US-290 corridor:  Relief for commuters?

Slotboom aerial US-290 at Beltway 8
Aerial view of US-290 at Beltway 8 and West Little York park-and-ride lot, courtesy of Eric Slotboom, HoustonFreeways.com

US-290 in northwest Houston and Harris County is widely recognized as the most-congested highway corridor in the region. This busy corridor includes all kinds of critical transportation infrastructure:

  • Highway interchanges at IH-610, Beltway 8, and SH-6/FM-1960
  • Barrier-separated reversible HOV lane from IH-610 to Eldridge Parkway with direct connector ramps to four METRO park-and-ride commuter bus facilities
  • Hempstead Highway, proposed site of new HCTRA managed lanes
  • Union Pacific’s Eureka subdivision freight rail line, proposed right-of-way for possible commuter rail and intercity rail service.

What’s in the current $4.6 billion plan?

Since 1999, TxDOT has worked with Harris County, METRO, City of Houston, and Union Pacific to evaluate and plan mobility improvements for the 290 corridor. In April 2010, TxDOT released the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for this effort. The FEIS details $4.6 billion of proposed improvements along 38 miles of US-290 and Hempstead Highway, from IH-610 to FM-2920 near Waller.

At $4.6 billion, this may be one of the largest public investments Houston will make in this decade. The five major project partners – TxDOT, HCTRA, METRO, UPRR, and City of Houston – have just one opportunity to make this investment well.

CTC volunteers prepared and submitted 33 pages of CTC comments on the US-290 / Hempstead FEIS (2.2 mb pdf) to TxDOT. This document explains several critical issues with the current FEIS and project plan, including:

  • When to build the Hempstead Managed Lanes
  • How to avoid and mitigate noise impacts
  • Ensuring environmental justice for working families
  • Ensuring HOV and park-and-ride service does not degrade
  • Challenging the purpose and need for westernmost, rural segments
  • Avoiding indirect and cumulative impacts of induced development
  • Preserving prime farmland in northwest Harris County
  • Planning for long-term right-of-way needs
  • Analyzing air quality impacts

CTC calls on TxDOT to prepare a supplemental FEIS to address these issues, before seeking a Record of Decision (ROD) from FHWA. Once a ROD is issued, property owners will face a 180-day statute of limitations to seek legal remedies for issues with the project design.

CTC recognizes that US-290 and Hempstead are one of Houston’s most-important transportation corridors for both people and freight. We have one opportunity to do these improvements well. How these projects are designed and built will dramatically affect both mobility in the corridor and quality of life in the adjacent neighborhoods. Let’s get this right.

Media coverage

June 9, 2010 – KUFH – “290-Hempstead Corridor: Will it Proceed as Planned?”
May 21, 2010 – Houston Chronicle – Rail district studying ways to ?add system along U.S. 290
May 21, 2010 – Community Impact – City plans commuter rail TOD
July 9, 2009 – Houston Banner – US 290/Hempstead Tollway projects to alter northwest landscape

Join the conversation

CTC’s online forum includes several discussions of issues in the US-290 / Hempstead corridor:

Request a speaker

If your organization would like to hear an update on the 290 projects, CTC has developed a 40-minute presentation: Expanding access in the US-290 corridor: Opportunities to get it right (14 mb PDF). Please email info@ctchouston.org to request a speaker.