East End light rail construction begins

[editor]

METRO Begins Roadwork On East End Light Rail Line Today

Demolition of pavement will smooth way for installation of light rail tracks

METRO construction crews are blasting through old asphalt and concrete on Harrisburg, just east of Oakhurst, on Houston’s East End today. While utility work along the corridor has been ongoing since June of 2008, this is a milestone in the preparation of 3.3 miles of surface to carry light rail from Downtown to the Magnolia Transit Center – with a goal of connecting communities.

David Couch, Managing Director of METRO Solutions, who is supervising construction of three light rail extensions that will connect to the existing 7.5- mile downtown Red Line, said, “This is great news. Our engineers, crews, and staff have been working hard with the community and the city to make this happen. It is, literally, where the rail will meet the road and a milestone in the overall construction process.”

The work involves excavation and soil preparation for new pavement. This roadway will replace existing travel lanes and accommodate a guideway for the new light rail line. The work will continue, in segmented phases, as part of a continuing build out process.

The East End Line is expected to be completed in late Fall of 2013. The transit line is funded locally and rail cars will connect riders with destinations such as Magnolia Transit Center, Eastwood Park and Ripley House. Ridership is expected to be about 8,500 by the year 2015.

To find out more about METRO Rail and how your business or community can benefit from the light rail expansion program log on to http://www.GOMETRORail.org

[ricco67]

Ripley House? Isn't that over on Navigation? That's a hefty walk from harrisburg, but I guess it wouldn't be that bad.

[crunchtastic]

Ripley House? Isn't that over on Navigation? That's a hefty walk from harrisburg, but I guess it wouldn't be that bad.

I thought the same thing, Ricco. He probably misspoke--meant to say Harrisburg Country Club.

[totheskies]

I thought they had said that the East End line would open in 2012? Why the pushback???? It seems like they have been working consistently since construction started.

[TheNiche]

I thought they had said that the East End line would open in 2012? Why the pushback???? It seems like they have been working consistently since construction started.

The East End Line isn't very useful without the Southeast Line.

[Highway6]

Blog Houston had an article yesterday that linked to a Metro document detailing the amount of street closures that Metro deems necessary along Harrisburg.

There are 40 streets that intersect or T into Harrisburg between Velacso and 70th, 9 have signals, 31 do not.

Metro engineers have decided that 28 of those intersections will need to be closed.

" For safety purposes, when locating a LRT alignment along streets such is the case of Harrisburg where the LRT and future light rail are to be located in the center of the boulevard, it is desirable to reduce the number or crossing streets to eliminate traffic crossing or left turning vehicles."

I can understand cutting the amount of left hand turns that interfere with the railway, but cutting right hand turns and side access onto and off of Harrisburg by 70% is ridiculous. It's overkill. Main street still has right turn access to all the non-signalized streets of Midtown and it works just fine.

I want LRT to succeed in this city, but I'm starting to really distrust Metro's ability to pull this off successfully. This will decrease vehicular mobility in the East End. It's gotta be their engineer mentality.. solving one problem at the expense of the overall picture.

I can't wait to see their plan of attack for Richmond, and we all, even the LRT backers, should be pissed off if Metro decides to close almost all of the non-signalized streets along Richmond.

[kylejack]

I can understand cutting the amount of left hand turns that interfere with the railway, but cutting right hand turns and side access onto and off of Harrisburg by 70% is ridiculous. It's overkill. Main street still has right turn access to all the non-signalized streets of Midtown and it works just fine.

Not during construction of the rail line it didn't.

[Highway6]

Not during construction of the rail line it didn't.

It seems to me they are talking about the final alignment... 28 side streets closed for good, not just during construction.

[kylejack]

Oh I see. Well, why do you think they won't allow right turns? They're talking about crossing streets, as in streets that cross the rail line. Note that there are many such crossing streets that the rail eliminated in Midtown.

Anita, Francis, Stewart, Francis, Berry, Winbern.

Example of a closed street

[Highway6]

Oh I see. Well, why do you think they won't allow right turns? They're talking about crossing streets, as in streets that cross the rail line. Note that there are many such crossing streets that the rail eliminated in Midtown.

Ya know....just because you like the idea of LRT, doesnt mean you have to like everything Metro does to implement it.

Read the document...

They wouldn't use the term "closure" just to mean closing the middle of the street at that intersection to prevent left hand turns.

And they arent just talking about crossing streets.. they are referring to all 40 streets that cross or T into Harrisburg.

And they also talk about the 2 or 3 new signals that would be put in which is further indication that this is the final alignment, not temp during construction,.

[Highway6]

If your example is all that they planned on doing, that would be fine... but again, from reading the document, that does not sound like what they are talking about.

They would not use the term closure... You would not say Francis is closed in your example, you would say left hand turns are no longer allowed.

Also.. if your example and way of seeing this were true, it would then be impossible to close a street that T's into Harrisburg.

In the first page of the document, is a table that lists all the streets in question. Among them are

Drennan (North) To be closed

and

Grace (North) to be closed

Here.

[kylejack]

Ya know....just because you like the idea of LRT, doesnt mean you have to like everything Metro does to implement it.

Read the document...

They wouldn't use the term "closure" just to mean closing the middle of the street at that intersection to prevent left hand turns.

And they arent just talking about crossing streets.. they are referring to all 40 streets that cross or T into Harrisburg.

Why wouldn't they use that term? It is a street closure. A very small street closure but a closure nonetheless. As you can see in Midtown, those roads are no longer continuous. The road is on each side of Main Street with a street closure in between at Main Street.

You have to close Ts to prevent people from turning left from the T street onto Harrisburg (and thus crossing the path of the train). Here's an example of a T intersection in Midtown that had the crossing portion of the street closed: McIlhenny

[Highway6]

Why wouldn't they use that term? It is a street closure. A very small street closure but a closure nonetheless. As you can see in Midtown, those roads are no longer continuous. The road is on each side of Main Street with a street closure in between at Main Street.

You have to close Ts to prevent people from turning left from the T street onto Harrisburg (and thus crossing the path of the train). Here's an example of a T intersection in Midtown that had the crossing portion of the street closed: McIlhenny

I'm fully aware of the various midtown streets.. they don't prove anything though because that is not how I interpret the document or the term "closure".

I hope you are right..I do.. but that just isn't how I read it.

To me..by the nature of the 2 streets and traffic, Minor streets end at major streets, even if another minor street by the same name starts on the other side... so there is only one way to "close" a minor street.

"Closing" a minor street's access to a major street to me sounds like here... ..Not like here..

Anyone have a civil engineering dictionary handy to either alleviate my fears or put the fear into Kyle ??

I hope you are right.

[RedScare]

Blog Houston had an article yesterday that linked to a Metro document detailing the amount of street closures that Metro deems necessary along Harrisburg.

There are 40 streets that intersect or T into Harrisburg between Velacso and 70th, 9 have signals, 31 do not.

Metro engineers have decided that 28 of those intersections will need to be closed.

" For safety purposes, when locating a LRT alignment along streets such is the case of Harrisburg where the LRT and future light rail are to be located in the center of the boulevard, it is desirable to reduce the number or crossing streets to eliminate traffic crossing or left turning vehicles."

I can understand cutting the amount of left hand turns that interfere with the railway, but cutting right hand turns and side access onto and off of Harrisburg by 70% is ridiculous. It's overkill. Main street still has right turn access to all the non-signalized streets of Midtown and it works just fine.

I want LRT to succeed in this city, but I'm starting to really distrust Metro's ability to pull this off successfully. This will decrease vehicular mobility in the East End. It's gotta be their engineer mentality.. solving one problem at the expense of the overall picture.

I can't wait to see their plan of attack for Richmond, and we all, even the LRT backers, should be pissed off if Metro decides to close almost all of the non-signalized streets along Richmond.

Two things to consider...

That is not a METRO engineering document. It is an engineering study done by an outside firm when METRO still contemplated BRT. Much has changed, and there was never any requirement that METRO follow the recommendations of the study.

Two, as noted, "closed" is not defined in the pages posted. The person who posted the few pages of the study only posted enough to make the point he wanted to make, which clearly is that the rail is bad.

The construction documents will answer definitively what solution was decided upon. Since the only safety concern is too many points where vehicles cross the tracks or make left turns over the tracks, a Midtown construction would easily solve the problem. Assuming the worst is in keeping with blogHouston's agenda, but it doesn't mean that is the likely outcome.

Anyone know where the construction drawings are located?

EDIT: I should also point out that, as noted in the Washington Ave Quiet Zone thread, many residents LIKE the closing of minor streets in order to limit traffic flow through their neighborhood. I am not a fan for numerous reasons, but others are all for it. The blogHouston argument may in fact fly in the face of what the local residents want. However, I still believe that they will only impose a Midtown style median to prohibit crossing the tracks.

[Highway6]

True.. done for Metro, not by Metro..

But the date said revised May09.. I did see that... We were well past the idea of BRT for the East End line 11 months ago, I thought.

So I'll give you that it's not Metro's engineering documents, and Blog Houstons agenda... but I won't give you the date. If Metro is still seeking study revisions 11 months ago, then it is applicable to the current LRT alignment.

Well, I hope my interpretation of Closed is wrong.. because regardless of agenda, that would be bad.

[Houston19514]

RedScare got it right. Highway 6, take a deep breath and relax. Read the talk of "closings" in context and I think it's pretty clear they are talking only of closing the crossing of Harrisburg, not blocking right turns.

[JamesL]

Anyone know where the construction drawings are located?

Anyone who is genuinely interested and not just out to rail against METRO can check out the construction plans at the East End Corridor office at Harrisburg & the railroad tracks. I think it's fairly obvious they are just going to close the crossing of the tracks and not right in/right out movements. There is no logical reason to do that.

[GovernorAggie]

Blog Houston had an article yesterday that linked to a Metro document detailing the amount of street closures that Metro deems necessary along Harrisburg.

There are 40 streets that intersect or T into Harrisburg between Velacso and 70th, 9 have signals, 31 do not.

Metro engineers have decided that 28 of those intersections will need to be closed.

" For safety purposes, when locating a LRT alignment along streets such is the case of Harrisburg where the LRT and future light rail are to be located in the center of the boulevard, it is desirable to reduce the number or crossing streets to eliminate traffic crossing or left turning vehicles."

I can understand cutting the amount of left hand turns that interfere with the railway, but cutting right hand turns and side access onto and off of Harrisburg by 70% is ridiculous. It's overkill. Main street still has right turn access to all the non-signalized streets of Midtown and it works just fine.

I want LRT to succeed in this city, but I'm starting to really distrust Metro's ability to pull this off successfully. This will decrease vehicular mobility in the East End. It's gotta be their engineer mentality.. solving one problem at the expense of the overall picture.

I can't wait to see their plan of attack for Richmond, and we all, even the LRT backers, should be pissed off if Metro decides to close almost all of the non-signalized streets along Richmond.

Like you said, Highway6, you gotta keep your sources in mind. And to me, this would attack their credibility. Here's what that report really means:

Yes, it's true that those intersections will be closed. I repeat, "intersections" i.e. the unblocked free movement on those uncontrolled minor street across Harrisburg will be blocked once the LRT is in place. Truth is, in the case of Harrisburg, all those streets marked as (offset) are already virtually closed and have been for a hundred years because you can't drive straight across Harrisburg to get to the other side. They all have that "jog" in them where the street face on the north side of Harrisburg may be a bit further west or east of the street face on the south side of Harrisburg.

The channelized, access-management turn lanes on Westheimer effectively "closed" intersections too. There's just no train running through the median for people to point at. Ironically, those car-used intersections were closed to make traveling by car on Westheimer safer. And there are countless medians and espanades on Houston's streets that have closed interections throughout the city as well. "I could get across Richmond to the same street with the same name on the other side if not for this doggone esplanade." Or how about, "I can't get from the east side of Generic-Business-Park-Main-Road to the west side of Generic-Business-Park-Main-Road because of this raised median in the middle." In both cases, u-turns are forced at the nearest signalized interection.

Additionally, keep this in mind too. Magaziner does not, I repeat NOT attend those East End monthly meetings. And METRO has gotten a ton of pushback about factors of the project in that area (remember the whole "it's not over 'til it's under" issue of the grade separation at Hughes/Caylor, and so on. I trust the residents of the East End to make more than a small noise if all their access was cut off. The fact that they haven't and the fact that the drawings of the project are available to them and anyone else in the project office, tells me that Magaziner and BlogHouston were disingenuos at best in reporting this information the way they did. If they had access to those pages, then they probably had access to the whole report. So why not post the whole report?

Moral to the story is...there's no story here.

[Urbannizer]

Construction pic taken by Photolitherland