kylejack Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Hasn't it been pretty much the plan to go over to westpark for some time now? Sucks as a route compared to Richmond, but maybe that will foster new development where there would have been little or none along Richmond since it's more residential and westpark is more commercial. Plan by who? Certainly not METRO. They wanted Richmond, and Culberson and others pointed to a referendum vote that had it on Westpark originally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august948 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Plan by who? Certainly not METRO. They wanted Richmond, and Culberson and others pointed to a referendum vote that had it on Westpark originally. I know they wanted Richmond originally, but I'd heard that the route switches over to westpark before it gets to Afton Oaks due to opposition. The homeowners of the upper-income Afton Oaks subdivision opposed a proposed expansion of the University Line through the neighborhood. Ultimately METRO revised the plans so that the line does not go through the neighborhood.[5][6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_Line_%28METRORail%29 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 yes your correct. the Afton Oaks oposition forced METRO to change the route to cross 59 at Cummins St. but Culbersons district extends east all the way to Shepherd, and he doesnt want it on Richmond at all in his district, which would force metro to switch it from Richmond across 59 to Westpark before/at Shepherd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august948 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 I know that sucks a little, but on the other hand it could bring more development along the south side of 59. It's all commercial already all the way down westpark pretty much forever. Plus there's already some useful things on westpark south of 59 like the HEB, Kroger and Sams. It's not a bad walk down Kirby from there to Rice Village. I've done that a few times myself. Plus, I'm sure there'd be a bus running down Kirby to the rail anyway. If they can include a pedestrian overpass to Greenway Plaza that would help or maybe Greenway can run it's own circulator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nativehoustonion Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 What a jerk that is out to help Houston get more finding. They need to build a tollway down his fat stomach! He needs to die, vote him out , or redistriscting him. He has cost METRO so much money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august948 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 I wonder if this is also a blessing in disguise since now, for the time-being at least, the issue has been settled by Federal fiat. By settling the argument, maybe Metro can move forward with an alternate plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 If they can include a pedestrian overpass to Greenway Plaza that would help or maybe Greenway can run it's own circulator.Doesnt Greenway have its own tunnel system? i was thinking a trenched station at Greenway (if the line had to come down Westpark, ideally this idea is for a commuter rail line going down Westpark from the Main Street line to the suburbs though) with a tunnel under 59 to connect into the Greenway tunnel system. I wonder if this is also a blessing in disguise since now, for the time-being at least, the issue has been settled by Federal fiat. By settling the argument, maybe Metro can move forward with an alternate plan.interesting.. so we would be able to move forward with rail plans on those lines before 2025 or whenever they said it would be before we got federal funding again? though i would much rather just see them run BRT down the currently planned Richmond and Uptown lines until we can get funding or Culberson is out of office.. shifting the whole thing to Westpark helps nothing when it comes to the Uptown line north of Richmond.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august948 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 (edited) Doesnt Greenway have its own tunnel system? i was thinking a trenched station at Greenway (if the line had to come down Westpark, ideally this idea is for a commuter rail line going down Westpark from the Main Street line to the suburbs though) with a tunnel under 59 to connect into the Greenway tunnel system. interesting.. so we would be able to move forward with rail plans on those lines before 2025 or whenever they said it would be before we got federal funding again? though i would much rather just see them run BRT down the currently planned Richmond and Uptown lines until we can get funding or Culberson is out of office.. shifting the whole thing to Westpark helps nothing when it comes to the Uptown line north of Richmond.. Yes, they do have a small tunnel and some skybridges. I hadn't thought of that but I'm not sure how feasible it would be to connect them via a tunnel vs a bridge. It would be nice for workers there, though, if any bridge built were enclosed and conditioned. The uptown line is already set to go all the way to westpark, so I'm not clear on the problem there. Wouldn't be bad, though, to get an express bus down richmond or, better yet, westheimer to link montrose and points east to the galleria area. Edited January 28, 2014 by august948 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfastx Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Just disgusting. Classic dirty politics at its finest. Wonder how much Culberson got paid to pull this off. Anyway, I'd prefer any rail line down this street to be a subway instead. Better yet, tunnel it down Westheimer, all the way out to Beltway 8. Of course that'll never happen, but that'd be the best rail line in Houston. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 I know they wanted Richmond originally, but I'd heard that the route switches over to westpark before it gets to Afton Oaks due to opposition. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_Line_%28METRORail%29 Yes, that's true. http://www.gometrorail.org/clients/2491/372235.pdf But the Richmond rail opponents want it off of Richmond entirely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slick Vik Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 So he managed to block funding on post oak too. Go to hell culberson. The irony is his district will suffer in the long run as other areas get rail. And Richmond ended to be fixed more than any other road in the city. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august948 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Yes, that's true. http://www.gometrorail.org/clients/2491/372235.pdf But the Richmond rail opponents want it off of Richmond entirely. They wanted it entirely off Richmond and Metro wanted it entirely on Richmond, but at the end of the day this is how it's worked out. Better for Metro to take it and run than spend the next 20 years trying to reverse it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 They wanted it entirely off Richmond and Metro wanted it entirely on Richmond, but at the end of the day this is how it's worked out. Better for Metro to take it and run than spend the next 20 years trying to reverse it. No, Culberson has now gotten it banned from Richmond anywhere west of Shepherd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august948 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 No, Culberson has now gotten it banned from Richmond anywhere west of Shepherd. So it runs on Richmond until it turns south at Shephard and goes down to Westpark before turning to the west and running to Hilcroft, right? I still don't see what the big deal is considering the options for development on the south side of 59. Not the ideal route, perhaps, but then the ideal route would probably be down Westheimer, if that were possible. What i'm saying is rather than spend more years trying to overturn Culberson's efforts, they should get going with the route they can do. In the end I think it will turn out just fine, or perhaps even better than if it had run down Richmond. You may end up seeing the strip malls along 59 and Westpark get torn up and replaced with towers and mid-rise mixed use. That couldn't happen as easily on Richmond because of all the single family homes along much of the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoustonBoy Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 What an ass. How has main street been destroyed? Looking down main street with the trains running and people walking creates such an urban environment that would be at the level it is now had it not been for rail! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august948 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 What an ass. How has main street been destroyed? Looking down main street with the trains running and people walking creates such an urban environment that would be at the level it is now had it not been for rail! It's just political hyperbole. Some businesses couldn't make it through the construction and folded. New businesses have and will take their places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 (edited) So it runs on Richmond until it turns south at Shephard and goes down to Westpark before turning to the west and running to Hilcroft, right? I still don't see what the big deal is considering the options for development on the south side of 59. Not the ideal route, perhaps, but then the ideal route would probably be down Westheimer, if that were possible. What i'm saying is rather than spend more years trying to overturn Culberson's efforts, they should get going with the route they can do. In the end I think it will turn out just fine, or perhaps even better than if it had run down Richmond. You may end up seeing the strip malls along 59 and Westpark get torn up and replaced with towers and mid-rise mixed use. That couldn't happen as easily on Richmond because of all the single family homes along much of the way. No federal funding has been approved for any version of the University Line. Culberson has been anti-rail even back to when they were building the original Red Line. When the plan changes, he'll oppose the new plan too. Edited January 28, 2014 by kylejack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 So it runs on Richmond until it turns south at Shephard and goes down to Westpark before turning to the west and running to Hilcroft, right? I still don't see what the big deal is considering the options for development on the south side of 59. Not the ideal route, perhaps, but then the ideal route would probably be down Westheimer, if that were possible. What i'm saying is rather than spend more years trying to overturn Culberson's efforts, they should get going with the route they can do. In the end I think it will turn out just fine, or perhaps even better than if it had run down Richmond. You may end up seeing the strip malls along 59 and Westpark get torn up and replaced with towers and mid-rise mixed use. That couldn't happen as easily on Richmond because of all the single family homes along much of the way. They should go Richmond to Shepherd, then turn north to Westheimer and west to Uptown on Westheimer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slick Vik Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Highland village fought university rail so forget about westheimerNo federal funding has been approved for any version of the University Line.Metro was seeking $700 million Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slick Vik Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 So it runs on Richmond until it turns south at Shephard and goes down to Westpark before turning to the west and running to Hilcroft, right? I still don't see what the big deal is considering the options for development on the south side of 59. Not the ideal route, perhaps, but then the ideal route would probably be down Westheimer, if that were possible. What i'm saying is rather than spend more years trying to overturn Culberson's efforts, they should get going with the route they can do. In the end I think it will turn out just fine, or perhaps even better than if it had run down Richmond. You may end up seeing the strip malls along 59 and Westpark get torn up and replaced with towers and mid-rise mixed use. That couldn't happen as easily on Richmond because of all the single family homes along much of the way.I think the route that was studied goes to greenway plaza before going to westpark. Ideally it was supposed to go down Richmond then westheimer then turn south to westpark at the galleria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longcat Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Does his amendment also preclude federal funding for BRT on Richmond? Maybe that's still an option in which case it could tie in to the planned BRT on Post Oak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august948 Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 (edited) No federal funding has been approved for any version of the University Line. Culberson has been anti-rail even back to when they were building the original Red Line. When the plan changes, he'll oppose the new plan too. Well then, they could at least throw this back in his face if he opposes it east of Shephard and then going down to Westpark. Not completely opposed to rail, Culberson noted that he has already begun working with Congressman Al Green on possible rail connections from Fort Bend County and that he would support the US 90A southwest rail corridor. On another potential east-west light rail route, Culberson said, "West Park would be perfect. They have the right of way."http://houston.culturemap.com/news/city-life/01-28-14-light-rail-on-richmond-dead-forever-congressmen-crows-over-saving-post-oak-from-metro-destruction/ Edited January 28, 2014 by august948 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Does his amendment also preclude federal funding for BRT on Richmond? Maybe that's still an option in which case it could tie in to the planned BRT on Post Oak.im not sure, were they seeking federal funds for Richmond BRT? i know the Uptown BRT is fine because the local TIRZ funds will pay for it, not the feds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 (edited) im not sure, were they seeking federal funds for Richmond BRT? i know the Uptown BRT is fine because the local TIRZ funds will pay for it, not the feds. No. They are neither seeking funds for, nor planning, Richmond BRT. (But maybe they could/should??) Edited January 29, 2014 by Houston19514 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud713 Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 (edited) oh.. i thought i remembered hearing something about a possible Richmond BRT. i guess it was just speculation or something.. so why the hell dont they figure out a way to (without federal funding, or w/e Culberson is against) build a BRT down the Richmond/Westpark corridor METRO wants to eventually use for light rail, for the time being to connect the Uptown line to the Main St line? Edited January 29, 2014 by cloud713 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sky-guy Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 If it were up to me, I'd use subway down Richmond and rail down Allen Pkwy until it becomes Kirby and all the way down to reliant park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Huge Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 gotta love Culberson... http://houston.culturemap.com/news/city-life/01-28-14-light-rail-on-richmond-dead-forever-congressmen-crows-over-saving-post-oak-from-metro-destruction/ When will this (please use more appropriate language) be out of office permanantly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naviguessor Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Change the names of Richmond and Post Oak, then lay the rail down. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
names Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 (edited) He can block rail, but can he get Richmond re-surfaced & paved? Such a waste. Edited January 29, 2014 by names 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ig2ba Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Just disgusting. Classic dirty politics at its finest. Wonder how much Culberson got paid to pull this off. Anyway, I'd prefer any rail line down this street to be a subway instead. Better yet, tunnel it down Westheimer, all the way out to Beltway 8. Of course that'll never happen, but that'd be the best rail line in Houston. Me too. I'm not a fan of the rail being all at grade throughout the Galleria area. That seems to be asking for trouble. Yes, it costs more, but it's better to spend more money to fix a problem - congestion - than a little less money to make the problem worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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