.
Gulf Coast Rail District Chair Mark Ellis was absent but was represented by Executive Director Maureen Crocker, the alternate member for the rail district; and Union Pacific Railroad Vice President Joseph Adams was absent and was represented by Hugh McCulley, the alternate member.
State Representative Allen Fletcher, a non-voting ex-officio member, was not in attendance.