HOUSTON — The Houston Metro transit agency is preparing to go to voters for approval of long-term transit plans, but some possible rail projects won’t be presented to voters.
A proposal for a light rail line along Washington Avenue to downtown is not far enough along to be included in the first round of projects. Neither is a rail extension to the city’s Hobby Airport.
The Houston Chronicle reports that voters are likely to be asked in November to approve $3.5 billion in loans to finance those projects, part of a $7.5 billion plan to improve transit over the next 20 years.
Voters will not be asked to increase taxes — Metro already collects a 1% tax — but to allow the agency to borrow against future tax income.
The Washington Avenue project requires more analysis and is facing strongly divided opinions among neighborhood groups, while a route for an extension to the airport has yet to be determined.
Washington Avenue runs by the current Amtrak station in Downtown Houston before ending nearby at the former site of Grand Central Station. With Texas Central’s construction almost imminent, METRO should prepare a light rail connection soon between its proposed terminal on the West Loop (I-610) and Downtown.
Meanwhile, the Blue Line (aka University Line) between the University of Houston in the southeast and the Westpark Tollway and Westpark Transit Center in the southwest via Midtown near Rice University remains unbuilt. This has been proposed for over a decade.
If a city like Los Angeles, known for its car and freeway culture, can build an extensive rail transit network, so can Houston!