However, these projects have left some residents frustrated over the lack of public engagement and the safety issues these projects could cause.
What we know
The raised crosswalk located in front of Katz's on Westheimer Road and Crocker Street in Montrose was installed back in 2023. However, the raised crosswalk is being removed because it could disrupt traffic flow, potentially cause traffic to divert into neighborhoods and make it difficult for pedestrians to be seen at night, said Marlene Gafrick, senior adviser for planning and mobility, in a March 26 statement.
However, Montrose residents created a petition March 18 with 189 signatures as of March 31 calling on Mayor John Whitmire and city officials to “keep their hands off the raised crosswalk.”
Kevin Strickland, founder of Walk and Roll Houston, created the petition and said the city’s reasoning behind the removal is “ridiculous” and that the raised crosswalk is safe and supposed to slow down drivers. He pointed to the deaths of Alex Hill in 2016 and Joseph McMullin in 2023, who were both killed by speeding drivers before the raised crosswalk’s installation.
“Everybody knows that’s the place to cross, and drivers mostly know to stop," Strickland said. "There’s no perfect solution, but it works as intended. So to pull it up and waste that money is not sitting well with the community.”
Strickland said the community is frustrated with the city’s lack of engagement on the removal, as many of them are left in the dark on why the city is removing the crosswalk, and if there are any alternatives. He said on March 25, the Neartown Association approved sending a letter to Houston Public Works and the city engineer to explain the reasoning behind the crosswalk’s removal.
Gafrick said the city plans on installing a road-level crosswalk with pedestrian-activated beacons placed on the side of the street and LED lights that run parallel to the crosswalk.
“This solution allows for the smooth flow of traffic and enhanced pedestrian safety by providing a more visible crosswalk at night,” Gafrick said.
Council member Abbie Kamin said Mayor John Whitmire should be making Houston safer, not putting residents' lives at risk.
"The mayor is wasting money all over the city, ripping up community investments and creating a serious safety risk that is costing Houstonians at a time that demands fiscal responsibility," Kamin said.
Community Impact reached out to the Houston Public Works on a timeline and cost of the removal, but received no response by press time.
What else?
The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County is also repaving roads on the Washington Avenue Corridor, which is expected to start this week.
The METRO board of directors approved a $24 million contract with MC2 Civil to repave streets throughout Houston during a special meeting March 6.
METRO spokesperson Lester Gretsch said in an email that these repavings are needed to improve METRO’s mobility, especially as upcoming work on I-10 and I-45 could lead to drivers diverting to streets such as Washington Avenue, increasing the traffic flow.
However, community members such as LINK Houston spokesperson Nick Arcos said they were caught off guard by the sudden repavement, especially when the Houston-Galveston Area Council plans on releasing its findings for the $700,000 Washington Avenue Corridor study. The study would help develop a corridor mobility plan for the avenue, providing recommendations to improve the corridor’s traffic flow, reduce congestion and improve air quality.
“There’s more and more apartment complexes and housing that’s being built along the corridor, plenty of businesses, restaurants—everything that needs the foot traffic from the community to stay operational,” Arcos said. “I’m scared that if we get a repavement, leaving the status quo as is, we’re not going to see a chance to implement whatever recommendations H-GAC comes up with for another 20-30 years.”
Houston residents, such as Christopher Parma, spoke during the public comments portion of the special meeting and said repaving Washington Avenue as it is would be irresponsible and create a safety issue.
“I understand the urgency to do this work before big events coming up, but these projects should not be approved if they don't improve safety,” Parma said. “There are plenty of studies ongoing, and on the books, that list safety improvements on many of these roads.”
More details
Council member Mario Castillo said the Washington Avenue corridor needs repair, with potholes and cracks, as well as inconsistencies with its sidewalks. Arcos said the corridor is in the high injury network, which represents 9% of Houston streets that account for 58% of traffic deaths and serious injuries, according to the high injury network.
Castillo said he met with METRO and H-GAC to address questions and concerns he and his constituents have about the repavement. Based on their discussions, he said the repavement won’t influence the results or impede the recommendations in the H-GAC study, something he said H-GAC confirmed with him during the meeting.
“It’s not like METRO is going to come in and build and overlay this road, and then next year, you’re going to see that all get ripped up for a new reconstruction,” Castillo said. “That’s not happening. This longer-term capital improvement project is five to six years down the road.”
Gretsch said other streets that are under consideration for repavement include:
- West Gray Street
- Kirby Drive
- Memorial Drive
- Westheimer Road
- Montrose Boulevard
