Neighborhood residents ask highway questions, get few answers

The Brookwood Estates Civic Club invited TxDOT Project Manager Roger Gonzales and a representative from the Houston-Galveston Area Council to their regular meeting on June 13 to give an official update on the IH-290 Corridor expansion and the planned Hempstead Tollway. Unfortunately, the TxDOT manager was unable to come to the meeting, so Pat Waskowiak of H-GAC spoke in his place. However, most attendees were disappointed that there was very little new information revealed. Mrs. Waskowiak repeated information that was already known about IH-290 Corridor plans, such as its expansion to five lanes in each direction and the construction of a tollway on the Hempstead Highway. She explained that an Environmental Impact Statement is being drafted by TxDOT and will be submitted to the Federal Highway Commission in the fall for approval.She was asked by one member how the public could have input into the environmental study and she replied that a public meeting would be held when the draft was completed. Residents wondered how much input the public can have after completion of the draft and engineering studies. She said that the Enviromental Impact Statements are almost always approved by the federal government. After approval, right-of-way aquisition could begin sometime in 2007. In light of this possibility, she was asked if the Hempstead Tollway would be built first and she replied in the affirmative, adding that the County and TxDOT needed to come to an agreement on toll sharing in order to proceed. The expansion of IH-290 itself will not begin for at least five years or more. Mrs. Waskowiak could offer no specifics on the designs of interchanges for the 610 Loop or Hempstead, and suggested that this information could be available at the next public meeting when new schematics are shown. She mentioned that any expansion of IH-290 would involve a complete rebuild of the IH-290/610 Loop interchange. Some residents in attendance from Lazybrook asked about the height of the interchanges, having been told at the last public meeting that ramps could be as high as 60 to 80 feet. She did not confirm or deny the information on ramp heights, but repeated that the public can voice its concerns about the impact on neighborhoods in the next public meeting.

   Residents of Brookwood Estates, Timbergrove, Holly Park, and Lazybrook are eager to learn how the IH-290 corridor expansion will affect their neighborhoods. Brookwood residents are especially anxious about the direction of the tollway after their experience with the proposed Northwest Tollway, which would have cut right through their neighborhood. Last year residents of Brookwood Estates and Oak Forest learned of the proposed tollway, which would have extended from Tomball to the 610 North Loop and traveled through both neighborhoods. The plan by Harris County was a complete surprise to them, with no public notice or opportunity for public input given. Residents' strong opposition and an organized protest have resulted in the project being put on hold. However, both neighborhoods are uneasy about the possibility of the plan being revived by the County in the future. For further information on the opposition to the Northwest Tollway, go to the organizers' website at www.notollway.org.

   Residents of near northwest Houston are very aware that they are facing road projects that may adversely impact their quality of life. Homes and businesses close to town can disappear, and neighborhoods can be split apart or separated, as freeways are expanded and tollways are built to provide access to commuters from outlying areas. Government entities such as TxDOT and Harris County do not readily reveal their road plans and designs to the public. This paucity of public information leads to much guessing and speculating about what their plans are.

(Near Northwest Banner, June/July 2006)