METRO adds more than 200 parking spaces at Northwest Transit Center amid improvement project

Commuters who use the Northwest Transit Center in Harris County will have access to close to double the amount of parking spaces after officials announced the opening of a new parking lot Dec. 1.

The new lot is part of an ongoing improvement project at the center, which is located at the nexus of Hwy. 290 and Loop 610. The lot will increase the number of parking spaces from 256 to 461, according to a press release from the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County.

The newly constructed lot is located on the north side of the transit center, next to the METRORapid bus platform. Shuttle service between the transit center and an existing parking lot was discontinued Dec. 1 with the completion of new pedestrian crosswalks.

The Northwest Transit Center serves as a Park & Ride while also providing sheltered waiting areas where several bus routes converge. The center connects to a 15 bus routes, including routes to the Downtown Transit Center, Airport Boulevard and to the Northwest Corridor Park & Ride at West Road and Hwy. 290 in Cy-Fair. Riders can also access METROLift from the center, and they can they ride the METRORapid Silver Line, a newly established rapid transit route through Uptown.

Drivers on the Hwy. 290 high-occupancy vehicle lane can access the Northwest Transit Center from Old Katy Road, which connects to the new parking lot. The Hwy. 290 inbound HOV lane also connects to I-10 eastbound in the morning, and drivers can access outbound Hwy. 290 HOV lane from I-10 westbound in the evening.

As part of the $17.9 million improvement project, the number of bus bays at the site were increased from 12 to 20 across two platforms, though four of those bays were listed as "temporarily vacant" as of Dec. 1. A building that will feature a METRORide Store and public restrooms is still under construction and is slated to open in 2021.

More details on construction at the center as well as the different routes that can be accessed can be found here.