TRANSPORTATION

METRONext Moving Forward Plan

By Subcontractors USA News Provider

Our region’s population is projected to exceed 10 million people by 2040. That’s why Houston METRO worked closely with the community to develop a plan that addresses the growing demand for expansion of public transit. Approved by voters in November 2019, it includes 500 miles of travel improvements to help ease traffic congestion and give you more ways to move around our region – with no tax increase. What projects are being worked on? What projects are being worked on?

BOOST:

The plan also calls for speed, reliability, and access improvements to 17 of METRO’s high-ridership local bus routes (part of our “BOOST” network). Depending on the route, enhancements could include:

Proposed improvements

The plan calls for 75 miles of new METRORapid bus service that operates like light rail, along with expansions to:

• Two-way HOV lanes • Park & Rides • Transit Centers • Light rail • Community Connector service • Bus stop relocation • New shelters • Accessibility upgrades • Transit signal priority • Display of real-time information

The first routes to receive a “BOOST” will be the 54 Scott and 56 Airline / Montrose and 82 Westheimer.

The plan also proposes enhancements to:

• Local bus stops • Accessibility • Safety and security

METRORapid:

It looks like a bus but runs like rail. METRORapid is designed to provide station-to-station service similar to METRORail, delivering faster connections and a smooth, convenient ride.

Universal Accessibility:

METRO is committed to the design and composition of an environment so it can be accessed, understood, and used to the greatest extent possible by all people regardless of age, size, ability, or disability.

This includes a multi-year project to ensure bus stops meet or exceed standards laid out in the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Visit www.metronext.org for more information on METRONext. And for more information about Houston METRO, visit www.ridemetro.org.

Source: Houston METRO

Houston Ship Channel Billion Dollar

Expansion Starts

By Subcontractors USA News Provider

Port Houston, in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, held an event recently, officially kicking off the $1 billion expansion of the Houston Ship Channel. Described as a “generation-defining project,” these improvements to the nation’s busiest waterway – more safely and efficiently welcoming import and export container ships and other vessels – will deliver jobs and growth to the Houston region, state, and nation.

More than 200 people, including elected officials and representatives from multiple sectors in the maritime industry, attended the historic event. Bipartisanship and collaboration were on full display at the event, with the Port Commission, and Congressional, State, and Local delegations, leading the way.

“All of our partners here view what some would call problems or challenges as opportunities,” Port Houston Chairman Ric Campo said to the audience, but “opportunities to drive our industry forward and reimagine how we tackle these ‘challenges’ in new innovative ways, generating greater results for all.”

The unprecedented challenges in the global supply chain over the past two years have highlighted the critical importance of ports and the maritime industry, and the cargo moving through the channel touches every Congressional District in the nation. Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) Michael Connor addressed the group, “Army Civil Works is proud to partner with the Port of Houston to invest funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to advance the expansion of the Houston Ship Channel,” he said. “This project is important on many levels, including improving the efficiency of our nation’s supply chains, promoting navigational safety, and creating environmental benefits through the innovative use of dredged material.”

According to USACE Southwestern District Commander Col. Kenneth N. Reed, it is also an important project for the Galveston District

and the District’s higher headquarters. “As the federal agency that maintains and constructs much of the nation’s public infrastructure, the Army Corps of Engineers continues to work with Port Houston on one of the most impactful infrastructure projects nationwide,” he said.

Known locally as Project 11 because it is the eleventh major construction project of the waterway in its more than 100-year history, the work of widening and deepening the Houston Ship Channel will have tremendous positive economic, safety, and environmental benefit for the nation.

“The sooner we complete and utilize the project that delivers an increased $134 million annual economic impact, the better,” Chairman Campo stressed. “And ultimately what this means is more jobs.”

The project is on schedule for completion in 2025.

“This project will enable Port Houston to continue to grow and respond effectively to whatever the future demand in the supply chain has to offer,” said Port Houston Executive Director Roger Guenther in his remarks. “A safe and efficient channel is the best way we can position Houston to provide a prosperous opportunity for the next generation.”

On display at the event were some of the many vessels keeping the channel safe and efficient, including Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company’s ecofriendly dredge Carolina, which soon joins the channel work.

More details on the Houston Ship Channel Expansion Program can be found at www.expandthehoustonshipchannel.com.

Source: Port Houston

Funding for VIA’s Advanced Rapid Transit Recommended in President’s Budget

Proposed North/South Corridor could receive $158M in new fiscal year

By Subcontractors USA News Provider

Plans for San Antonio’s first Advanced Rapid Transit corridor are progressing with a recommendation for $158 million from the federal government, marking a historic funding opportunity for the region and a step forward for the project that’s part of VIA’s Keep SA Moving plan.

VIA’s Advanced Rapid Transit (ART) project is the only Texas project added to the President’s funding recommendation list for Fiscal Year 2023. It marks the first time San Antonio and VIA have been able to access this type of funding, which requires transit service that operates in a dedicated lane.

“Milestone by milestone, we keep moving toward a more modern and equitable transit system for San Antonio—one that ensures our community has better access to opportunities with projects designed to improve transit options while offering environmental and economic benefits for our growing region,” VIA President/CEO Jeffrey C. Arndt said. “We are grateful to the Federal Administration for continuing to recognize VIA’s ART project as vital, beneficial, and worthy of investment.”

Voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition A in November 2020, securing dedicated local sales tax funding for Keep SA Moving projects, including a modern ART network designed to deliver frequent service within dedicated lanes and outside regular traffic.

The estimated capital cost for the North/ South ART corridor is $320 million. The 12-mile corridor connects major employment and residential centers from the San Antonio International Airport, along San Pedro Avenue, through Downtown and south to the Missions area.

In August 2021, VIA was granted permission to enter the ART North/ South concept project into the Capitol Investment Grants (CIG) program, one of the largest federal funding programs in existence. The project earned an initial “Medium-High” rating in January 2022.

“FTA looks forward to working with communities across the country to provide exciting new transit options,” FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez said. “These investments support President Biden’s commitment to combat climate change while also improving safety, advancing equity, and improving quality of life for millions of Americans.”

VIA began its series of public meetings to discuss the ART project and collect community feedback on the proposed plans for a North/South corridor. Visit KeepSAmoving.com for more information about the project, details on upcoming meetings and events, or to attend a virtual meeting available anytime on the site.

Source: VIA Metropolitan Transit

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