MaxConcrete Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 Thursday's meeting contains several Grand Parkway items"SH 99 - Tender a proposal to the Grand Parkway Association for the development of Segments H and I-1 of the Grand Parkway from US 59 North to I-10 East (MO)"This is the big news. I thought that section would be backburnered for some time, but it looks like somebody is trying to move if forward. I'm also a little surprised that the Commission is tendering a proposal TO the GPA. Normally I would expect GPA to formulate a proposal and tender it to the commission. I can't envision a need for this section, especially with the steep tolls it will have, so there must be some kind of land development interest flexing political muscle."Brazoria and Galveston Counties - SH 99 - Authorize additional funding of $700,000 to conduct studies for the development of Segment B of the Grand Parkway from SH 288 east to I-45 (MO)"A small amount of money, but obviously there is more momentum behind this section."Brazoria and Fort Bend Counties - SH 99 - Authorize additional funding of $250,000 to conduct studies for the development of Segment C of the Grand Parkway from US 59 south and east to SH 288 (MO)" I would think this relates to toll feasibility study."Harris and Montgomery Counties - SH 99 - Authorize additional funding of $2.5 million to conduct environmental studies for the development of Segments E, F-1, F-2, and G of the Grand Parkway from I-10 West to US 59 North (MO)"This appears to be funding to keep the study going. With the $5 million being spent by Harris County, I'm thinking that this is turning out to be a sweet deal for the consulting firms doing all the study. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pineda Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 Yep, I'll be watching the video feed today, if it's available this time. State Rep. Debbie Riddle will be in attendance at the TxDOT meeting today. We noticed the agenda items and posted them on a different thread yesterday with comments.Live Video Feed beginning at 9:00 a.m. CST of TxDOT meeting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pineda Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 This is the big news. I thought that section would be backburnered for some time, but it looks like somebody is trying to move if forward.Read the press release below. Kevin Brady secured funding for the portion of the Grand Parkway connecting I-45 to U.S. 59. He SAYS it's to help commuters and those people going shopping or to school events. BULL! He is probably the main person in Washington right now pushing for the NAFTA Highway. That's what this is all about and always has been for him. You think for a minute that Kevin Brady cares if you make it to a basketball play-off in your kids' district or not? Think again! He has always stated that he wants the NAFTA Highway built as soon as possible. Maybe he considers the Grand Parkway to be the perfect "Trojan Horse" vehicle to do that; i.e. tell people that you're pushing for relief in local traffic congestion but in all actuality, you are the driving force behind using the Grand Parkway as part and parcel of the NAFTA Highway (I-69). Kevin Brady used to be an okay Chamber of Commerce Prez. for South Montgomery County (the Woodlands) but now he's just part of the political machine. Brady sux, IMO. Press Release from Kevin Brady's office Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjb434 Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 As much as I hate when politicians play some off one way with an ulterior motive, the I-69 corridor will be needed.The project from US 59 North to I-10 i think would be more because of I-69 and NAFTA.The GP from I-10 to the south side of Baytown is currently under construction because of the huge Cedar Crossing Industrial Park that is set for massive expansion. The planned truck traffic would be too much for Bayown and the current SH 146 to I-10. Home Depot has an operating huge distribution center alread and Wal-Mart is completing one of there largest that is only in phase 1. Many other companies are citing the land out there because of port proximity and the east to get to I-10. It'll be easier when that small segment of GP is finished. Adding the section from I-10 to US 59 North would allow access for the trucks to get to the I-69 corridor and head north. Maybe Having the corridor runing on the southeast side like some proposals is not that out of wack.This section on the east side will move a lot of warehousing and distribution to the east side of town away from possibly placing them on the more urbanized west side. Also, the proximity to the port great feature for them.As for Real Estate developments. We have lots of clients asking for feasibilities east of Lake Houston and south of Lake Houston along the San Jacinto River. I think the push is more for the trucking, port, and industries than real estate. I thinkt he real estate will be a by product of the parkway in the area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pineda Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 Yep, a little "advance acquisitions", courtesy of H.B. 3588 are on the way for Segments H and I-1 of the Grand Parkway. We'll see how that plays out...On the streaming video feed from the TxDOT meeting, just heard two new members announced for the GPA Board. One is a former member who according to David Gornet is "good at helping us deal with politicians" John Chiang of Sueba Corp., some big-time apartment developer buddy of Bob Lanier. Didn't Sueba and Chiang get into trouble back in the late '80's for something? I remember seeing this guy's name in the paper, A LOT! Other guy is something like Hans Christian Olafsen or Ogleson, who knows. Ric Williamson talks like he's got a mouthful of marbles most of the time. It was a little surprising to hear no one on the TTC question who was dropping off the Board of Directors though. I keep hoping for Billy Burge to get purged, maybe it happened but they didn't want it "on record".chiang, radack and a whole lotta money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxConcrete Posted April 28, 2005 Author Share Posted April 28, 2005 Other guy is something like Hans Christian Olafsen or Ogleson, who knows. <{POST_SNAPBACK}>The video feed is not working for me. "Connection failed." Obviously it is working for you.Hans "Chris" Olavson is the former director of planning and programming for TxDOT Houston. He is originally from Norway but has been in the US since childhood. He retired from TxDOT about 3 or 4 years ago, then worked for Parsons Brinkerhof for a year or two.His role will be technical expertise, not political savvy. It sounds like the Chiang guy is going to fill the political role. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pineda Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 So, Olavson held the position currently held by Gary Trietsch, and Olavson is the Director of Transportation Services (for the Elderly) at H-GAC. Interesting...I wonder why though, as an aside, why Vincent Kickerillo has never asked to be on the GPA Board, since he and Chiang have been so close all these years. Maybe Vincent Kickerillo likes letting John W. Chiang do all the heavy-lifting for him... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxConcrete Posted April 28, 2005 Author Share Posted April 28, 2005 So, Olavson held the position currently held by Gary Trietsch, and Olavson is the Director of Transportation Services (for the Elderly) at H-GAC. Interesting...<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Well, not quite.Trietsch is District Engineer, head of the Houston District. Olavson was director of Planning and Programming at the Houston District. Planning and Programming is responsible for identifying needed projects and performing all the preliminary work leading up to construction. Planning and Programming works closely with HGAC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pineda Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 Questions not answered at the TxDOT meeting this morning were:1. GPA just asked TxDOT and received from them another $2.5 million dollars for "Supplemental Studies", after they've already spent $8 million on the previously published DEIS's. According to Gornet and Sterry, ever since the last flawed DEIS was published, they were supposedly working diligently on a Supplemental DEIS, but it's never been published. What happened to this work? What is the additional money being spent on? Is it environmental impact studies on the HCTRA-picked route, which is a bastardized version of Alignment E; or is it a completely new route into Montgomery County as they directed to do by the overwhelming amount of e-mails and letters from the Spring area? Where is the "working" version of F-2 right now? Who's going to be in charge of doing the environmental impact studies now that Robin Sterry, who was in charge of it, has quit the GPA and moved to the other side of the country?Will anyone be hired?2. Two new members were added to GPA's Board. Usually that means that two fall off the board, but this was not discussed or announced this morning. What's up? Is Billy Burge of Ayrshire finally getting the boot off the board? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowbrow Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 What's up? Is Billy Burge of Ayrshire finally getting the boot off the board? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Always the optimist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovernorAggie Posted April 29, 2005 Share Posted April 29, 2005 EIS's take a lot of time. They may actually be one of the longest segments of planning a project. I think that with them taking as long as they are, and asking for money, I'd think that they were looking at more alignments that they hadn't previously looked, since that takes more effort than just going over the present preferred alignment. They may be looking at all the other alternative alignments as well as maybe some new ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxConcrete Posted May 2, 2005 Author Share Posted May 2, 2005 Questions not answered at the TxDOT meeting this morning were:Who's going to be in charge of doing the environmental impact studies now that Robin Sterry, who was in charge of it, has quit the GPA and moved to the other side of the country?That's interesting. A few years ago, the previous director of the Grand Parkway Association quit and went to work for an environmental advocacy group - a job at the opposite end of the spectrum from what the Grand Parkway Association is promoting.I'm just a little surprised to see these kinds of personnel changes. I'm not sure it if is indicative of anything, but it just isn't what I would expect. I would expect well-connected local construction/real estate/business types to fill that that post. Maybe it is a very low-paying job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pineda Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 Yes, Diane Schenke (the previous GPA Director before David Gornet) left the GPA to go to the Nature Conservancy or "the dark side" as some would say. Now Robin has left the transportation business entirely also. It is interesting that just before both of these ladies left, they came out in public and said that there is no easy way to put the Grand Parkway through the Spring area, and that it is perhaps too late to try and do so. Maybe they just got tired of all the lies propogated about the Grand Parkway being an evacuation route (an idea later abandoned) and a reliever of local congestion (also now abandoned) and instead came to see this thing for what it always has been; a developer's dream of a highway... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovernorAggie Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 a developer's dream of a highway...<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Like so many other freeways in America, past and present. Outcomes of the 1950s highway act, the baby boom, and low-interest housing loans to WWII soldiers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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