Shepherd Dr. And Durham Dr. Reconstruction

[Texasota]

No, it's segment 3, and in fact... 

At least at first, it's only part of segment 3 - Washington to Dickson. South of Dickson I understand - that's the bridge over the bayou and potentially a more complicated engineering question. Not sure about Washington - I-10, though the BUILD app has that also funded from CIP funds. 

[beebs]

I lurk here a lot and haven't seen this posted yet, so wanted to add: 

 

"The Memorial Heights Tax-Increment Reinvestment Zone will receive $40 million for a second phase of improvements to Shepherd and Durham drives, from 15th Street to I-10."

 

https://communityimpact.com/houston/heights-river-oaks-montrose/transportation/2020/06/30/phase-2-of-future-shepherd-durham-rebuild-approved-for-40-million-from-h-gac/?fbclid=IwAR3Ydvrj_Y7XhBfjTayOCCluiD0slYk1Q7RV_GVpGU8jmcAd4HJpErDYeN4

 

Super excited about this project.

[Triton]

4 hours ago, beebs said:

I lurk here a lot and haven't seen this posted yet, so wanted to add: 

 

"The Memorial Heights Tax-Increment Reinvestment Zone will receive $40 million for a second phase of improvements to Shepherd and Durham drives, from 15th Street to I-10."

 

https://communityimpact.com/houston/heights-river-oaks-montrose/transportation/2020/06/30/phase-2-of-future-shepherd-durham-rebuild-approved-for-40-million-from-h-gac/?fbclid=IwAR3Ydvrj_Y7XhBfjTayOCCluiD0slYk1Q7RV_GVpGU8jmcAd4HJpErDYeN4

 

Super excited about this project.

 

Same here and thanks for the post!

[Texasota]

That's great news! Longish timeline, and there's still that gap from Washington to I-10, but this is going to make a *huge* difference for what are now two of our worst centrally located roads.

[j_cuevas713]

7 hours ago, Texasota said:

That's great news! Longish timeline, and there's still that gap from Washington to I-10, but this is going to make a *huge* difference for what are now two of our worst centrally located roads.

Yeah that's part of phase 2. 

 

Nevermind, I'm wrong lol

Edited July 1, 2020 by j_cuevas713

[Triton]

On 7/1/2020 at 6:57 AM, Texasota said:

That's great news! Longish timeline, and there's still that gap from Washington to I-10, but this is going to make a *huge* difference for what are now two of our worst centrally located roads.

Maybe they have a bigger plan there to make Shepherd and Durham go under the railroad tracks. One can only hope.

[BeerNut]

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/transportation/article/bike-lanes-shepherd-durham-rebuild-40-million-15377889.php

 

Quote

Work is scheduled to start on the northern segment in fiscal 2022, from Loop 610 to 15th Street. Construction is expected to move south of 15th about a year later to Interstate 10.

[Triton]

Moving this thread to the Shepherd reconstruction thread.

 

Edit: Whoops, messed that up.

[CaptainJilliams]

Shepherd and Durham are up there with Richmond as the top roads that need to be repaired/reconstructed in my mind.

 

With all the development exploding along Shepherd, repairing the roads and adding bike lanes would be huge. 

[sapo2367]

https://www.shepherddurham.com/

they are posing weekly updates on the project status to this website -- nice to see the communication!

Also, here is the TIRZ page on the project

https://memorialheightstirz5.com/projects/shepherd-and-durham-major-investment-project/

[j_cuevas713]

On 10/28/2022 at 1:31 PM, sapo2367 said:

https://www.shepherddurham.com/

they are posing weekly updates on the project status to this website -- nice to see the communication!

Also, here is the TIRZ page on the project

https://memorialheightstirz5.com/projects/shepherd-and-durham-major-investment-project/

Shepherd here in Upper Kirby will be finished in the next couple of months. I walk the area often and the upgrade is beautiful. Once this is complete, you'll be able to walk from 59 to Buffalo Bayou Park with no problem. 

[004n063]

It is HAPPENING

[hbg.50]

You see!  This will be awesome when completed! Why couldn’t this have been done to 11th Street?

[004n063]

9 hours ago, steve1363 said:

You see!  This will be awesome when completed! Why couldn’t this have been done to 11th Street?

This is a roughly $130M project, so I'd imagine that's probably why.

 

But also, while the 11th street lanes are far from perfect, they've done a pretty good job of bringing the design speed down, thereby making their imperfection less problematic.

Shepherd and Durham are another story - they are major, multilane, 1-way thoroughfares with long stretches of uninterrupted ROW. Any on-street lanes would have been pretty uncomfortable up there, even with barriers.

Edited October 2, 2023 by 004n063

[j.33]

12 hours ago, steve1363 said:

You see!  This will be awesome when completed! Why couldn’t this have been done to 11th Street?

Retrofit v. Reconstruction. 11th was a retrofit, so the street's bones (curb to curb and sidewalks) remained roughly untouched. This is a reconstruction so of course more things could happen and be more transformative. 

 

[004n063]

Some progress photos. Nothing major to report, though it seems that the initial parts of reconstruction on the second phase (20th to 610, for some reason) are well underway, even though the first phase is unfinished.

But I've been thinking a lot about this project since exploring yesterday, and I thought I'd share my thoughts.

1. This is serious stuff. 

The east side of Shepherd has or will have a substantial pedestrian realm with a comfortable and very clearly differentiable bike path. The west side of Shepherd has or will have eight-foot sidewalks. The east side of Durham is not quite as commodious as the east side of Shepherd, but it's substantial and still has the through-running bike path. And maybe most significantly, every (I think?) street crossing the "island" between Shepherd and Durham has or will have 8-foot sidewalks.

They did pretty nice work on Lower Shepherd from 59 to Westheimer, but this blows that out of the water. This is Bagby-level treatment, but for a strip that's much more destination-rich, with much higher local population density. When all is said and done, I think it'll be the best stroad reconstruction in the city by far. But...

2. It still is and always will be a stroad.

There is still a ton of fast-moving traffic, and signalized crosswalks can be a long way away. It'll be safer and more pleasant to walk or ride along when reconstructed, no doubt. But crossing will still be dangerous and frustrating. The glorious new pedestrian realm will always be noisy and polluted. It has not been transformed into a street.

But this isn't like Memorial, where apart from one small dense section, the general function is just road. All of the business activity along Shepherd scream to be a street.

Except the road funtion of Shepherd/Durham is and probably always will be essential. It crosses 59, Buffalo Bayou, and 610 - it's the only non-highway road that does that.

So adding more signalized crosswalks and/or further reducing the number of vehicle lanes would have a considerable impact on a lot of commuters. Would it be worth it?

I tend to always favor safety, and I tend to feel like if a segment of roadway has the local demand to become a street, it should. But I don't drive on Shepherd as part of my commute. I don't take the bus on Shepherd as part of my commute. And I'm a bit of an urbanist radical, so there's a chance I'm a little biased. 

But yeah, I think it'd be worthwhile to add signalized crosswalks at 15th, 16th, 18th, 19th, 21st, 22nd, and 23rd.

Truthfully, though, I think the whole project would have made more sense on Yale.

[CREguy13]

I recently moved to the Heights and agree with your enthusiasm on how great this is turning out.  No doubt these sidewalks and bike lanes will be flooded with people that will feel safe and enjoy walking to businesses and restaurants along Shepherd. While still early, 11th Street has been a major success in this regard and is much smaller in scale.  

Didn't realize that about all the streets between Shepherd and Durham having large sidewalks, but that's fantastic news.

An incredible catalyst and blueprint for the continued transformation of Houston.

[004n063]

8 minutes ago, CREguy13 said:

While still early, 11th Street has been a major success in this regard and is much smaller in scale.

That's why I'm a little confused by the phasing of the project. I would have thought that MKT-11th would be the most sensible phase 1, and then proceed north (and south, via a different projec) from there.

I'm not sure what the thinking was on starting at 15th and then going north. Maybe they didn't want to be inundated with bikes from the start? Maybe they are studying for unanticipated pain points or something.

[CREguy13]

53 minutes ago, 004n063 said:

That's why I'm a little confused by the phasing of the project. I would have thought that MKT-11th would be the most sensible phase 1, and then proceed north (and south, via a different projec) from there.

I'm not sure what the thinking was on starting at 15th and then going north. Maybe they didn't want to be inundated with bikes from the start? Maybe they are studying for unanticipated pain points or something.

It's a great question and don't know the answer.  My only hunch is the majority of the MF and retail investment over the past several years is in the section currently U/C, so most likely to get the most immediate use from pedestrians/bikers at the start?

[hindesky]

1 hour ago, 004n063 said:

That's why I'm a little confused by the phasing of the project. I would have thought that MKT-11th would be the most sensible phase 1, and then proceed north (and south, via a different projec) from there.

I'm not sure what the thinking was on starting at 15th and then going north. Maybe they didn't want to be inundated with bikes from the start? Maybe they are studying for unanticipated pain points or something.

May be due to different TIRZ and which one oversees what. Same thing happens in the greater Montrose area, TIRZ 27 only has certain parts of Montrose and the other TIRZ have their jurisdictions. They try to work together but each TIRZ funds can only be used in their area.

[j.33]

6 hours ago, 004n063 said:

But yeah, I think it'd be worthwhile to add signalized crosswalks at 15th, 16th, 18th, 19th, 21st, 22nd, and 23rd.

These are GREAT recommendations. Luckily for you, TIRZ 5 is actively seeking input from residents through a new mobility study. https://engagetirz5.mysocialpinpoint.com has an interactive map where you can place a tool marker on ideas you have (like your signalized crosswalks). There is also a survey under the "talk to us" tab where you can fill out some questions and sign up to be on the email list. 

[hbg.50]

Inundated with bikes?  🙂

[j_cuevas713]

On 1/7/2024 at 7:43 AM, 004n063 said:

Some progress photos. Nothing major to report, though it seems that the initial parts of reconstruction on the second phase (20th to 610, for some reason) are well underway, even though the first phase is unfinished.

But I've been thinking a lot about this project since exploring yesterday, and I thought I'd share my thoughts.

1. This is serious stuff. 

The east side of Shepherd has or will have a substantial pedestrian realm with a comfortable and very clearly differentiable bike path. The west side of Shepherd has or will have eight-foot sidewalks. The east side of Durham is not quite as commodious as the east side of Shepherd, but it's substantial and still has the through-running bike path. And maybe most significantly, every (I think?) street crossing the "island" between Shepherd and Durham has or will have 8-foot sidewalks.

They did pretty nice work on Lower Shepherd from 59 to Westheimer, but this blows that out of the water. This is Bagby-level treatment, but for a strip that's much more destination-rich, with much higher local population density. When all is said and done, I think it'll be the best stroad reconstruction in the city by far. But...

2. It still is and always will be a stroad.

There is still a ton of fast-moving traffic, and signalized crosswalks can be a long way away. It'll be safer and more pleasant to walk or ride along when reconstructed, no doubt. But crossing will still be dangerous and frustrating. The glorious new pedestrian realm will always be noisy and polluted. It has not been transformed into a street.

But this isn't like Memorial, where apart from one small dense section, the general function is just road. All of the business activity along Shepherd scream to be a street.

Except the road funtion of Shepherd/Durham is and probably always will be essential. It crosses 59, Buffalo Bayou, and 610 - it's the only non-highway road that does that.

So adding more signalized crosswalks and/or further reducing the number of vehicle lanes would have a considerable impact on a lot of commuters. Would it be worth it?

I tend to always favor safety, and I tend to feel like if a segment of roadway has the local demand to become a street, it should. But I don't drive on Shepherd as part of my commute. I don't take the bus on Shepherd as part of my commute. And I'm a bit of an urbanist radical, so there's a chance I'm a little biased. 

But yeah, I think it'd be worthwhile to add signalized crosswalks at 15th, 16th, 18th, 19th, 21st, 22nd, and 23rd.

Truthfully, though, I think the whole project would have made more sense on Yale.

Knowing Houston drivers, someone will park here like a moron.

I took the survey and I think the city needs to add more traffic lights and more pedestrian crossings. You can still sync the lights for car traffic, but it will slow drivers down and make them actually go the speed limit. That goes for all Houston stroads but yeah

Edited January 10 by j_cuevas713

[hindesky]

[hbg.50]

Don’t shoot the messenger…I’m getting concerned about this mayor myself!

Houston city officials halt major part of Shepherd and Durham redesign, risking millions in funding
 

Houston city officials have put the brakes on the middle piece of a planned redesign of Shepherd and Durham along the edge of the Heights, a decision that community officials and others say puts millions of dollars destined for the city at risk.

Rumored for weeks, and predicted by critics of Mayor John Whitmire’s transportation policies, the city's decision to not support any plan that removes lanes along the parallel, four-lane-wide corridors is likely to leave a gap in bicycle lanes along the streets between Interstate 10 and 15th Street.

For the segment from near White Oak Bayou to north of 14th Street, it may also mean that no repairs other than routine maintenance happen in the coming months or years.

“The potential exists for the project to be canceled entirely and for its associated federal funding to be reallocated somewhere else in the region,” Anne Lents, chairwoman of the Memorial Heights Redevelopment Authority, told board members, according to a printed copy of a monthly report she delivered Thursday.  “At this point, this is out of our direct control as a redevelopment authority. Ultimately, we are an entity of the city and are reliant on the (mayoral) administration and city permitting and approvals to advance projects.”

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Marlene Gafrick, a senior adviser to Whitmire and former city planning department director, confirmed she told the redevelopment authority, which is building the project with local and federal funds, it would only receive city support – and permits – if it redesigned the project.

The two criteria Gafrick gave the redevelopment authority, which also operates a tax increment reinvestment zone of the city, is that the project “maintain the original lane widths and number of lanes” and maintain only six-foot sidewalks.

That conflicts and makes the fully designed project impossible unless the redevelopment adds the cost and complexity of acquiring land, and even then turns planned 10-foot paths into smaller ADA-minimum sidewalks.

Proponents of the street redesign said the decision to only allow it if is maintains all vehicle lanes makes little sense when repeated engineering analyses have found Shepherd and Durham will have minimal travel time changes, safety will be improved and much of the project simply keeps more consistency for drivers.

“This project is right-sizing Shepherd and Durham and harmonizing the existing sections,” said Joe Cutrufo, executive director of the advocacy group BikeHouston. “It makes it safer for everyone whether they are inside a car or not.”

Shepherd and Durham – which act jointly as a large thoroughfare with Durham running south and Shepherd north – are each only four lanes in certain locations.

From Feagan, near Buffalo Bayou, north to Washington Avenue, the streets last year were trimmed to three lanes in each direction with wider sidewalks and a curb-protected bike lane on each.

 

“It is a lot safer to cross now, no question,” Rice Military resident Scott Pardo said Friday afternoon as he waited to cross Shepherd at Feagan. “I know sometimes it makes traffic a little worse, when it is jammed, but I will trade that for this.”

The street flares to four lanes north of Washington and remains four until 15th Street, where an ongoing first phase of the rebuild narrows it to three lanes. The bridge carrying Durham over White Oak Bayou, however, is three lanes.

Above 15th, where drainage and cross-street work was included, crews are slowly finishing the wide sidewalks intended for pedestrians and bicyclists, separated with raised planters. Work north of 15th is expected to finish later this year.

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Lents noted the center segment was rigorously studied, and officials verified it made sense as a better street for the community.

 

“These reports concluded that the new design is not just appropriate for current traffic but for traffic in the future,” she said. “The project is designed to encourage and support economic growth and development along the corridor – which we’ve seen explode since the project was announced.”

When the first phase of work began in 2022, it was with the assumption the middle phase would follow. Both phases enjoyed support from local officials.

The phase north of 15th Street won $25 million in federal funds, which officials in 2020 credited to U.S. Rep Dan Crenshaw, R-Houston, who until redistricting represented the area north of 14th Street as part of his oddly-shaped district in northeast parts of Harris County. In 2020, a wide swath of officials – including Texas Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, then-Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis and then-state Sen. John Whitmire – submitted letters in support of the project.

"The reconstruction of Shepherd and Durham are critical components of the transportation infrastructure of the City of Houston," Whitmire's letter said. 

Still, construction has frustrated some businesses and drivers, as the work has kept Shepherd and Durham limited to two lanes at times, cut off some local streets and led to abrupt loss of electricity and water as lines are repaired or replaced.

 

What is uncertain, Lents told board members, is the way ahead for the center segment. Officials planned to ink a deal with a construction company by the end of September.

If the work does not proceed, she said, the redevelopment authority and the city would have to go back to the Houston-Galveston Area Council to revise its funding plan. That means the region’s Transportation Policy Council would need to reapprove the project, at a time when Houston is sparring with the regional board about its representation on the council.

“In other words, triggering additional H-GAC action creates risk for the project’s existing federal funding,” Lents said.

WALKING TALL: Federal money aimed at neglected areas to pour $43.4M into Gulfton, Kashmere Gardens sidewalks

That regional process, she said, could end with Shepherd-Durham unable to spend its money on time, H-GAC sending the money to another project in the Houston area and Shepherd-Durham at an indefinite standstill.

Effects, however, might move far from the Shepherd-Durham corridor, as Whitmire officials pause other projects that could face the same challenges. A major rebuild of sidewalks in Kashmere Gardens and Gulfton also relies on potentially narrowing some streets, as does a planned redesign of Telephone Road and many of Metropolitan Transit Authority’s bus and light rail projects.

Those projects either have or hope to receive competitive federal funds, which because of the Biden administration’s focus on climate and infrastructure are available. Drawing a hard line and not eliminating any vehicle lanes, however, might make Houston less competitive, said Kevin DeGood, director of infrastructure policy at the Center for American Progress.

“Federal grant programs are very competitive,” DeGood said. “And the Biden administration is naturally going to prioritize projects that align with their vision and goals."

Local elected officials are hopeful the changes can still keep federal money flowing. Asked if the demands to keep lanes open and alter federally funded projects risks losing money, U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, D-Houston, who now represents all of the area in the Shepherd-Durham rebuild, said in a statement cooperation is necessary.

PLANNED ROADWORK: Houston-area road construction tracker

"It is because of the strong collaboration and partnership with our leaders and experts in our community that we have been able to deliver important and much-needed funds," Fletcher said. "I have had productive conversations with Mayor Whitmire on ways to collaborate moving forward, and I look forward to working with him and city and county leaders to advocate for federal funding opportunities."

Still, if that does not align with where the White House wants to spend money, it is a difficult case.

"To the extent Houston is putting forward applications that diverge from that vision, it will make them less likely to receive funding," DeGood said. 

Even turning back money could send the wrong signal, he said.

“Canceling a project that has been chosen for a federal grant award demonstrates that you are an unreliable partner,” DeGood said. “I think the current mayor has an obligation to follow through on the good-faith commitments of the prior mayoral administration.”

[Triton]

Wow if the mayor is this stupid on such a smart design for this area then I really don't see how the 11st street bike lanes remain with Whitmore. He's gung ho for everything that helps cars. 

[JLWM8609]

Hmm. At this rate, he might be first one term mayor since Neal Pickett.

[texan]

There was a time when a state Senator John Whitmire wrote a letter of support for this project. I really wonder how ignoring the community input to create this project is even possible halfway through the project. I didn't think the mayor had this much power over the city or had this much narcissism to claim he can do the traffic engineers' jobs. More importantly, I wonder who gave him a campaign contribution to cancel this project and how much that was.

Edited 13 hours ago by texan

[CREguy13]

This would be a terrible miscalculation. The value of the first completed section will be a tremendous opportunity for any pad sites that front or are within a few blocks of shepherd/durham. The success of making these streets pedestrian/bike friendly could catalyze other inner-city neighborhoods that fit a similar profile to be more walkable.  How is keeping Shepherd Durham a miniature highway of cars going 50+ mph safe for Houstonians and good for the city? You're already seeing people walk on the few completed sections. There will be huge opposition to this. There are enough residents with influence in the Heights, hopefully they get LOUD.  

Edited 1 hour ago by CREguy13