June - July 2008
Construction Upadte

Construction crews began utility work this week in the first segment of the East End Corridor.  

• The first segment of work is on Harrisburg, from Milby to Lockwood, where most of the utility relocation will take place
• On Monday (June 30) and Tuesday (July 1) surveyors completed layout work on a portion of the first segment, from Everton to Milby
• On Monday (July 7) the shoulder lane on the north side of the street will be blocked from Everton to Drennan.
• Crews will excavate a trench to work on utilities one block at a time and crews will work their way east (see map). 
• Crews will work on this first block for approximately 14 days (weather permitting)
• Toward the end of that period, crews will begin work on the next block east
• After work on each block has concluded, the trench will be closed and the pavement will be patched and re-striped
• This work will take place only during day-time (6 a.m. to 7 p.m.), except at intersections, where there will be no work during peak traffic periods (7 - 9 a.m. and 4 - 6 p.m.)
• METRO Police have already placed electronic signs warning motorists of the construction zone ahead and will be assisting with traffic control

Residents and business owners in need of assistance or further details may contact the East End Corridor Office

April 2008  

In the wake of recent media reports, METRO reiterates its commitment to taking the East End light-rail line to the Magnolia Transit Center.  It is not a question of if, but when.  Our long-range plan (to go to Gulfgate Mall and beyond) makes it necessary to resolve this sooner rather than later.   

For the short term, METRO will build the light-rail line up to the UPRR, until all the parties can resolve the challenge of creating a grade separation (an elevated or underground structure).  Grade separation for this railroad crossing is at the top of the list for the Gulf Coast Freight Rail District and METRO is committed to contributing its share of the cost. 

How did things evolve to where they are today?  Here's a timeline.

• 2003 - METRO Solutions is approved by voters in a Referendum.
• 2005 - METRO proposes Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) technology for four corridors (North, East End, Southeast and Uptown) as an interim step as we understood from the FTA that we would not qualify for light-rail according to the federal funding eligibility criteria.  BRT, a technology using buses running on and off a guideway, would not present a challenge for the East End line because buses have been crossing and continue to cross the freight railroad at grade (i.e., at road level).
• 2006 -
  • UPRR sends first letter to METRO indicating it would not allow an at-grade crossing.
  • METRO Board of Directors approves Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) for East End.  The LPA refers to both the alignment and the technology.  The alignment selected (Harrisburg) had overwhelming community support.  The technology at this point was still proposed as BRT and therefore, still did not present a challenge.
• 2007 -
  • UPRR sends second letter to METRO disallowing an at-grade crossing.
  • Gulf Coast Freight Rail District is created and coordination with METRO begins.
  • METRO learns that the new federal funding eligibility criteria better enables its projects to qualify for light rail technology.  Since the agency always maintained its commitment to provide light rail sooner than later, METRO took this opportunity to propose all the corridors to have light rail technology.  It is at this point (October) that crossing the freight rail road became more of a challenge because UPRR had already stated its position not to allow light rail to cross the freight rail road at grade.
• 2008 - METRO began working with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to appeal UPRR's decision.

December 2007

On December 1, the East End Corridor Office was inaugurated with an Open House Event.  The East End Corridor Office is located at 6215 Harrisburg and it is open for business Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

October 2007

At the October meeting, METRO's Board of Directors unanimously adopted light-rail technology for the North, East End, Southeast, and Uptown corridors.  These four corridors had previously been planned to begin with Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) technology as an interim step towards Light Rail Transit (LRT).  

• Read the news release for more details. 

July 2006

METRO's Board of Directors voted unanimously in favor of Harrisburg as the preferred alignment on which to build the East End Corridor. This is the first in a series of Board actions on corridor alignments, with the East End Corridor one of five to be built as part of the METRO Solutions Phase 2 Implementation Plan.  On July 20, METRO issued a news release regarding this Board action.  Project team members began contacting owners of properties along the corridor most likely to be affected.  Individual meetings will be sought in the coming weeks.

• Read Houston Chronicle coverage. 

May 2006

An Open House took place on Thursday, May 25, 2006.

• Please click here to view a Meeting Summary.
• Please click here to view the slide show presented at the meeting.

April 2006

A public workshop was held on Thursday, April 27, 2006