Transporting Houston into the Future

March 26, 2009

Today I had the opportunity to speak briefly with Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood who was in Houston to visit Metro facilities.

At a lunch for local officials and business leaders, Secretary LaHood spoke about the Obama Administration’s belief in creating livable communities. I was very glad to hear him discuss the connection between transportation systems and development patterns, something that I have been talking about for years.
Infrastructure clearly builds wealth – it attracts new development and supports residents. At the same time, new and upgraded transportation infrastructure has to be approached with the end goal of high quality, livable, walkable, communities.

I talked to him about how Ike funds and stimulus funds will reach Houston. In the case of Ike funds, the State of Texas took 5% for administrative costs and 15% for planning costs.
I urged him to allocate funds directly to Houston so we could use them for shovel ready projects on the ground right here. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee agreed to look into such a solution when she got back to Washington.
Since we’re on the subject of transportation, I want to mention the Texas High Speed Rail and Transportation Corporation. I’m actively involved in this non-profit that is pushing for a high-speed rail system. Called the T-bone corridor, it would connect Dallas-Fort Worth, Hillsboro, Waco, Fort Hood, Killeen-Temple, Austin, San Antonio, Bryan-College Station, and Houston.
It’s something Texas needs and we should be proactive about pushing for federal fund for this project and other commuter rail and light rail projects like it.