Lucio Vasquez / Houston Public Media
Some city and county leaders are urging Houston’s mass transit provider to reconsider its plan to shelve a bus-rapid transit line historically touted as transformational.
The Metropolitan Transit Authority, citing a financial review of the plan, announced on June 18 that it would not seek federal funding for a long-anticipated University Corridor bus-rapid transit project weeks after transportation advocates began echoing concerns about the plan’s future.
In a statement, the authority said the project would have financially impacted day-to-day operations and limited the ability to implement other services like bus frequency, improved bus shelters and enhanced sidewalks.
“When considering the University Corridor Project, METRO staff faced a deadline at the end of June to decide whether to proceed with the federal grant process,” said board chair Elizabeth Gonzalez Brock. “As part of the review, staff recommended to not move forward with the application at this time because of reduced ridership projections and increased costs.”
“We are moving forward with proof of concept and viable infrastructure projects that are projected to increase ridership,” she said.
The plan will not have any effect on other rapid transit projects.
RELATED: METRO shelves University Corridor bus-rapid transit project once touted as ‘transformational’
City and county leaders have since condemned the plan, urging members of the transit authority to reconsider keeping the project on its tracks.
“I am deeply disappointed in the METRO Board for abandoning the effort to pursue over $900 million in federal funds to construct the University Corridor BRT,” Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis said in a statement. “The people of Harris County specifically, and overwhelmingly, supported the project in a 2019 bond election.”
Voters that year overwhelmingly approved a $3.5 billion bond issue that advertised the transit line. Officials said the METRONext Moving Forward Plan was designed to address the region’s growing population and alleviate traffic congestion.
The Federal Transit Administration last year vowed to provide $150 million for the university corridor line that would’ve routed between the University of Houston, Texas Southern University, the University of St. Thomas and Houston Community College.
Ellis said the transit authority already telling the Federal Transit Administration it would not seek funds for the project is “a betrayal to the people of Harris County and the communities METRO is sworn to represent” and could damage any future plans of seeking funding from the administration.
“The board has made a dangerous decision to forego the tens of millions of dollars and public outreach used to develop this project,” he said. “Disregarding the need for the University Corridor is a big mistake and only contributes to the many transportation and environmental problems facing our country.”
City councilmember Letitia Plummer said the project is essential for providing equitable transit to under-served communities.
“While construction costs have increased due to inflation, scaling back rather than abandoning the University Line could preserve financial capacity and still meet our transit goals,” Plummer said in a press release. “Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, METRO has seen one of the highest ridership recoveries among major metro areas, with local bus network usage now surpassing pre-COVID levels.”
The university line would have operated seven days a week for up to 20 hours a day, with buses running six minutes apart during peak hours. On a since-deleted project webpage, METRO said construction could have begun by the end of 2024 with services potentially starting by 2028.
In a statement, Councilwoman Tiffany Thomas said the project is vital for the city’s transportation future and could fill a critical missing east-west link in METRO’s rapid transit network.
“The possibility of connecting residents with rapid transit needs in neighborhoods ranging from Alief, Midwest and Westchase to the University of Houston, Texas Southern University, Greenway Plaza and the Galleria in my opinion, is the right turn for Houston and the right turn for METRO— as transit goes hand in hand with meaningful community and economic development.”
