Millions For Bike Trails

A more bike friendly Houston takes shape: $12.6 million in bike trail improvements are coming

The goal of being able to travel across Houston without using a car is moving forward with the city's Parks and Recreation Department triumphing four Transportation Enhancement Program grants totaling $6.5 million that will go toward the completion of major hike and bike trails.

Three of the four projects funded will connect existing trails, parks, bus and METRO rail stop and neighborhoods along Brays Bayou. The fourth will tie into an ongoing flood control project on Hunting Bayou.

“These four grants will help us provide Houstonians with connections to existing off-road trails that will have long lasting positive impact on current and future generations,” Mayor Annise Parker said in a statement. “This helps toward our goal of stringing our green spaces together to provide expanded recreation options and improved quality of life for our residents.”

The estimated total cost is $12.6 million, with $6.6 million in federal funds and a combination of public and private funds of $6 million for the local match.

The four projects, which are scheduled for completion by the end of 2015, include:

Mason Park Pedestrian Bike Bridge (TE funding: $3,544,579). The construction of a pedestrian/bicycle bridge over Brays Bayou, along with 200 feet of new trail on each bank, will link existing paths with neighborhoods, business districts and community service institutions.

University Connection (TE funding: $1,844,655). This project will provide a safe pedestrian/bicycle crossing for Brays Bayou near two new light rail transit centers, two universities and neighborhoods in the MacGregor Park area. The link will connect paths along Brays Bayou and Martin Luther King Boulevard.

Hunting Bayou Gaps (TE funding: $607,430). This project will connect 1.5 miles of trails along Hunting Bayou with one mile of new construction, using work underway as a Harris County Flood Control project to connect Mickey Leland and Hutcheson parks.

Hermann Park/Brays Bayou Connectors (TE funding: $59,742). These trails are part of a comprehensive plan to connect 35 miles of existing trails stretching from the Houston Ship Channel to west Houston. It will complete heavily used trails in Hermann Park and increase pedestrian connection to several universities and the Texas Medical Center.

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income analysis

Texas families need to make this much money for one parent to stay home

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

With costs to raise a child soaring over $20,000 a year in Texas, some households might decide to have one parent work while the other stays at home to raise their child.

As the cost of raising a child balloons in major cities like Houston, many families are weighing the choice between paying for child care or having one parent stay home full-time.

A recent analysis from SmartAsset determined the minimum income one parent needs to earn to support their partner staying at home to raise one child in all 50 states. In Texas — not just Houston — that amount is just under $75,000.

The study used the MIT Living Wage Calculator to compare the annual living wages needed for a household with two working adults and one child, and a household with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child. The study also calculated how much it would cost to raise a child with two working parents based on factors such as "food, housing, childcare, healthcare, transportation, incremental income taxes and other necessities."

A Texas household with one working parent would need to earn $74,734 a year to support a stay-at-home partner and a child, the report found. If two parents worked in the household, necessitating some additional costs like childcare and transportation, it would require an additional $10,504 in annual income to raise their child.

SmartAsset said the cost to raise a child in Texas in a two-working-parent household adds up to $23,587. Raising a child in Houston, however, is somewhat more affordable. A separate SmartAsset study from June 2025 determined it costs $21,868 to raise a child in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro.

In the report's ranking of states with the highest minimum income needed to support a family with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child, Texas ranked 32nd on the list.

In other states like Massachusetts, where raising a child can cost more than $40,000 a year, the report acknowledges ways families are working to reduce any financial burdens.

"This often includes considerations around who’s going to work in the household, and whether young children will require paid daycare services while parents are occupied," the report said. "With tradeoffs abound, many parents might seek to understand the minimum income needed to keep the family afloat while allowing the other parent to stay home to raise a young child."

The top 10 states with the lowest minimum income threshold to support a three-person family on one income are:

West Virginia – $68,099
Arkansas – $68,141
Mississippi – $70,242
Kentucky – $70,408
North Dakota – $70,949
Oklahoma – $71,718
Ohio – $72,114
South Dakota – $72,218
Alabama – $72,238
Nebraska – $72,966

texas income smartasset family