Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey issued an open call request in July for stakeholders interested in developing new sidewalks to enhance pedestrian safety and connectivity.

The request includes collaboration opportunities with municipal utility districts, public utility districts, water districts, cities as well as independent school districts in Precinct 3.

“Through these partnerships, Commissioner Ramsey hopes to accelerate improvements, increase community engagement, and ensure sidewalks meet the needs of users,” Communications Manager Jeannie Peng said in an email.

Approved sidewalk projects will be funded by both the county and participating partners, officials said.

Dates to know

The partnership application deadline is Sept. 5, county officials said, to allow for any additional sidewalks requests that may populate during the first few weeks of the upcoming school year.

Precinct 3 officials said their goal is to complete construction of all awarded projects by the fourth quarter of 2026.

Another detail

More information about the application process for interested stakeholders can be given by the Precinct 3 traffic team, accessible by their email here: [email protected]

A scoring rubric framework will be used to rank approved projects that are based on weighted criteria including high-pedestrian factors, safety concerns, enhancements, feasibility and partnerships.

Who it affects

An average of 13% of students either walk or bike to school in Texas, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. Jeremy Eugene is a special education teacher at Cy-Fair ISD who said he knows firsthand the need for a proper sidewalk at his high school since he walks to work.

“There's not a sidewalk for a good stretch of the the actual walkway,” Eugene said. “It takes like just seven minutes to walk to school. But half of that, there isn't a sidewalk.”