North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP)
Displaces Households
This project will displace:
• 168 single family homes
• 1,067 multi-family homes, which include
◦ 368 low-income units
◦ 60 homeless veterans’ units
Displaces Businesses
The TxDOT project will displace 331 businesses, which employ 24,873 people.
Air Quality Will Be Worse
Air quality has an impact on public health. Children living or attending school near freeways like I-45 are at risk of damage to their developing brain, lungs, heart, and circulatory systems. Furthermore, a number of traffic-related air pollutants – such as diesel particulate matter, benzene, 1,3 butadiene, and formaldehyde – are known to cause cancer.
Makes Flooding Worse
TxDOT has designed the highway only for 100-year flood events (storms that theoretically have a 1 percent chance of occurring in a given year), not the tougher 500-year standard required of all other projects in Harris County and the City of Houston. More concrete and more lanes mean less water being absorbed. TxDOT should mitigate its flooding impact and design for the storms we know are coming.
Costs Way Too Much Money
Although not fully funded to-date, the North Houston Highway Improvement Project is estimated to cost $7-10 billion (exclusive of right-of-way purchases) to expand 25 miles of highway over a 10-year period. This road will increase the cost of road maintenance. Because TxDOT relies on debt to build these projects, our children and grandchildren will be paying for it.
Destroys Bayou Parks
According to TxDOT’s May 2017 Schematics, Bayou Greenway and parks impacts will mean we lose 27 acres of current open space.
How to Make I-45 Better
Change Ramp Alignment for Parks and Open Spaces
Change column placement to mitigate specific impacts to parks and open space.
- Reroute ramp at Freed Art & Nature Park
- Reduce impact to south bank of White Oak Bayou
- Increase column spacing across White Oak Bayo
Create Little White Oak Bayou Greenway
Creating a greenway trail along Little White Oak Bayou will improve connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists. The greenway should connect Acres Homes to Freed Art & Nature Park and the existing White Oak Bayou Greenway.
Improve Flooding Mitigation
Recognize that the City of Houston (COH) code was updated after Harvey to remove the clause that grandfathers existing pavement from mitigation requirement. It requires mitigation for the entire project, not just the net pavement being added. TxDOT should build to these new COH code requirements.
Construct All Bridges to City of Houston Standard
This will improve access for pedestrians, bicyclists and transit riders using bridges which cross the reconstructed I-45. TxDOT must provide safe pedestrian-bicycle connections where traffic coming off the freeway meets city streets. In other areas, TxDOT must make sure surface street connectivity is not impaired.
- Span across I-45 north of Airline Drive.
- Across Airline and I-45 at Crosstimbers Street to connect to Northline Commons Stores.
- Provide a grade-separated pedestrian facility under I-45 and the elevated feeder roads at CenterPoint easement near Stokes Street to connect Theodore Roosevelt Elementary.
- Make it safe for pedestrians and cyclist to cross under I-45 at Calvalcade.
- Make it safe for pedestrians and cyclist to cross under North Main Street.
- Provide shared-use path along the west side of Bagby-Hiner Street between Pierce and Allen Parkway to connect Midtown and Fourth Ward to Buffalo Bayou.
Build Mass Transit
Investing in Houston's light rail and bus network will relieve freeway congestion. If highway funding is used to build mass transit instead of expanding urban freeways, Houstonians will be able to travel more miles with greater safety.
About the Make I-45 Better Coalition
Members
Air Alliance Houston
Avenue CDC
Bayou City Waterkeeper
Bayou Preservation
Bike Houston
Buffalo Bayou Partnership
Citizens' Transportation Coalition (CTC)
Downtown District
Eastwood Civic Association
Freedman's Town Preservation Committee
Friends of Woodland Park
Galveston Bay Keeper
Germantown Historic District
Greater East End
Greater Heights Super Neighborhood 15
Greater Northside Management District
Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis
Heritage Society
Hermann Park Conservancy
Housing for Houston
Houston Parks Board
Kinder Foundation
LINK Houston
Lower Brazos River Watch
Montie Beach Civic Club
Montrose District
Museum Park Super Neighborhood 66
Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Scenic Houston
Trees for Houston
Memorial Park Super Neighborhood 22
White Oak Bayou Association
Winlow Place Civic Club
Woodland Heights Civic Association
...and you!