North Houston mobility experts convened at the North Houston Association’s (NHA) Airport Mobility Panel Discussion to discuss roadway and highway projects that would improve mobility in the Bush Intercontinental Airport area. Panelists included Don Andrews, city of Houston department of aviation; Harris County Precinct Four Commissioner Jerry Eversole; Wesley Friese. Harris County Toll Road Authority; Paul Gaines, city of Houston department of aviation; Jerry King, Metropolitan Transit Authority; Ed Shackelford. Harris County Precinct Four; and District Engineer Gary Trietsch. Texas Department of Transportation.
At the event, which was held April 18 at the Wyndham Hotel – Greenspoint, panelists were presented with nine projects that NHA identified as priority projects for improved mobility in the area. James Royer, NHA chairman and moderator of the event, led panelists through a discussion of each project. Issues of project limits, costs, managing agency, timeline, environmental constraints, funding sources and project status were discussed.
The panel discussion is the outcome of 12 months of work by the NI IA Airport Connectors Subcommittee, chaired by Roy Heamsberger, P.E.
“The goal of the subcommittee was to develop a consensus of mobility projects that would improve the How of traffic in and around the Bush Intercontinental Airport area.” said Heamsberger. ‘The subcommittee met with the city of Houston, city of Humble. Harris County – Precinct Four, Harris County
Toll Road Authority. Metropolitan Transit Authority and the Texas Department of Transportation,” he added. Twenty projects were identified as a result of these meetings. The information was then compiled and sent to the North Houston Association’s membership and the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce. Houston Northwest Chamber. Humble Area Chamber. South Montgomery County Woodlands Chamber and the Tomball Area Chamber to be reviewed and prioritized.” The next step will be for the Transportation Committee to select several projects it considers critical to the area’s mobility and follow their progress.
In June, several Transportation Committee members and staff presented one of the nine projects to the Texas Transportation Commission in Austin at its monthly meeting (see related article “Transportation Committee”). Sponsors of the panel discussion included Brown & Gay Engineers, Inc.; Carter & Burgess; Continental Airlines; Dannenbaum Engineering Corporation; Espey Huston & Associates, Inc.; Exxon Land Development. Inc.; Ferro Saylors, Inc.; Greater Greenspoint Management District; HNTB Corporation; JNS Consulting Engineers; LJA Land Development Engineering & Surveying; Lock- wood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc.; North Harris Montgomery Community College District; Southwestern Bell; The Woodlands Corp.; Turner, Collie & Braden, Inc.; and WSBC Civil Engineers, Inc.
