Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Administrator Shailen Bhatt joined U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) to discuss the resumption of the North Houston Highway Improvement Project earlier this month.
The $9 billion project, which will reconstruct I-45 North between downtown Houston and the North Sam Houston Tollway, was suspended due to a comprehensive FHWA investigation into civil rights complaints about the project. The project is supposed to bring the roadway up to federal safety standards and enhance mobility while improving stormwater drainage ad evacuation routes. Work on the project will begin once a Voluntary Resolution Agreement (VRA) between the Texas Department of Transportation(TxDOT) and the FHWA is signed.
“I thank TxDOT for negotiating in good faith to reach a VRA that includes many important project enhancements and binds many of the important considerations from both the city and county into an enforceable document that makes accountability a priority,” Bhatt said.
Officials said the VRA will take steps to address project impacts on the community and provide clear, enforceable timelines that FHWA will monitor. The VRA covers detailed design, stakeholder engagement, affordable housing initiatives, right-of-way acquisition, flood mitigation, and construction activities.
“In all the discussions with community leaders and local government officials, they emphasized the importance of enforcement of this agreement with TxDot. In our discussions with local government officials and community leaders, it was clear that Administrator Bhatt and the FHWA would be part of the enforcement and continued implementation of the commitments made in the Voluntary Resolution Agreement,” Lee said. “The Biden Administration has been committed to equity in large transportation projects and the fair treatment of communities impacted by these projects. This agreement will help our community’s concerns about added air pollution, preserving housing, parks, schools, and historic trails, and ensuring a better quality of life for all residents impacted by this construction… This agreement can be a unique and singular example of ensuring that all of those vulnerable communities and developments around this project will be protected.”