Texas Insider Report: Washington, DC – Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee announced that Houston Metro will receive a $94 Million Grant in order to complete the North Corridor Light Rail Transit Project. She released the following statement:
“In development since 2001, Regional Transit Plan is a comprehensive transit system plan to help solve the Greater Houston region’s traffic congestion and air quality problems. The plan was crafted with extensive input from the public, METRO’s regional transportation partners and mobility experts nationwide. The plan was adopted by the METRO Board of Directors in July 2003 and approved by voters in November 2003.The first phase began construction in 2008 and continues today.
“The 18th Congressional District is right on track with the highly innovative METRORail, which serves as a fast, safe and efficient form of transportation. We have seen how the existing Main Line has offered a convenient way for travelers to commute to and from Houston’s most congested areas. I’m excited to see the progress as we get closer to the conclusion of the North Corridor project.
“Houston needs the North Corridor LRT Project to relieve congestion and provide adequate public transportation, but it also needs this because an investment in Houston’s New Start Transit Project means jobs for Houston’s constituents through the transportation sector in its communities and around the nation. I understand the vital importance of ensuring we have a developed RAIL and transit system. Houston has been working for over twenty years to bring these New Starts Projects to fruition. Houston is very close to finishing and this Grant to Houston METRO will help us make it to the finish line. I have worked tirelessly to ensure that the METRO RAIL New Starts Project gets completed and gets completed in an expeditious manner.
“I will continue to work to ensure that METRO upholds its commitment to the Houston community that it would be an economic engine for the entire community. My work with METRO has resulted in their public admission that Houstonians would be employed and that METRO would create opportunities for small and local contractors in the community. This is important because Houston has a large labor force.
“This funding is critical for the regional mobility of the citizens of the vast communities within and around the 18th Congressional District. Cities around the country are struggling with a backlog of transportation projects and have difficulty in securing federal, state, and local resources in light of the struggling economy.”
