Vital north-south, east-west corridors focus of major upgrades
Two of Pasadena’s biggest and busiest streets, Fairmont Parkway and Pasadena Boulevard, are currently undergoing construction. The work being done on Fairmont is the second phase of its project. Improvements are being made to the section of Fairmont that stretches from Pansy to Preston Street. The project is scheduled to be completed before Thanksgiving 2009, if at all possible. The City’s contractor on the project has extended normal work hours into the night for the duration of the project to speed up the process.
Across town, construction has been ongoing on the portion of Pasadena Blvd. that lies between Houston Ave and Harris St. The work is being done is to improve critical infrastructure in north Pasadena and has a target completion date of May 31, 2010.
Upon completion, the project will include installation of 24-inch and 30-inch drainage lines on the east side of the street, the addition of curbs with gutter, the creation of additional sidewalks and the addition of a two to three inch street overlay with asphaltic concrete.
Contact: ActionLine service center at (713) 475-5555 or on-line at request.pasadenatexas.net.
I was JUST as surpised as you were to see construction barrels up on the 610 North Loop blocking 2 right lanes this morning (Thurs. 17th). I made a call to TxDOT and the answer is a bit long (read below). -Jen
A:
We have closed one right lane on the IH 610 North Loop mainlanes, westbound from IH 45 to Ella. Workers will change the right shoulder into a through lane. This will take approximately one week. After that is complete, the westbound traffic will be shifted to the improved shoulder with three lanes open so the contractor can work in the middle of the freeway. There were four through lanes out there originally and we are dropping one lane to three lanes. It may look like two lanes in some areas since there are auxilliary lanes for entrance and exit ramps.
After the westbound side is complete, the contractor will begin work on the eastbound side using the same process.
This is a stimulus project and the cost is $28.8 million. The contractor is Texas Sterling Construction Co. It is expected to take 7 months (April 2010); this could change due to inclement weather. - TxDot
From Paul Revere Middle School and the RMS Liberty Belles
THANK YOU TO: Paul Revere Middle School and the RMS Liberty Belles for posting the ‘morning team’ in your school hallway.
Here was their message to us: Once again the RMS Liberty Belles have chosen you as their favorite “Morning News Team”. We will be honoring the KPRC Morning Team at our football game on October 28, 2009 (7pm) at Butler Stadium as we take on our rivals the West Briar Grizzlies.
Houston….we’ve made “the list.” Well, not the one we’d want to be on though. The No. 1 road for traffic congestion in the entire state is the stretch of Interstate 45 between the North Loop and Beltway 8 in North Houston.
The congestion is measured by comparing how much longer the trip takes during rush hour, than when the road flows freely. The stretch on I-45 got the top spot by causing more than 4.2 million hours of annual driving delays. That’s 450,000 delayed hours per mile.
Don’t we wish every morning in traffic looked THIS nice! Good luck tomorrow…I know a lot of you had to fight big traffic delays this Monday morning.-Jen
SEEK PUBLIC INPUT ON LED STREET LIGHT PILOT PROGRAM
The City of Houston Department of Public Works and Engineering along with CenterPoint Energy will be asking the public to weigh in on a LED street light pilot program starting Tuesday, August 25, 2009 in the Bridgegate Subdivision near the South Sam Houston Parkway and Fuqua (KM 575 V & Z). The LED lights will be retrofitted on the current light poles and take a day to complete.
Light Emitting Diode (LED) is a new and efficient technology that has been implemented into consumer products from flashlights to automobile lights. Now this technology is being tested for use in street lights. The main goal is to reduce energy consumption, carbon footprint, improve lighting for vehicular and pedestrian traffic as well as improve safety with better visibility.
Currently 15 companies will participant in this pilot program which will run for six months. Public viewing and evaluation is encouraged through our website at http://www.houstontx.gov/ledpilot.html
The use of new technology will not only improve the quality of life in various communities but provide a significant energy cost savings to the city.
Installation of the LED lights will not impact traffic in the area and the only differences residents will notice are the color and brightness of the lights. When the pilot program is completed the original lights will be replaced and the test LED lights will be removed for laboratory test.
The City of Houston pays approximately $3 million a month for the 177,000 streets light that are installed in City of Houston right of ways. Sixty percent of these lights are installed in residential neighborhoods. For information about the project visit the website at http://www.houstontx.gov/ledpilot.html
A:
As much as we’d like to be able to provide streaming video to the public, the enormous hardware, bandwidth and manpower costs to provide this service for more than 600 cameras is just prohibitive.
It would also require a switch from our current Web architecture to an IP (Internet Protocol) system, and this would cost a great deal of money in addition to the above costs.
So at least for now, the snapshots are all we can provide.
Houston Transtar
Public Information Officer
www.houstontranstar.org
A:
This is an Almeda sewer tunnel rehabilitation construction project which started on August 3rd. Traffic control includes the closing of both the southbound lanes from Airport Blvd to Almeda Plaza Drive on Almeda Road and during construction the two lanes that were being used for northbound travel have been converted to single lane northbound and southbound from Airport Blvd to Almeda Plaza Drive.
We have also adjusted the signal timing at the intersection of Almeda Road and Airport Blvd so as to give more travel (green light) time for traffic flow on Almeda.
The project is scheduled for completion January 2010, it could be sooner. -City Of Houston
We encourage our viewers/listeners/friends to stay connected…
(Facebook Username: jennifer.reyna)
You’ll be able to see:
* When my stories air
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* Random discussions and thoughts b/w me and my friends
If you have a speaking request, are inquiring about a headshot or have a story idea…please email at jreyna@kprc.com. Emailing me at jreyna@kprc.com will ensure that I get the message. I don’t always see/respond to the Facebook Inbox.Thanks!
The federally-funded Weatherization Assistance Program helps low-income persons control their home’s energy costs through FREE energy efficiency measures (professionals install insulation, caulking, new doors and more if you sign up with the program) and education.
I thought this was a good mix of peace and traffic. Shot by Kim Lindsey August 8th at 290 and Mason Rd. Love your show! Randy Lindsey
Kim/Randy – thanks for sharing the beautiful shot and Kim, please tell me that you were the passenger? Thanks for waking up to us every morning. Be safe! -Jen
Notification of Capital Improvement Plan
Construction Project in the Sharpstown Area
Project Description: Hillcroft Ave Reconstruction from Bellaire Blvd. to Southwest Frwy (US59)
Construction Cost: $8,992,671.45
In order to keep pace with the growing needs of the community, the City of Houston Department of Public Works and Engineering will be improving the street, water lines, sewer lines, and drainage in the area described below. The contractor started work on July 7, 2009, and is scheduled to end on December 29, 2010. You may not see any activity by the contractor for several weeks after the construction time has begun. This is due to the contractor getting prepared to perform work which includes procurement of materials and equipment, setting up staging areas or working in other areas in the project.
Thanks for waking up to us every morning
