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Turner proposes stricter development rules to boost flood control in Houston

Mayor Sylvester Turner on Wednesday proposed tightening development rules to strengthen Houston's defenses against flooding, the city's first concrete step to change building practices since Hurricane Harvey inundated hundreds of thousands of homes last August. Turner's proposed changes would require all new buildings outside the floodplain to be elevated two feet above the ground, and all new construction within the 500-year floodplain to be lifted two feet above the project

Texas lawmakers should focus on important things like roads and taxes

Better roads, shorter commutes to work - not bathroom bills. Tax reform that actually cuts property taxes - not petty political feuds. Common sense public policy - not social issue melodrama spun by the fringe. I think most of us would choose pragmatic governing in Austin any day over partisan divisiveness. But it's always nice when you hear a group of elected officials, all conservative Republicans, admit they want it, too. On Monday, a panel of six county judges representin

High-speed rail may benefit Dallas and Houston, but at Ellis County’s expense? Landowners fearful

Carma Sullivan’s farmland has been in her husband’s family for nearly six generations. Their business is a noble one, growing crops for meager profits, but their way of life is under threat because of the Dallas to Houston high-speed rail project. The Sullivan family farm sits on about 1,000 acres at the edge of Ellis County, touching Navarro County. Sullivan and her family all live on the land, farming their own portion, but are worried that their farming days could end once

Texas bullet train proposal pits rural landowners against urbanites

About 100 miles north of Houston, the landscape is dotted with sprawling farms and remote ranches. But critics say parts of the region could change if the Federal Railroad Administration approves a $12 billion infrastructure project. Texas Central, a privately run railroad company, is hoping to build a high-speed bullet train similar to the bullet train system already in operation between Tokyo and Osaka in Japan. The train would connect Dallas and Houston in less than 90 min

DEIS to be discussed at public meetings

With the release of the Federal Railroad Administration’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement on Texas Central Partner’s high speed rail project, residents and agencies are pouring over the extensive document before scheduled public meetings are held during the 60-day comment period. “The process is specifically designed for public involvement,” said Texas Central on their website description of the DEIS. “The 60-day public comment period that began with the Dec. 22 notice i

LPG, LNG tankers take advantage of expanded Panama Canal

With 2017 marking the first full year since the $5 billion expansion of the Panama Canal, shipments of liquefied petroleum gas and liquefied natural gas combined marked one of the largest uses of the recently enhanced waterway, Ambassador Juan B. Sosa, consul of Panama, said Tuesday. The transport of cargoes of LPG and LNG, largely from ports along the US Gulf Coast to markets in Asia, has had a "tremendous impact" on the total volume of cargoes transiting through the canal

Tech Enables Better On-Demand Services for Transit Agencies

Taxi trips in Kansas City, Mo., have fallen to $3 for some passengers, while similar door-to-door transportation services can be arranged in Tampa, Fla., for just a few dollars. A similar transit program in Austin, Texas, has made its rides free. These three cities are just a few examples of transit agencies experimenting with transportation models that offer more “on-demand” services while exploring new transit options in neighborhoods with few regular bus routes. “The mille

Feds pick preferred route for Dallas-to-Houston bullet train

The Dallas-to-Houston bullet train rolled a few inches closer to the starting line Friday with the release of a long-awaited federal study that narrows down several possible routes to a single path through powerline easements. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement, released by the U.S. Department of Transportation, doesn't necessarily endorse the so-called Utility Corridor. The feds still have 60 days to hear from the public before a final decision is made at a date undete

Highway panel dumps planned I-35 toll lanes

A state transportation panel has dropped a plan to eventually add a pair of toll lanes to Interstate 35 from San Antonio to Austin, removing it and every other proposed tollway from its 10-year, $70 billion outline of 15 major road projects. The stretch of I-35 in Central Texas is annually listed among the most congested in the nation. The 5-0 vote Thursday by the Texas Transportation Commission illustrated how the state’s political system continues to eliminate options to de

Morris: Learning from the Dutch about water management

Texans love the idea that they are unique, which, of course, in many ways, they are. When it comes to Houston land development and flood control efforts, however, there is much Texas shares with the Dutch: Drain the land, channel the bayous, build huge storm-water infrastructure, get flooded, repeat. In terms of hydrology and geology, there are striking similarities between Rotterdam and Houston, the Dutch Delta and Galveston Bay, and the Dutch and Texas coasts. Moreover, Hou

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