I-45 Coalition Townhall Meeting #2 : Houston Indymedia

SUMMARY (Part 1)

Back in April, a townhall meeting organized by the I-45 Coalition is opposing TxDOT's plan to widen the existing footprint of 225 feet to 392 feet. This proposal has been viewed as 1960s technology with the addition of managed lanes.

The managed lanes - much like the one used with the current Katy Freeway expansion - will replace the existing high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane. To incorporate the managed lanes - additional right-of-way clearance is needed.

TxDOT's proposed 392 feet is similar to the dimensions of State Highway 288 - 288 was originally designed in the late 1960s right after the Almeda Road right-of-way was unfeasible for a freeway. The end result during the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s was a section of Riverside Terrace bulldozed since the properties were either abandoned and derelict back when middle-class African Americans purchased homes in outlying suburbs like Windsor Village and South Acres.

The current alignment of I-45 north of Downtown Houston lies within the Little White Oak Bayou watershed; much of the right-of-way acquisition back in 1960 was located in the watershed with minimal displacement of residences and/or businesses. TxDOT's logic to widen the existing right-of-way is to forge a solution for those residing in The Woodlands, Conroe, and Spring. Much of Interstate 45 north of Beltway 8 has been widened since the late 1980s.

A proposal unveiled during the April townhall meeting is a proposed tunnel concept by Gonzalo Camacho, P.E. where express lanes for I-45 are located below grade level, with provisions for a scenic parkway incorporating a METRORail line. This proposal has been favored to residents in the Woodland Heights area and Near Northside - the incorporation of the METRORail line would likely re-route the Northline extension north of the University of Houston - Downtown - the current northern terminus of the Main Street line.

A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling where eminent domain was cited has led to the introduction of legislation during the special session called by Gov. Rick Perry - this legislation which has been introduced will limit eminent domain practices. Both the Katy Freeway expansion and the TxDOT's I-45 widening proposal is not the only issue; the Trans-Texas corridor is also included.

The 392-foot right-of-way for the proposed I-45 widening is a microcosm of the one used with the current Katy Freeway expansion - there is no provision for a rail line.

In the schematic - the existing McDonalds and Exxon will be displaced, along with a chunk of the Germantown area east of the Woodland Heights. This map prompted the I-45 tunnel concept unveiled in April 2005.