According to the HCTRA’s planning documents, most of the trails will be placed adjacent to existing toll roads, providing access to existing parks, public transit hubs, schools and neighborhoods. A timeline for the work has not yet been announced, but the cost estimate for all 63 projects totals more than $601 million.
“Tollways to Trailways make the county healthier and more resilient by expanding healthy mobility choices, creating more local green spaces, and giving people transportation options that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve regional air quality,” HCTRA’s plan reads.
The request was approved in a 3-2 vote with Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey and Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle dissenting.
Ramsey said he voted against the item because he believes the project has “too many unknowns.”
“Safety is my No. 1 concern, and I’ve not seen enough of the concept to confidently say it’s properly being addressed in these projects,” Ramsey said in an email May 17.
Meanwhile, Cagle said he would have preferred additional trails be funded by the county’s parks budget.
“While Commissioner [Cagle] is a major proponent of hike-and-bike trails and has considerably expanded their availability throughout Precinct 4, he voted against this measure because he believes it sets a bad precedent of diverting toll road money to projects not originally envisioned when toll roads were first pitched to Harris County voters,” said Joe Stinebaker, Precinct 4 director of communications, in an email May 17.
The HCTRA identified 22 priority projects that were ranked as having the highest community benefit and were given a prioritized timeline. One of these projects is a Space Center Boulevard trail, a $17.3 million trail running 11.4 miles from Middlebrook Drive to Deer Park.
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A separate project for the area includes a $45.3 million Houston to Galveston Trail along Hwy. 3 stretching 15.9 miles from the 610 Loop to Clear Creek.
Upcoming projects
North Landing Boulevard extension
The North Landing Boulevard extension project will provide an additional crossing over Clear Creek and alleviate congestion on FM 518, also known as Main Street in League City. The proposed roadway extending Landing Boulevard from FM 518, where the existing road ends, would include a roundabout where Landing would intersect with the NASA Bypass. In addition, the extension would include a median with two travel lanes in each direction, a 2,800-foot-long bridge over Clear Creek, a 5-foot sidewalk on one side of the roadway, and a 10-foot shared-use path on the other side. Following the Texas Department of Transportation’s approval of the proposed right-of-way mapping at the end of January, League City staff has been working to acquire land for the project. TxDOT officials have requested the Houston-Galveston Area Council and League City postpone bidding the project to June 2023. The city is working with the Army Corps of Engineers on permits.
Timeline: late 2023-early 2026
Cost: $67.1 million
Funding sources: TxDOT, League City, Webster
