Tag Archives: Traffic

Liberty County to be Epicenter of Grand Parkway Construction in 2018

14 Friday Jul 2017

Posted by in Grand Parkway, Liberty County, texas condemnation, texas eminent domain, TxDOT

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way Segments F and G. Courtesy of HoustonFreeways.com

With Construction on Segments H & I-1 of the Grand Parkway set to begin in 2018, it seems likely that a wave of eminent domain proceedings is imminent in Liberty County. The Right-of-Way acquisition process for this 37-mile long segment of the project is estimated to take 24 months and will involve approximately 375 parcels of land. Following standard practice, the Texas Department of Transportation (“TxDOT”) will present the current landowners with a series of purchase offers. Should any of these landowners reject TxDOT’s offers, the State will exercise their power of eminent-domain to condemn properties they deem necessary for the project.

Segments H and I-1, located to the northeast of Houston, will run through Chambers, Harris, Liberty and Montgomery counties. Liberty County, however, will be the epicenter of the project with a large portion of the expansion taking place within its boundaries. As construction is right around the corner, Liberty County landowners with properties located in the project’s Right-of-Way have likely already received or will soon receive offers for their land from TxDOT.

The project will add two tolled lanes each direction between US 59 and Interstate 10 (“I-10”).

Construction will include the addition of 74 bridges, spread across the entire length of the project segment. The project is expected to cost $855 million and is anticipated to be completed in 2022.

Written by Graham Taylor

$1 Billion TxDOT Funding to Bring I-45 Construction

17 Friday Mar 2017

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Approximately $1 billion of a Texas congestion relief package fund will be dedicated to addressing issues in the Houston area. Recently approved by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the funding will be distributed across three projects that target high traffic zones. Over half of the funding will be used for the reconstruction of Interstate 45 at the interchange where it crosses Interstate 69. The project will also rebuild the main lanes of both freeways. Another project receiving funding will rebuild the ramps and freeways of Interstate 69 from Spur 527 to Interstate 45, and through its interchange with Texas 288. The remainder of the funds will support a project that rebuilds the main lanes and frontage roads of Loop 610, and creates a bridge for the Cambridge, Almeda, and Union Pacific Railroad tracks. Such projects often require property outside the existing right-of-way, a need which may lead to the use of eminent domain.

High Speed Rail Number Two

02 Friday Sep 2016

Posted by in High-Speed Rail, Texas Department of Transportation

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The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) announced that it is considering the development of a high-speed rail line. The rail line would be the second such project proposed recently, the other being the frequently discussed Dallas to Houston high-speed rail under development by Texas Central Partners, a private firm. The TxDOT train would travel over an 850 mile route, connecting Oklahoma City and the Rio Grande Valley. Though the exact placement of each station has yet to be fully determined, TxDOT has already released a preliminary map with several proposed points. The project would run along Interstate 35, and would assist TxDOT’s ongoing objective to reduce traffic.

“I travel back between Austin and San Antonio a lot, and sometimes it takes three hours and sometimes it takes five hours depending on the traffic,” said Mark Werner, the rail planning director at TxDOT. “It’s just reliability and to provide people another option to travel.”

So far, TxDOT has yet to propose solutions to address the cost and timeline components of such an undertaking. TxDOT is still investigating the feasibility of the project, and is expected to present its findings to the Federal Railroad Administration by the end of the year. If this project receives the green light, it is likely the state would use its powers of eminent domain to acquire private property along the route.