H-GAC Transportation Newsletter: October 2019
The latest news from the Houston-Galveston Area Council's Transportation Department!
Transportation Policy Council: September 27
The Transportation Policy Council (TPC) met on September 27 at the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC). The TPC nominating committee recommended a list of members to serve on the committee in 2020 for approval. The nominating committee is responsible for recommending candidates to the TPC and the 16 at-large positions on the Technical Advisory Committee.

The recommendation included the following members: Mayor Joe Zimmerman (City of Sugar Land) to serve as the chair of the committee, along with Council Member Martha Castex-Tatum (City of Houston), Joe Branson (City of Pearland), Council Member Larry Millican (City of League City), Council Member Trish Pollard (City of Bellaire), Council Member Natalie Picha (City of Seabrook), Charles Wemple (H-GAC Executive Director), Commissioner Grady Prestage (Fort Bend County), and Yancy Scott (Waller County) to serve as committee members. The TPC unanimously approved the recommendations.

The council also approved the recommendation to fill the vacant position on the Technical Advisory Committee. The nominating committee nominated Catherine Parker, executive director of the Gulf Coast Rail District, for the position.

H-GAC Principal Transportation Planner Thomas Gray requested approval of Resolution Finding METRONext Plan Consistent with the 2045 Regional Transportation Plan. Gray overlaid the METRONext Plan onto the 2045 RTP priority network map to visually show how the two plans align. The council unanimously approved the resolution.

View the archived livestream for more information on the items presented at the September TPC meeting. The next TPC meeting will be held on Friday, October 25.
Commuter and Transit Pilot Project - Call for Partners
The Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) will hold an informational meeting on Oct. 23 to provide interested parties details on how to apply as a sponsor for Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ)-funded pilot commuter and transit projects. The meeting will be from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. at the Houston-Galveston Area Council located at 3555 Timmons Lane in Houston.

H-GAC’s 2045 Regional Transportation Plan projects that 11 million residents are expected to live in the Houston-Galveston region by the year 2045, meaning area residents will need more public transportation options. The commuter and transit pilot projects will help reduce the amount of vehicle miles traveled and lower the level of air pollution in the region.

CMAQ pilot projects provide funding for innovative solutions that create regional travel opportunities while reducing traffic congestion. H-GAC is looking for qualified projects that expand the scope of existing regional commuter services or enhance transit service through the innovative use of mobility applications.

Municipal districts, nonprofit organizations, local governments, transit agencies, advanced transportation, microtransit, and transportation networking companies are encouraged to attend the meeting and apply. Private companies may apply with a public or nonprofit partner.

The meeting will be live streamed. If you are unable to attend, please use this link to watch it remotely: For more information about the project,  click here . 
PUBLIC MEETING: Brazoria County Thoroughfare Plan
The Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) invites Brazoria County residents, business owners, and elected officials to attend a public meeting and provide input on the 2020 Brazoria County Thoroughfare Plan.  

Brazoria County, along with the Texas Department of Transportation and H-GAC, established a partnership to collaboratively examine the current and future transportation needs of the county. 

The proposed plan is a long-range plan (50+ years) that identifies the location and type of roadway facilities that are needed to meet projected long-term growth within the county. 

The plan is not a list of construction projects, but rather a tool to enable the county to preserve future corridors for transportation system development as the need arises.

English and Spanish speakers will be available to gather input and answer questions. The meetings will consist of a brief presentation at 6:00 p.m. followed by an open house. For more information, visit
www.h-gac.com. 

The public comment period for the Brazoria County Thoroughfare Plan will open on November 12 and close on November 30.
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
6:00 - 8:00 PM
Lake Jackson Civic Center
333 TX-332
Lake Jackson, TX 77566
Thursday, November 14, 2019
6:00 - 8:00 PM
Location TBD
The Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) has been collecting digital aerial imagery for local governments, universities, and industries like engineering, construction, and architecture for the Houston-Galveston region since 2000 through its aerial imagery cost-share program. 

H-GAC collects updated aerial imagery of its 13-county planning area on a biennial schedule to support local governments and other benefiting organizations that rely on the imagery for GIS and planning work in the region.

The imagery can be used for building and roadway construction planning and analysis; community and environmental planning and analysis, emergency route and evacuation planning and analysis, cadastral and addressing planning and analysis, ground feature extraction and modeling, cartographic backgrounds, and more. 

The deadline to register to be a 2020 Aerial Imagery Cost-Share program participant is November 1, 2019. To register, click  here . For more information contact  DSGIS@h-gac.com .
Upcoming Meetings
Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Meeting

Wednesday, October 16, 2019 
9:30 - 11:00 a.m. 

Houston-Galveston Area Council
3555 Timmons Lane
2nd Floor, Room B
Houston, TX 77027
Transportation Policy Council (TPC) Meeting

Friday, October 25, 2019
9:30 - 11:00 a.m. 

Houston-Galveston Area Council
3555 Timmons Lane
2nd Floor, Room B
Houston, TX 77027