Major Road Troubles
A temporary traffic reprieve: Horrific Westheimer construction is delayed by city review
Travel along Westheimer from Shepherd to Kirby is going to get worse before it gets better.
According to an Upper Kirby District newsletter sent out this week, the project — which was initially set to begin in January — was delayed in the design process and then again in city review.
Now, as the plans await approval from the City of Houston, the district is planning for a notice to proceed to arrive early in May and hoping to receive bids next week and make selections at a TIRZ No. 19 board meeting on April 24.
The Upper Kirby District promises that the first phase — which involves the burial of overhead utilities, and is expected to last four to five months — should have "little to no impact on traffic."
The second phase will involve drainage work and underground infrastructure improvements. Upper Kirby District's deputy director Travis Younkin told CultureMap late last year that traffic would be cut "down to two lanes between Shepherd and Kirby first, then Kirby to Buffalo Speedway in the second phase."
The final phase, which entails the complete repaving of the roadway, is anticipated to begin in Jan. 2014, and will include the installation of a pedestrian-oriented streetscape.