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Grand Parkway: proposed segment F2 through Spring & Tomb

 
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Bob
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Joined: 25 Mar 2005
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Location: Neartown Houston
PostPosted: Fri May 27, 2005 8:47 am    Post subject: Grand Parkway: proposed segment F2 through Spring & Tomb Reply with quote
The Grand Parkway (SH 99) is proposed as a fourth ring-road around metro Houston. First proposed by developers, this project is now promoted by the Grand Parkway Association, a "state nonprofit transportation corporation" created in 1984. GPA is "partnering with TxDOT" to conduct studies and expedite implementation of the project. Their website is www.grandpky.com. GPA's Executive Director is David Gornet.

Grand Parkway segment F2 would run 12.0 miles from SH 249 south of Tomball to I-45 just north of Spring. While this corridor may once have been rural, undeveloped land, it is now home to thousands of Harris County residents. If built, the F2 segment would dissect several housing subdivisions and require the condemnation of many homes and businesses.

In 2001, concerned area residents formed United to Save Our Spring (USOS) to "keep the Grand Parkway out of Spring neighborhoods." They have two websites:
http://www.stopthegrandparkway.org and
http://mypeoplepc.com/members/chrisodonnell/stopthegrandparkway/

The Grand Parkway has been billed as a TxDOT project. But in Jan 2005, the Harris County Toll Road Authority got involved. Harris County Commissioners' Court voted to spend $5.6 mm on engineering studies in the corridor.

In April 2005, residents began receiving survey notices from HCTRA that talk about right-of-way acquisition along a new alignment, that is not one of the five studied by TxDOT.

Concerned residents and HOAs organized a large public town hall meeting on Wed May 25 to get answers. See subsequent posts for results of the meeting.

GPA is collecting public comments about the project on behalf of TxDOT. USOS encourages ALL concerned residents as well as sympathetic readers to submit comments about the project to: http://grandpky.com/comments/default.asp
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Bob
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 29, 2005 11:31 pm    Post subject: Harris County backing out of Grand Pkwy for now Reply with quote
OK. The proposed Grand Parkway -- SH 99 -- is a TxDOT project and would be part of the state highway system. HCTRA got involved this spring and sent surveyors into the field, among other things, but it looks like HCTRA is backing out for a while. Art Storey explained his decision at Harris County's agenda briefing on Monday, and in two supporting letters. I'm including key excerpts below:

In a letter to Commissioners Court dated Sept 21, 2005:
Art Storey, PE wrote:
"Dear Court Members:

As I have reported before, TxDOT has suggested that Harris County join them in a general agreement for sharing toll road revenues when HCTRA constructs a toll road in TxDOT right-of-way or on an alignment within the TxDOT highway system. With the support of county staff and our toll road legal and investment consultants, I have been working on such an agreement for several months.

The negotiations have been difficult, and more time and effort is needed before we can expect to reach agreement. Accordingly, I have instructed HCTRA to stop work on so- called "future" projects until either such an agreement is in hand or the requirement for one is eliminated. Projects affected include the Grand Parkway and the U.S. 290 corridor (Hempstead Road). My letter to HCTRA is attached and is part of this report."

In the attached letter to Mike Strech, Director of HCTRA, dated Sept 19, 2005:
Art Storey, PE wrote:
"Mike,

I have been thinking about last week's excellent briefing by the engineering section and our ongoing difficult negotiations with TxDOT concerning revenue sharing on future projects. While we sort out our TxDOT situation, I want us to reassess our priorities for engineering, both in-house and with our consultants.

1. Please instruct our staff and consultants to suspend immediately all work on the proposed Grand Parkway. That means surveying, right-of-way definition, schematic designs, conversations, everything. We will resume from this point (or from some other one) if and when we have successfully negotiated an agreement with TxDOT to do so. I will inform eommissioners Court accordingly at their next meeting on September 27th."

Art says he's continuing to negotiate with TxDOT's Gary Trietsch, so there's no telling how long the County's hiatus will last. What's the next step we're expecting from TxDOT?
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Bob
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 28, 2009 11:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
To continue the discussion, go to this thread.
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