US 90A/Southwest Rail Corridor (SWRC)
On September 28, 2012, METRO's Board of Directors placed the US
90A/Southwest Rail Corridor project on hold to reassess investment
priorities in the region.
Project Description
The proposed US 90A/Southwest Rail Corridor is approximately nine
miles of new construction starting at Missouri City to the Fannin South
Rail Station, merging with the existing METRORail Red Line up to
Wheeler Station. The proposed line would directly serve Reliant Park,
the Texas Medical Center, Rice University, the Houston Zoo, Hermann Park
and the Museum District.
The Study Area
The US 90A/Southwest Rail Corridor study area, as shown below,
is defined as beginning at South Gessner Road/FM 2234 and US 90A and
generally extending northeast to the southern terminus of the existing
METRORail Red Line at Fannin South Station.
The
US 90A/Southwest Rail corridor links Harris County with Fort Bend
County along
US 90A and the parallel Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR). Over the past
few decades, both Fort Bend County and Harris County have experienced
steady and significant population and employment growth. The 2010
population in the study area is estimated to increase 25 percent by
2035. Over the same period, Harris County is projected to increase in
population by 41 percent and Fort Bend County by 60 percent.
The strongest travel patterns for the US 90A/Southwest Rail
corridor study area currently exist to and from the TMC, with about
24,000 daily trips, approximately 33 percent of the total work trips.
This relationship is expected to continue, and daily trips are projected
to increase to nearly 32,000 by 2035, an increase of about 32 percent.
Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) also estimates that trips along
US 90A to all major employment centers, such as downtown Houston,
Uptown/Galleria, and Greenway Plaza in Houston will increase
approximately 37 percent in that same time period.
Key Milestones Achieved
June 2012: Public meetings
June 2011 - March 2012: Evaluation of alternatives identified through scoping
February 2011: Scoping
January 2011: METRO initiates EIS for US90A Southwest Rail Corridor
NOTE: To provide your comments online, please select the "US90A/Southwest Rail Corridor" from the "Topic/Category" drop-down menu.)
Timeline and Key Milestones of the Project

Public Meetings, June 2012
METRO is preparing to host a second round of public meetings for the
US90A/Southwest Rail Corridor project in the first week of June. The
purpose of these meetings is to inform the public about the
alternatives that will be evaluated further in the Draft Environmental
Impact Statement (DEIS), the process used to evaluate the alternatives
and seek input regarding these and any specific environmental concerns.
For more information, please the US90A Project newsletter. The meetings will be in an open house format at the below mentioned times and locations.
- June 5, 2012
11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Texas Medical Center Food Court Area, Waterside Café
6550 Bertner St # 1
Houston, TX 77030
- June 5, 2012
6 - 8 p.m.
Westbury High School
Atrium
11911 Chimney Rock
Houston, TX 77035
- June 7, 2012
6 - 8 p.m.
(REVISED LOCATION)
- Together We Stand Christian Church
1432 Texas Parkway
Missouri City, Texas 77489
(Next door to the Missouri City Civic Center)
- June 12, 2012
6 - 8 p.m.
The Power Center Southeast Ballroom
12401 S. Post Oak Road
Houston, TX 77045
NOTE: To provide your comments online, please select the "US90A/Southwest Rail Corridor" from the "Topic/Category" drop-down menu.)
Next Steps
• Conduct detailed analysis of alternatives in the DEIS
• Submit draft of the DEIS to the FTA for approval in Fall 2012.
• Publish DEIS and conduct public hearing in Winter 2013
• Prepare final EIS in 2013
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