Houston City Council on Feb. 11 approved submitting an application to the Texas Department of Transportation for grant assistance for a program that would help reduce traffic-related deaths and serious injuries on public roadways.
The grant would provide financial assistance for the Houston Public Works Department to complete 13 road improvement projects.
What this means
Projects would total $10.6 million, with the city applying for $9.6 million from TxDOT's Highway Safety Improvement Program, a federally funded program that covers 90% of project costs. The remaining 10%, or $1.06 million, must be covered by state or local government.
Mayor Pro Tem Martha Casex Tatum said several members of the council have been concerned about safety, especially with one location at Fondren Road and South Braeswood Boulevard.
“I know that intersection has been targeted and identified as one of the most dangerous intersections,” Casex-Tatum said during the Feb. 11 council meeting. “So I really thought it was important that we amplify the work that’s been done for Fondren Road and the Braeswood Boulevard area with these federal grant funds through HSIP.”
Casex-Tatum said the project would implement countermeasures to reduce the number of crashes in the area by upgrading signals, restriping the intersection, and adding American with Disabilities Act-compliant ramps and push buttons.
Mapping it out
If approved, the funding would go toward the following projects:
- West Bellfort Avenue
- Barker Cypress Road
- Airline Drive
- Almeda Genoa at Furman Road
- Fannin Street at Pierce Street
- Fondren Road at South Braeswood Boulevard
- Fondren at Westpark Drive
- Fountainview Drive
- Gessner Road at Westpark Drive
- Hillcroft Avenue
- Homestead Road at Tidwell Road
- Louisiana Street
- Scott Street at Holmes Road
What’s nextCommunity Impact reached out to city officials regarding the approval timeline and project start dates, but did not receive a response by press time.
