ACEC Houston

Houston officials are seeking assistance from state lawmakers to help pay for some of the $4.93 billion in water utility improvements needed to prevent people from suffering widespread boil water notices and mass water loss. The price tag doesn’t include the city’s consent decree, which requires the city to spend $2 billion on improvements to its water utility over the next 15 years - having to repair or replace 2.5% of its sewage pipes per year and 5% of its lift stations. The decree only applies to the sewer system, but both the water and sewer system are funded by the city’s Combined Utility System. https://lnkd.in/gv_4usfr

The Texas Transportation Commission on Thursday approved the state’s 10-year unified transportation program, again setting a record for highway spending in the state. The plan, updated annually, calls for $104.17 billion in maintenance and construction along Texas roads, with about $9.9 billion set aside to widen or modernize Houston area roads. Combined with development and other maintenance that falls outside the typical sources of money for the Texas Department of Transportation, the plan includes $147.87 billion in work on roads. https://lnkd.in/g2ES5b5D

Citing the need to lower tolls and add lanes, state officials said termination of the deal with a private firm that built toll lanes along Texas 288 will proceed, despite questions over the past four weeks from lawmakers and skeptics of the $1.7 billion plan. “Building roads, reducing tolls and saving taxpayer money are top priorities,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement sent by the Texas Department of Transportation. “All three are achieved.” https://lnkd.in/gnuvGb34

The Texas Water Development Board on Thursday adopted Texas’ first $56 billion statewide flood plan— restoring hope for the long-anticipated Ike Dike and other coastal flood mitigation. Under the project, around $49 billion will be diverted to flood mitigation projects. More than half of that cost would go towards funding the Galveston Bay Surge Protection Coastal Storm Risk Management project - colloquially known as the Ike Dike. https://lnkd.in/g4mk-T3s

A $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration will be used to study designs for the rehabilitation of eight Buffalo Bayou bridges that span 15 miles from Dairy Ashford Street to West Houston. https://lnkd.in/d843ca-n

Milton Rahman, PhD, P.E.,CFM, ENV SP, Harris County Engineer, gave a very detailed and valuable update on the status of personnel, the budget, and infrastructure programs for the county. Our members always appreciate his time and the information he provides. Dr. Rahman was joined by Bashar Ahmed Ph.D. (C) Ahmed, Chief Financial Officer, Dr. Emma Santa Maria, Chief Administrative Officer, and Erwin Burden, Senior Director of Capital Project Infrastructure, who had a chance to talk with our members.  

We were very pleased to have Houston Council Members Fred Flickinger, Joaquin Martinez, and Willie Davis join our Government Affairs Committee meeting to discuss their priorities and work, the challenges they have faced during their first months on council, and their thoughts on the way forward for the city.  

Spanning 13 counties and representing over 100 local governments, H-GAC is responsible for distributing federal funds for infrastructure, climate mitigation, and workforce development projects, among other things. Houston voters approved a ballot measure last year that required the city's membership in H-GAC to hinge on a “population proportional” voting structure based on the population of members’ jurisdictions. Nearly seven months after Houston missed a deadline to increase its role in regional planning, negotiations with the Houston-Galveston Area Council have stalled indefinitely. https://lnkd.in/gvuiztxy

Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County Chair Elizabeth Gonzalez Brock joined our chapter meeting for a very important and productive discussion on the current strategy and future direction of the agency. We very much appreciate her taking time to discuss METRO’s plans and that board member Holly Maria Flynn Vilaseca, Interim President/CEO Tom Jasien, Executive Vice President Shrikanth Reddy, and other METRO team members were there to talk with attendees.