Updates

View the full Voluntary Resolution Agreement

What is the VRA?

• This Voluntary Resolution Agreement (VRA) is an understanding by and between the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).
  
  
• The purpose of the VRA is to resolve the FHWA investigation of TxDOT regarding the North Houston Highway Improvement Project (Project) under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI) by setting forth specific mitigation actions for the Project.
  
  
• The VRA provides specific, enforceable timelines and monitoring by FHWA to ensure that TxDOT carries out the Project consistent with the requirements of Title VI.
  
  
• FHWA has withdrawn the project pause allowing TxDOT to resume all project development activities.

Within 30 days of this agreement, TxDOT will establish a publicly available project-specific website. The website will be maintained and updated regularly through the completion of the project. The website will include the following information, as it becomes available:

Eligibility requirements for move-out and rent stipends

To learn more about the eligibility requirements for move-out and rent stipends, please read the following materials:     

• TxDOT Relocation Assistance
• TxDOT Asistencia para Relocalizacion
• TxDOT State Purchase of Right of Way
• TxDOT Compra de Derecho de Via
• State of Texas Landowner's Bill of Rights
• Declaracion de Derechos de los Propietarios en Texas

Weatherization and Energy Efficiency Programs

To mitigate potential short-term construction noise impacts, TxDOT will provide funding for weatherization and energy efficiency for qualifying low-income single-family residences.

• The program will include a weatherization assessment and the opportunity for energy efficiency improvements (e.g., caulking, insulation, storm windows, and storm doors).
  

• This website will be updated to provide eligibility criteria and details of the weatherization and energy efficiency programs for low-income single-family residences that are adjacent to NHHIP construction areas.
  
  Subscribe for website updates on this topic

Move-out dates for public housing

• Clayton Homes

The entire Clayton Homes property located at 1919 Runnels Street, Houston, Texas 77003 is needed for the NHHIP. TxDOT and Houston Housing Authority (HHA) have agreed to a two-phase acquisition of the property. Phase I acquisition is complete and Phase II acquisition is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2023.

As of September 2022, all residents of Clayton Homes have been relocated to various residential locations as selected by each residential family. HHA will replace Clayton Homes by constructing two new residential properties within 2 miles of the original Clayton Homes location. Please visit HHA’s website at https://housingforhouston.com for more information about these new residential projects.

TxDOT will remain in contact with the former residents of Clayton Homes to maintain their current contact information so they can claim their opportunity to move into the new residential properties once available for occupancy. The residents can also contact HHA and TxDOT to provide updated contact information. HHA can be contacted at 2640 Fountain View Dr., Houston, TX 77057 or 713-260-0500.

TxDOT can be contacted at hou-piowebmail@txdot.gov or 713-802-5076.

• Kelly Village

A portion of the Kelly Village property located at 3118 Green Street, Houston, Texas 77020 is needed for the NHHIP. TxDOT and Houston Housing Authority (HHA) will negotiate for this partial acquisition. Along with direct communication with the residents to be relocated, this website will be updated to reflect anticipated dates that the residents will move out of the portion of Kelly Village that will be needed for the NHHIP.

It is anticipated that HHA will replace the portion of the Kelly Village units acquired for the NHHIP with the construction of new residential properties within 2 miles of the original Kelly Village location. HHA will update its website at https://housingforhouston.com to reflect information about new residential projects to replace the portion of Kelly Village units to be acquired for the NHHIP and moving dates specific to relocation from Kelly Village.

For the residents of the portion of the Kelly Village units that will be acquired for the NHHIP, TxDOT will remain in contact with these residents to maintain their current contact information so they can claim their opportunity to move into the new residential properties once available for occupancy. The residents can also contact HHA and TxDOT to provide updated contact information. HHA can be contacted at 2640 Fountain View Dr., Houston, TX 77057 or 713-260-0500. TxDOT can be contacted at hou-piowebmail@txdot.gov or 713-802-5076.

Reporting concerns during construction

Construction is anticipated to begin in 2024 along St. Emanuel between IH 45 South and Buffalo Bayou to install drainage improvements for a portion of the NHHIP. Please report concerns about construction activities by emailing us at hou-piowebmail@txdot.gov, calling us at 713-802-5076 or by visiting us at 7600 Washington Ave. Houston, TX 77007.

Construction alerts

This website will be updated to provide notices of disruption from construction work including bus reroutes, road closures and detours, trail closures, demolitions, and late-night activity.

Please use the following link to subscribe to receive construction alerts.

Subscribe for construction alerts

NHHIP-related job fairs

This website will be updated to post details about project-related job fairs as they are scheduled.

Subscribe for website updates on NHHIP-related job fairs

Air quality status

Please visit the website of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality at https://www.tceq.texas.gov/airquality/monops to view the air quality status of the Houston regional area.

Please visit the website of the Pollution Control Services Department of Harris County at https://pcs-harriscounty.hub.arcgis.com/ to view the air quality status of Harris County.

TxDOT will place one air monitor in each project segment one year in advance of the start of construction on the corresponding project segment. This website will be updated to post the readings from the air monitors.

Subscribe for website updates on NHHIP air quality monitoring

Flood Mitigation Plan

Please see below for the proposed flood mitigation plan for Segments 1, 2, and 3. 

• Seg 1 Beltway 8 to West Rd drainage study.pdf
• Seg 1 West Rd to Shepherd drainage study.pdf
• Seg 1 Shepherd to Tidwell drainage study.pdf
• Seg 1 Tidwell to Airline drainage study.pdf
• Seg 2 drainage study pdf
• Seg 3A drainage study pdf
• Seg 3B drainage study pdf
• Seg 3B addendum drainage study.pdf
• Seg 3C drainage study pdf
• Seg 3D drainage study pdf
• Seg 3E drainage study.pdf
• Seg 3E addendum drainage study

This website will be updated to reflect public involvement opportunities for the flooding mitigation plan and as well as alert notices when access to depressed highway sections is closed due to drainage system failure.

Additionally, this website will be updated to reflect public involvement opportunities for the flooding mitigation plan as well as alert notices when access to depressed highway sections is closed due to drainage system failure.

Subscribe for website updates concerning the Flood Mitigation Plan

Active transportation

Please return to the project’s homepage at https://www.txdot.gov/nhhip.html and utilize the interactive map located at the bottom of the home page to view the active transportation options in the project corridor. Utilize the “layer” icon in the lower right of the interactive map to view the various active transportation modes.

Emancipation National Historic Trail Study

The Emancipation National Historic Trail Study Act, sponsored by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and passed in January 2020, amended the National Trails Systems Act (16 U.S.C. 1244(c)) by adding the Emancipation National Historic Trail (Emancipation Trail). The proposed Emancipation Trail “extend[s] approximately 51 miles from the Osterman Building and Reedy Chapel in Galveston, Texas, along Texas State Highway 3 and Interstate Highway 45 North to Freedmen’s Town, and then to Independence Heights and Emancipation Park in Houston, Texas, following the migration route taken by newly freed slaves and other persons of African descent from the major 19th-century seaport town of Galveston to the burgeoning community of Freedmen’s Town located in the 4th Ward of Houston, Texas.” For more information about the Emancipation National Historic Trail Study as led by the National Park Service, please visit https://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?projectID=95793

TxDOT will assist with federal efforts to develop the Emancipation Trail and will evaluate the feasibility of accommodating trail links within the state’s right-of-way within the project limits.

TxDOT will accommodate proposed designated trail links that result from the Emancipation National Historic Trail Study to the extent such proposed trail links are feasible within the state’s right of way for the NHHIP.

TxDOT will place signage and historical marks within the state’s right of way for the NHHIP for the proposed designated trail links that result from the Emancipation National Trail Study to the extent such placement is feasible.

TxDOT will participate in the National Park Service’s feasibility study for the Emancipation National Historic Trail to share how the NHHIP pedestrian-bike realm can complement the potential study outcomes and any other transportation-related aspects of the Emancipation National Historic Trail.

School access during construction

In order to ensure that pedestrian and bike access to schools is maintained during construction, TxDOT will develop plans during the detailed design phase for traffic control detours of pedestrian and cyclist movements showing the locations of schools adjacent to the project footprint, existing routes traveled by children to these schools, routes during construction, and the anticipated finished condition of pedestrian and cyclist routes after construction on the project is completed.

Where construction of the project will require pedestrian and bicycle detour routes to maintain access to schools, TxDOT commits to bringing such designated detour routes up to current standards prior to beginning the associated construction in order to ensure that students, staff, and the public continue to have safe and accessible pedestrian and bicycle paths of travel to project adjacent schools.

TxDOT will design and direct its contractor to maintain non-circuitous sidewalks to maintain safe pedestrian and cyclist access to schools during and after construction.

TxDOT will work directly with schools to develop parent and school bus drop-off and pick-up routes, direct TxDOT contractors to maintain the safe operations of these routes during construction, and inform decisions about appropriate detour routes with the goal of safety and minimizing increased commute times.

TxDOT will maintain communication with school officials for the design of access accommodations during the construction phase.

TxDOT will provide an ombudsman for the schools to communicate concerns that arise during construction to TxDOT in order for timely resolution of concerns.

Once construction starts, this website will be updated to inform the public about bicycle and pedestrian access including maps.

Click to subscribe for construction alerts

Project ombudsman

The project ombudsman is Grady Mapes, who is the single point of contact for parents and schools to communicate concerns to TxDOT during construction. The project ombudsman will facilitate the timely resolution of concerns. Grady Mapes can be contacted at nhhip.ombudsman@txdot.gov / 713-866-7040.

TxDOT-City of Houston NHHIP Memorandum of Understanding

The Memorandum of Understanding between TxDOT and the City of Houston regarding the NHHIP can be found here:

City of Houston Memorandum of Understanding-I-45 Project Dec 19, 2022

Since being executed in December 2022, no progress reports have been published. Progress reports will be added to this website as they are published.

TxDOT-Harris County NHHIP Memorandum of Understanding

The Memorandum of Understanding between TxDOT and Harris County regarding the NHHIP can be found here:

Harris County Memorandum of Understanding-I-45 Project Dec 22, 2022

Since being executed in December 2022, no progress reports have been published. Progress reports will be added to this website as they are published.

Transit access during construction

TxDOT will obtain METRO’s review and comment of the construction work phasing and sequencing of light rail facilities and operations that are impacted by construction.

TxDOT will obtain METRO’s review and comment in instances where a bus stop needs to be temporarily relocated during construction.

TxDOT will provide fourteen (14) calendar-day public notices of bus and light rail service disruptions due to construction activities.

TxDOT will post notices of bus and light rail service disruptions on this website and will coordinate with METRO for notices to be posted on METRO’s website. 

Subscribe for website updates about transit access during construction

Noise barriers

Learn more about the process that TxDOT uses to analyze and propose noise barriers on transportation projects like the NHHIP.

• Progress Report 1, Sept. 2023
• Appendix A
• Appendix B
• Appendix C
• Appendix D
• Appendix E
• Appendix F
• Appendix G

• TxDOT has issued a Record of Decision (ROD) for the North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP) and it is available for review. The ROD identifies the selected alternative and signifies the completion of the environmental review process.
• The Selected Alternative includes construction of roadway improvements to add four managed express (MaX) lanes on I-45 from downtown Houston to Beltway 8 North, reroute I-45 to be parallel with I-10 on the north side of downtown Houston and parallel to US 59/I-69 on the east side of downtown Houston, realign sections of I-10 and US 59/I-69 in the downtown area to eliminate the current roadway reverse curves that limit capacity, and depress US 59/I-69 between I-10 and Spur 527 south of downtown to remove the problematic weaving sections. The proposed project also includes reconstruction of mainlanes and frontage roads; addition of bicycle and pedestrian realms along the streets that cross the freeways, including a 15- to 17-foot-wide pedestrian realm that will create a buffer between the bicycle and pedestrian traffic and the vehicular traffic; addition of sidewalks along frontage roads; and addition of pass-through lanes on I-10 that will separate traffic desiring to go to downtown from traffic destined to go through downtown.
• The ROD documents selection of the Preferred Alternative described in the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) as the alternative selected for implementation. It presents the basis for the decision, summarizes the mitigation measures that will be incorporated into the project, and provides responses to issues raised in comments received on the Final EIS. Although the ROD is the final step in the EIS process and results in a Selected Alternative, future changes and refinements to the project can still occur.
• The ROD is written in English. If you need an interpreter or document translator because English is not your primary language or you have difficulty communicating effectively in English, one will be provided to you. If you have a disability and need assistance, special arrangements can be made to accommodate most needs. If you need interpretation or translation services or you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation to review the ROD, please contact the TxDOT Director of Advanced Project Development at 713-802-5070 no later than 4 p.m. CT, at least three business days before the date on which you would like to review the ROD. Please be aware that advance notice is required as some services and accommodations may require time for TxDOT to arrange.
• Notice: Record of Decision available for public review
• Aviso: Decisión de Registro Disponible para revisión pública
• Record of Decision
• Appendix A – Summary of means to avoid, minimize, and mitigate effects
• Appendix B – Responses to issues commonly raised in comments received on the Final EIS

• TxDOT has completed the Final Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIS) for the proposed North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP). The Final EIS incorporates input received on the Draft FEIS and includes project design changes made after the Draft EIS, as well as more refined and definitive information on the project’s environmental concerns, impacts, and mitigation.
• The final EIS includes three volumes which are available at the links below.
• Volume I contains the body of the final EIS and includes an executive summary, which can be downloaded separately at the links below in English and Spanish. The summary provides a snapshot of the project background and its need and purpose; summaries of alternatives considered and environmental impacts; and the preferred alternative to improve mobility and safety throughout the NHHIP corridor, from downtown Houston to Beltway 8 North.
• Volume II includes final EIS exhibits; schematics and typical sections for the preferred alternative; technical reports; and documentation of agency coordination and public involvement.
• Volume III contains responses to comments on the draft EIS and the draft technical reports for the final EIS.
• Final Environmental Impact Statement, August 2020

Volume I Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

• Volume I Main report
• Final EIS executive summary 
• Declaración de impacto ambiental final

Volume II Final EIS Appendices

• Volume II Cover and list of contents
• Appendix A: Final EIS exhibits
• Appendix B: Preferred Alternative Schematic and Typical Sections
  • Segment 1-December 2019:
    • Segment 1: I-610 to Tidwell Road
    • Segment 1: Tidwell Road to Shepherd Drive
    • Segment 1: Shepherd Drive to West Road
    • Segment 1: West Road to Beltway 8
  • Segment 2-May 2019:
    • Segment 2: I-45 north of I-10 to I-610
    • Segment 2: I-610 Interchange
  • Segment 3-May 2019:
    • Segment 3: Downtown Loop overall plan view
    • Segment 3: I-45 from Scott St. to I-69
    • Segment 3: I-45 from I-69 to Elysian St.
    • Segment 3: I-45 from Elysian St. to Wrightwood St. 
    • Segment 3: I-69 from Montrose Blvd. to I-45
    • Segment 3: I-69 from I-45 to Lyons Ave. 
    • Segment 3: I-10 from Houston Ave. to McKee St.
    • Segment 3: I-10 from McKee St. to Waco St.
    • Segment 3: SH 288 from Binz St./Calumet St. to I-45
    • Segment 3: Downtown connectors   
• Appendix C: Air Quality Technical Report
  • Mobile Source Air Toxics Technical Report
  • Carbon Monoxide Traffic Air Quality Analysis
• Appendix D: Archeological Survey Report and Coordination
  • 2017 Letter
  • Full Report
• Appendix E: Biological Resources Technical Report

• Appendix F: Community Impacts Assessment Technical Report
  • Report-without appendices
  • Appendices
• Appendix G: Hazardous Materials Technical Report
  • Report-without appendices
  • Appendices
• Appendix H: Historical Resources Survey Report — Updated
  • Report-without appendices
  • Appendices
• Appendix I: Traffic Noise Technical Report
• Appendix J: Water Resources Technical Report
• Appendix K: Waters of the United States Technical Report
• Appendix L: Visual Impact Assessment Technical Report
• Appendix M: Agency coordination documentation
• Appendix N: Public involvement
• Appendix O: Individual Section 4(f) Evaluation
• Appendix P: Indirect Impacts Technical Report
• Appendix Q: Cumulative Impacts Technical Report
• Appendix R: Programmatic Agreement

Volume III Comments and responses

• Volume III Cover and list of contents
• Comments and responses on draft EIS
  • Introduction
  • Comment response matrix
  • Draft EIS comments
• Comments and responses on draft technical reports
  • Introduction
  • Public comment response matrices
  • Public comments on the draft Community Impacts Assessment Technical Report and Cumulative Impacts Technical Report

• Main report

Appendices:

• Appendix A: Draft EIS exhibits
• Appendix B: Plan View and Section Views of Alternatives
• Appendix C: Air Quality Technical Report
• Appendix D: Archeological Coordination
• Appendix E: Biological Resources Technical Report
• Appendix F: Community Impact Assessment Technical Report
• Appendix G: Hazardous Materials Technical Report
• Appendix H: Historical Resources Survey Technical Report
• Appendix I: Traffic Noise Technical Report
• Appendix J: Water Resources Technical Report
• Appendix K: Waters of the United States Technical Report
• Appendix L: Visual Impact Assessment Technical Report

September 2015-Revised Conceptual Layouts and Typical Sections for Proposed Recommended Alternative

• Segment 1: I-610 to Tidwell Road
• Segment 1: Tidwell Road to Shepherd Drive
• Segment 1: Shepherd Drive to West Road
• Segment 1: West Road to Beltway 8
• Segment 2: I-610 Interchange
• Segment 2: I-45 north of I-10 to I-610
• Segment 3: South of downtown Houston to I-10  

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