It begins
A notice of a street being torn up is not usually considered good news. But this one was eagerly awaited by many:
Construction crews began utility work this week in the first segment of the East End Corridor.
On Monday (July 7) the shoulder lane on the north side of the street will be blocked from Everton to Drennan.
The Main Street line opened in January 2004. In the four and a half years since, not one bit of dirt has moved to expand rail transit in Houston. Had construction started shortly after voters approved more lines in 2003, we’d be riding trains on the North Line already. When speakers at last week’s East End groundbreaking talked about getting on with it, they were expressing a common frustration.
Of course, there’s more frustration to come. Construction will not be fun. And, even with everyone’s best effort, it will take time. The Main Street line took every bit of two years and nine months to build: the photo below was taken less than 12 hours before the first train. METRO has promised phased construction, and this first work delivers on that promise. The businesses and residents along the lines need all of us to hold METRO and the city accountable to make sure that continues.
But this is what all the studies and meetings are about. This is when they become concrete. May the result be worth the wait.
The forums are under construction, too, and you can help.
