jadebenn

You know with all the inflation and delays this could end up being a pyrrhic victory for TxDOT and the highway supporters. From a very cynical point of view, if you can't kill it, pushing back construction into an era of high federal rates and inflation is a great way to ensure the budgeted funds are absolutely inadequate to proceed with the original plan. A descope by fait accompli, as it were. I guess TxDOT can be stubborn and try to power through without reducing the project scope at all, but every dollar they'll spend here is a dollar they won't be able to spend elsewhere in the state, and considering the scope of the overruns we're looking at in the construction industry in general... I genuinely don't think a doubling of cost is out of the question.

Don't be too sure. How a park designation could derail the I-45 expansion

Can anyone confirm this? I have seen zilch on my morning commute, but it's not like I get a good look from the side of a moving car.

I'm glad this project is dead and wish you all the worst of luck in saving it. Not that I really need to at this point, considering how this comment period seems to be the first move to reallocate funding. Cities should not bend over backwards to cater to regional traffic - and I say this as a Houston suburbanite. It is especially indefensible to cater to this outdated thinking with a 50+ year investment. The last thing Houston needs to be is saddled with even bigger highways through the 2070s.

The next legislative session is going to be grueling for supporters of this project. I thought it was bad in 2015, but the TAHSR people have been doing a lot to get their message out there. There's a very real chance they'll be able to push a bill through this time, especially since construction's been delayed by the EIS and the opposition. I'm curious if anyone here knows the significance of TCR re-applying to the STB for jurisdiction? I think the opponents might actually be right for once when they say it's a move to gain federal eminent domain authority. Mainly because I can't see the legislature letting TCR keep ED power under state law if they ever try and exercise it. As much as the opposition is good for info (as long as you ignore their bias, that is), I can't stand reading their facebook page for more than a few minutes. Too much anger, too little facts.