Calling for investments in freight rail
Now 18 months old, the Gulf Coast Freight Rail District’s board has moved beyond bylaws discussions to focus on freight rail projects and how to get them done. Jon Boyd and I attended Tuesday’s meeting to weigh in on two issues:
Capitalizing the Freight Rail Improvement Fund
In 2005, the Texas Legislature created the Texas Rail Relocation and Improvement Fund (TRRIF), but allocated no revenue sources. In 2007, the Legislature created the Gulf Coast Freight Rail District to administer local projects; but again, they gave no revenue raising authority to the district. If the Legislature wants rail projects, they will have to allocate some resources.
Last month, Senator John Carona and Representative Ruth McClendon introduced companion bills (SB 383 and HB 564) to do just that. If passed, these bills would reallocate up to $200 million per year of state motor vehicle sales and use tax revenue to capitalize the Rail Improvement Fund. The Freight Rail District board adopted a resolution today in support of the bills, and expressed their hope that the Houston region will get its fair share of the funds.
CTC members recognize the advantages of moving more freight by rail instead of truck. Benefits include that freight rail saves fuel, reduces emissions, and improves safety by taking trucks off of congested highways. With that in mind, I expressed CTC’s support for public investment in rail projects, and expressed our concern that $200 million won’t go very far, especially statewide.
Harrisburg grade separation on project short list
Union Pacific’s East Belt subdivision carries more than 30 trains a day through Houston’s East End. For years, the crossing at Harrisburg has created headaches for both neighbors and trains. Last month, the Freight Rail District published a short list of projects they feel warrant earliest action, and the Harrisburg grade separation made this list.
At the same time, METRO is planning to lay track for the East End light rail line on Harrisburg. They are required to build it either over or under the East Belt freight rail line, which means the METRO project creates an opportunity to solve this rail crossing headache for everyone.
Community leaders have worked with local engineers to outline a neighborhood-friendly underpass for the crossing. They like that an underpass would be less obtrusive and require less right-of-way than an overpass. And because it would take Harrisburg truck traffic underground, it would push less noise into adjacent neighborhoods. They see an underpass as a great long-term investment in the quality of life of this community.
This rendering from Tuscon shows a possible underpass concept
The underpass proposal has garnered widespread support from both businesses and residents in the East End, including:
- Greater Eastwood Super Neighborhood (SN 64 & 88), Eastwood Civic Association, Houston Country Club Civic Association, Magnolia Pineview Civic Club, East Lawndale Civic Association, and Idylwood Civic Club
- Harrisburg Merchants Association, East End Chamber of Commerce, and Historic Harrisburg
Unfortunately, East End leaders are struggling to get METRO to consider the idea. Instead, METRO has proposed a sprawling, six-block-long overpass, which neighbors expect to look like the overpass on Navigation a half mile north.
Existing Navigation bridge over the East Belt freight rail subdivision
Aerial view of the existing Navigation overpass courtesy of Google
METRO project engineers assert that an underpass would be too expensive. They cite a lump sum cost estimate; however, they have not shared the assumptions and parameters the estimate is based on. Without this information, it’s impossible for either community or elected leaders to make an apples-to-apples comparison of the two options.
Further, providing access to adjacent businesses will require an overpass to be significantly longer than an underpass must be. These site-specific requirements may mean the cost difference is not great. A more-detailed analysis would let elected leaders consider whether it’s worth securing additional funds to make up the difference and ensure the neighborhood-friendly solution.
At Tuesday’s meeting, we urged the Freight Rail District board to help ensure the East End community is heard and their preferred option gets serious and fair consideration. The City of Houston has committed some money to the project and last week, Harris County committed some engineering resources. We hope that METRO will come to the table, too, to work through the options with the community.
In the meantime, you can join the discussion in CTC’s online forum.