“To build or NOT to build, that is the question”

How much longer north Houston? This is an artist rendering of a portion of the north corridor rail line on Fulton Street.

The voters of Houston voted on having a light rail project in the city.

The referendum passed in 2003 …… and here we are in 2009 – and no sign of a light rail project in north Houston. METRO, Houston’s metropolitan transit authority, has deemed the north Houston project as the “North Corridor”.

The North Corridor has raised some issues in the past, but everything seems to be a “go” for now -or not.

METRO released a press release in July 2008, stating that:

“The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has granted METRO permission to seek federal funding for construction of the North Corridor light-rail line – a critical milestone in METRO’s build out of the METRO Solutions Phase 2 plan.

Last week, METRO received a Record of Decision (ROD)for the North Corridor Supplemental Final Environmental Impact Statement (SFEIS). This ROD represents final approval for the federal environmental process, including supplemental work requested in November 2007.

With the ROD, METRO can resume the purchase of right -of-way, continue work on the project’s design and complete construction planning for work to start in the fall of 2008. “

So I ask where is the construction? The last time I checked, we were in early 2009 …. and swiftly approaching Spring time soon. Is the groundhog going to be working for METRO on this one, and delay spring a bit – just so they can say that “we have started construction in the winter of 2009…. vs. the Spring” ??

I can tell you one thing. The majority of the residents in North Houston are eager to see the project lift -off. Think about it for a second.

A person can hop on the METRO rail and gain access to many attractions and resources. Boarding on the rail can take you where?

– University of Houston Downtown

– Downtown Houston

-Midtown/ Museum District / Houston Zoo

– Houston Community College, Central Campus

– Rice University

– Medical Center

– Reliant Stadium grounds

Opportunity is the key word here. The many hard working and humble families of Houston’s Northside are anxiously awaiting their turn. The north corridor will allow many under-served and economically challenged individuals and families access to an abundance of hope and once again, opportunity.

So where are we now METRO?

Today’s economy is suffocating more each day. Is construction held up because of short funds or no funds at all? Jobs are in desperate need in today’s economy. The rail expansion project was to bring many more jobs to the area, and help stimulate the local economy.

Are we making any progress here? North Houston needs progress within the mass transit world – When are we getting the implementation of our mass transit bailout plan?