U.S. Department of Transportation
Community members, along with city and county leaders, criticized the shelving of a 25-mile bus rapid transit (BRT) line that would span from Gulfton and Sharpstown to Northeast Houston, connecting multiple universities along the way.
At the monthly board meeting on Thursday, METRO Board Chair Elizabeth Gonzalez Brock again pointed to financial and ridership concerns as the primary reasons for holding off on the $2.28 billion project, though she said the decision could be revisited next year.
“We do plan on having a communication, engagement strategy,” Brock said. “We will also communicate our ridership strategy in making sure that all of our initiatives tie to increasing ridership.”
Houston Mayor John Whitmire appointed Brock and three other METRO board members. Their placements were approved by city council, and they are among six new members on the nine-seat board. The shelving of the University Corridor BRT marks the first major walkback of a key element of the METRONext plan under the new leadership.
About 50 people signed up for public comment at the Thursday meeting, and a majority spoke in favor of the University Corridor BRT. When Cherrelle Duncan, Director of Community Engagement with nonprofit advocacy group Link Houston, asked those who support the project to stand, nearly everyone in the audience stood with her.
“This project is about more than just improving transit — it’s about empowering our communities,” Duncan said. “Pausing this project over short-term financial views misses out on its long-term benefits, like increased accessibility and stronger community connections.”
Harris County Precinct One Commissioner Adrian Garcia was among the speakers. He called for a “real ridership enhancement strategy and campaign.”
“The reality is that the project is dead,” Garcia said. “One of the things I’ve heard … was ‘Why rip up roads if the buses are empty or half-empty?’ I absolutely recognize that, but that’s why I’ve been trying to encourage a real commitment to bring in not just the likely riders, but non-traditional riders to the system.”
At-large Houston City Council Member Letitia Plummer told the METRO board that she was “disappointed” by the lack of engagement with city council, and she pointed out that she was on the ballot in 2019 — the same year voters approved a $3.5 billion bond for the transit agency.
“I’m disappointed because I feel that the ears on the ground are your council members,” Plummer said. “We are the ones who talk to constituents on a daily basis. We know what their needs are, and unfortunately, we were not a part of this process.”
Christine Brady, who lives in Eastwood, spoke in favor of the decision to pause the project, arguing that other improvements, like traffic signal and sidewalk improvements, can be made in the meantime.
“There is nothing safe about mass transit running right next to family homes,” Brady said. “The University Corridor BRT was poorly planned, and its costs are ballooning every day.”
After Brady’s comments, Brock said “It’s really nice to hear from actual residents.”
Issac Metcalf, who said he doesn’t have a driver’s license, spoke in favor of the project.
“It feels like METRO can’t decide whether to run as a public good or as a business,” Metcalf said. “I want to say that I’m not a paid activist, and I am a resident of Houston.”
Simon Kiang, a PhD student at Rice University, also spoke in favor of the project.
“I really think that having an extended east-west connection will make the city better,” Kiang said.
“Does it make sense to cut up a residential neighborhood?” Watkins asked. “I will not stand here and watch you cut up my neighborhood.”
On Wednesday, Harris County Precinct One Commissioner Rodney Ellis described the corridor as a “backbone” of the agency’s overall initiative to dramatically increase the reach of public transportation across the Houston area, known as METRONext. He criticized the decision to walk away from federal funding that would’ve offset the cost of the project.
“It’s nice if you do any part of it,” Ellis said. “But at the end of the day, if you’re going to have a bus rapid transit system, it’s about getting people to places where most people go, and that university corridor really is all of the more important, transit-oriented places where people want to go in Houston and Harris County.”
In a press release, Fort Bend County Precinct Four Commissioner Dexter L. McCoy called the reversal “a short-sighted, disastrous decision that comes at a long-term cost to millions of residents in Greater Houston.”
“Long-term, building bigger highways won’t cut it,” McCoy said. “A prime example is I-10, which is one of the widest highways in the world, yet it still turns into a parking lot during rush hour. On the other hand, Fort Bend Transit’s new downtown commuter line alone removes over 6,000 rides a week off the Southwest Freeway.”
