Harris County to pay $45 million toward City Road improvements

Harris County Pct. 1 and the City of Houston will cooperate to use county money to help repair or repave some city streets.

As part of an agreement approved by Houston City Council on August 31, 2016, Harris County Pct. 1 will pay for additional street improvements worth millions of dollars within the Houston city limits by year’s end. This is a continuation of an arrangement Mayor Sylvester Turner and outgoing Commissioner Gene Locke negotiated earlier in the year. A total of up to $45 million of projects are planned.

“Houstonians are more concerned about seeing results than they are about which governmental entity is paying for them,” said Mayor Turner. “This is government working together to meet the needs of our shared constituents. It is city/county cooperation at its best.”

Commissioner Locke after had this comment:

“I have a strong belief in governmental agencies working together. The mayor and council have demonstrated a willingness to work with Precinct One on a number of projects that benefit the citizens and improve the quality of life in various neighborhoods. The street work is a principal category, but there are others to which the county benefits, especially through City of Houston Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Funds for county projects in the City of Houston.”

Harris County has already started work on about seven miles of City streets, including work around NRG Stadium in anticipation of Super Bowl 51. City Council’s vote today clears the way for another five plus miles of City streets to be totally reconstructed or overlaid with asphalt by Harris County in the next four months.

The following City street segments were included in today’s council action:

• Amboy/Wayne from Liberty Road to Quitman

• Carr Street from Mills to Quitman

• Hiram Clarke Rd. from Beltway 8 to W. Fuqua

• Lee Street from Semmes to Jensen

• Noble Street from Jensen to Semmes

• Ruth Street from Scott Street to dead-end

• Scott Street from Elgin to Old Spanish Trail

• Semmes Street from Lorraine to Campbell

• Sumpter Street from Semmes to Jensen

• Waco/Hirsch from I -10 to Clinton Drive

Council’s previous action included:

• Ardmore from Holcombe to Holly Hall

• Bellfort from SH 288 to MLK Blvd.

• Buffalo Speed Way from W. Fuqua to Anderson Road

• Crosstimbers from IH 45 to Shepherd Drive

• El Rio from IH 610 to Holly Hall

• Holly Hall from Fannin to SH 288

• Homestead Road from Laura Koppe to Parker

• Knight Road from IH 610 to Fannin

• McNee from South Main to Kirby

• Yellowstone from SH 288 to Scott

In order to facilitate this agreement, the City must temporarily transfer these streets to the Harris County Road Log. Once the work is finished, the streets will be transferred back to the City’s jurisdiction for ongoing maintenance.