The Transportation Policy Council (TPC) met on October 25 at the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC). The TPC unanimously approved resolutions supporting the Houston Ship Channel Improvement Project and the Freeport Harbor Improvement Project. The Houston Ship Channel has been planning major improvements. These improvements have become more urgent as new economic realities, growth production and exports, and imports have put additional pressure on the system. The Freeport Harbor is experiencing growth in the size of vessels and cargo.

The TPC also approved a resolution supporting updates to the Federal Functional Classification System, which provides a framework for identifying the role of a roadway in moving vehicles through the network of highways. This update includes changes for Old Conroe Road from FM 1488 to 366. The change would consist of a reconstruction and widening of the two-lane facility to a four-lane with bicycle and pedestrian accommodations. The update would also include the widening of Greenhouse Road in West Harris County between Mound Road and Skinner Road and to be extended through a 6-lane underpass at the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and US 290 (with pedestrian and bicycle accommodations) to connect to Skinner Road just north of US 290. This project was selected in the 2018 Call for Projects and is programmed in the 2045 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP).

View the archived livestream for more information on the items presented at the October TPC meeting. The next TPC meeting will be held on Friday, November 22.

On Nov. 12 and 14, Brazoria County residents had the opportunity to weigh-in on the future of transportation in their county. H-GAC partnered with Brazoria County to conduct a transportation study known as the Brazoria County Thoroughfare Plan (BCTP) to consider future needs of the county's transportation system.

Residents attended meetings that were held at the Lake Jackson Civic Center in Lake Jackson and the Nolan Ryan Center at Alvin Community College in Alvin. The public meeting consisted of a presentation followed by an open house with boards explaining what a thoroughfare plan is, the existing conditions, and gap analysis. Residents marked on maps and took an interactive survey.

 

The Brazoria County Thoroughfare Plan will provide the county with an updated planning tool that can be used to manage, guide and design a transportation network that improves connectivity, mitigates congestion, and accommodates new development and growth throughout the county.

For more information on the Brazoria County Thoroughfare Plan visit: h-gac.com/go/brazoria.