I-45 Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) Study Update

[flipbook pdf=”https://www.north-houston.com/dev/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/TxDOT-PPT-I-45-PEL-stakeholder-meeting-4.pdf”]

The Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) I-45N Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) Study is well underway, having already held four stakeholder meetings, three public meetings and conducted an online survey. From these engagement efforts, 150 ideas came to fruition, and TxDOT’s team has begun to categorize and rank options to improve the I-45 N Corridor from Beltway 8 North to Loop 336 South in Conroe.

The North Houston Association’s (NHA) President, Marlisa Briggs, has been involved as a stakeholder from the start, providing input at the four meetings set aside for this purpose.

“The process is now really starting to get interesting,” said Briggs. “At our most recent meeting, they began to share some of the data gleaned from the engagement process, as well as share possible solutions to consider for the corridor.”

TxDOT initially identified three priorities for the study: improve mobility, improve connectivity and improve safety. When the public was surveyed, they ranked those same goals as their top three.

Listed among the Primary Reasonable Alternatives were: improve Hardy Toll Road (including connections), adding lanes by re-striping (using existing pavement), adding at-grade lanes utilizing new pavement and also adding elevated lanes. Other alternatives included: improving Kuykendahl, improving (or adding) east-west connections and the use of technology to improve traffic flow.

The I-45N PEL Study is still very much underway, and there will be more opportunities for public input. NHA plans to work with TxDOT to host a public engagement meeting on the PEL sometime in early summer. In the meantime, the Stakeholder Meeting No. 4 materials may be viewed here.