Update on Grand Parkway (Houston, Howe: sales, credit, loans)

[txedghill]

Wanted to see if anyone could give the latest update on the planning/construction of the Grand Parkway? Specifically the section between 249 and 45.

[Houstonkid]

Not sure but I saw something on the news the other night where they were in the preliminary stages of getting the newest section going which would be from Franz Rd. to 290. I can't remember the timeline though.

[southeasttexas]

Don't know about the rest of it, but in Chambers County, the officials are just giddy about it. I am afraid they are going to strain their arms patting themselves on the back. The public, dealing with new sprawl, has a much more subdued perspective. It sure made a select few people rich(er) over here...

[Benning]

Toll Roads

http://www.hctra.org

The Grand Parkway Association

Check these websites for information regarding the Grand Parkway project, Segment F-2.

With the economy in the sorry state it's in now, I don't see this project going forward anytime soon.

[Benning]

https://www.hctra.org/about_construction/the-grand-parkway/ (broken link)

Keep an eye on this list. It's not been updated in a while, though, as you can tell, lol!

$940B Senate bill won't include more for infrastructure

TxDOT prioritizing list of projects for $2.4 billion expected in Texas


In spite of a failed attempt to have an amendment added in the Senate that would have added another $25 billion in public works projects to the federal economic stimulus bill, additions to the bill that left the House with an $819 billion price tag have now grown the bill to approximately $940 billion. The Senate could vote on its version of the bill as early as this afternoon, Friday.
Some of the additions to the bill being pushed on the Senate side include more than $4 billion additional dollars for homeland security spending and another $4 billion in grants to state and local law enforcement to hire additional officers and purchase equipment. There is also an additional $11 million to make interest payments on most auto loans and sales tax on cars deductible, $3.5 billion in research funds for the National Institutes of Health and $18.5 billion to create a $15,000 tax credit for homebuyers and extend eligibility to those who buy homes within a year of enactment of the bill.

However, one amendment to the bill that would have added $25 billion in public works projects was defeated. The funds could have been used for highway construction, public transportation and water and sewer projects. Even without the increase, Texas is expected to get in the neighborhood of $2.4 billion from the stimulus package for highway and bridge projects throughout the state. However, to make sure the funds have a quick impact, they are tagged for "ready to go" projects that will put workers at construction sites almost immediately, both preserving and creating jobs for Texans.
"We want to identify and prioritize projects that put Texans to work now and that provide long-term benefits to the communities they serve," said John Barton (pictured), the Texas Department of Transportation's (TxDOT's) assistant executive director for engineering operations.

To that end, officials with TxDOT are already beginning to prioritize a list of some 1,550 projects with a combined price tag of $15 billion that were originally thought to be candidates for funding. But the projects that are eventually chosen must already have environmental clearance, be design complete and have right-of-way already secured.
TxDOT officials have to be ready to go, as both the House and Senate bills include "use it or lose it" language.
The House bill, which includes some $30 billion nationwide for highways and bridges, provides that 50 percent of the stimulus funding must be obligated within 90 days. The Senate bill, which could include approximately $27 million for similar projects nationwide, allows a little longer period for obligating the funds - 180 days. TxDOT estimates Texas' share of the stimulus funding for infrastructure projects will be between $2.4 and $2.7 billion.

[Benning]

November 20 Transcript

[Benning]

http://www.h-gac.com/taq/SH99/docume...20May%2022.doc

very interesting stuff regarding "P3's", public-private partnerships, on who is going to build the GP

[Benning]

Emmett: Lessons learned from Ike will be needed again > Lake Houston Sentinel > News Archives > Houston Community Newspapers Online - News Around Town

Interesting tack Judge Emmett is taking! Using fear-mongering as a tactic, how original is that?