Transportation Project Inventory

Amy Force

Types of Transportation Facilities to Consider

Highways Carpools, vanpools Local arterial streets Light Rail Transit (LRT) Commuter Rail High-Speed Rail High Occupancy Vehicle Lanes (HOV) Local, intercity and international bus

transportation (BRT) Airports

METRO Planned Projects

New bus, LRT, BRT on fixed guide way (which will be converted to LRT), expanded bus and HOV lanes, and Commuter Rail

2011 target METRO Planned Project Schedule

(see Table 4 and Figure 3)

Freight Rails

A study is being conducted on the pattern of freight rail

Possibility of passenger rail to run on the same tracks as existing freight rail corridors (see Table 5 and Figure 4)

Freight Rail District

Harris County and City of Houston has passed modifications to existing laws to create FRD’s, addresses both freight and commuter rail issues

Improves mobility in the area, differentiates passenger and freight traffic, facilitates cost-sharing, regional cooperation, relocation of rail yards out, improves safety between cars and trains

Highways

Possibility of METRO buses to use HOV to get to facility

Other carriers and vehicles can need quick and easy access to freeways

Projects planned and under construction (see Table 6 and Figure 5)

Airports

Three airports in area, no rail access, but is needed

HAS (Houston Airport System) says possibility for facility to be a place where passengers can check-in and for security checkpoints and to then shuttle them into airports

Airport System (see Figure 6)

AMTRACK

Has passenger station, but low quality, facility an option to move into

Needs it to be located on the east-west rail corridor

Needs to have easy connections with HAS facilities

Lines (see Figure 7)

Buses

Greyhound’s facility is outdates, facility is an option if located within or adjacent to downtown

Survey of more than a dozen international bus carriers are interested in an intermodal facility in downtown or adjacent also

Comfortable and easily accessible Better access to METRO Lines (see Figure 8)

Other considerations

Lower cost to locate the intermodal facility adjacent to existing access points of transportation

Houston is growing primarily to the west

Table 4. METRO Planned Projects

Figure 3. METRO Solutions

Table 5. Potential Commuter Lines

Figure 4. Potential Commuter Lines

Table 6. Highway Projects

Table 6 cont’d. Highway Projects

Figure 5. Highway Improvements

Figure 6. HAS facilities

Figure 7. AMTRACK

Figure 8. Greyhound, Intercity and International Bus Carriers