When the Houston City Council approved the city's annual Capital Improvement Program on June 24, several projects were removed, including a long-awaited street overhaul for the Lower Westheimer area.
"I'm disappointed that this project, which is so important for walkability, drainage and overall quality of life is being deferred again," District C City Council Member Abbie Kamin told Community Impact Newspaper. "I’m not giving up on lower Westheimer. I have a commitment from the Public Works department that they are going to be re-submitting this project specifically for federal dollars ... and we are going to look for any available funding to make the project happen."
In the fiscal year 2019-20 CIP, construction was forecast for 2023. The project has been on the drawing board since 2016, ranging in cost from $14 million to almost $18 million, and was intended to address issues with sidewalks, bus stops and car crashes. The proposed project targeted Elgin Street and Westheimer Road from Main Street in midtown to Montrose Boulevard.
The city put in a bid to the Houston-Galveston Area Council for grant funding in 2018, but was denied because it did not rank high enough to warrant consideration, according to previous Community Impact Newspaper reporting.
