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    the sprawl

    METRO referendum is decided, but confusion lingers over future of Houston publictransit

    Tyler Rudick
    Nov 15, 2012 | 12:38 pm
    • With METRO's referendum officially approved, the debate over light rail and thefuture of Houston public transit remains hazy.
    • Transit leaders say the referendum will allow METRO to fix an ailing bus systemand clear it debts for light rail funding.
      Photo courtesy of RideMETRO.org
    • METRO officials say that contruction on the North, East End and Southeast Lineswill be complete by 2014. University and Uptown Lines will be discussed by 2017,with possible public-private partnerships helping to fund the projects.
    • According to a new report by Houston Tomorrow, the Bayou City spends $330 perperson on roads compared to Los Angeles at $261, Dallas at $253 and New York at$96.

    Nov. 6 closed a chapter of one of this election year's most controversial issues — the METRO referendum, a measure allowing the agency to use a portion of additional tax money for street improvement, but not light rail construction.

    After nearly 80 percent of the electorate supported the referendum, Houston leaders like Annise Parker have been spending the past week celebrating the opportunity to fix an ailing bus system and pay down mounting debts. Referendum opponents, meanwhile, remain doubtful the transit authorities will be able to continue funding rail projects.

    "It's never been our intention to abandon the light rail initiative from 2003," said METRO's Dwight Jefferson. "We need a multi-modal system involving buses, trains and HOV lanes."

    Since the public approved a 2003 bond to add 22 miles of rail lines, METRO officials recently told the Houston Chronicle the agency has sacrificed bus improvements for rail. The newly-approved referendum will allow the city to add much-needed bus shelters, replace aging vehicles and analyze existing routes.

    "It's never been our intention to abandon the light rail initiative from 2003," METRO board member Dwight Jefferson told CultureMap Monday. "We need a multi-modal system involving buses, trains and HOV lanes to cover an area as large as Houston."

    Jefferson said that, thanks to the passing of the referendum, the transit authority will be able to pay down a $190 million in current debts. METRO will complete the current construction projects on the North and East End Lines, leaving the logistics of building the final lines — Uptown and University — to be decided in the future. (Click for the full map.)

    "By 2016 or 2017, we hope to have our funds in the positive so we can leverage money to finance the remaining two lines voters approved in 2003," he explained, noting that METRO plans to partner with groups like the Galleria District to secure additional financial support.

    Future too bus-centric for some

    Jay Crossley with Houston Tomorrow, the advocacy group that led the anti-referendum movement, fears that the voter-approved measure allows METRO too much room to abandon the future rail lines — routes that will be needed to help control vehicle traffic as the city continues to grow.

    He pointed to a recent Houston Tomorrow report that found that the eight-county Houston region spends more on roads per capita than any other major metropolitan area in the nation. Of the top 10 largest US cities, the Bayou City spends about $330 per person on street maintenance and construction compared to Los Angeles at $261, Dallas at $253 and New York at $96.

    Funding towards road projects like the Grand Parkway only encourage people to live in distant neighborhoods, according to Jay Crossley of Houston Tomorrow.

    "Clearly, this level of spending isn't a sustainable path for Houston transportation," Crossley told CultureMap. "METRO has been a model for great light rail. Along with Los Angeles we've been leading the nation in the creation of modern public transportation systems. After this referendum, L.A. certainly will move ahead."

    With the ability to use more tax dollars for road projects like the Grand Parkway, he believes that METRO and the area municipal governments encourage people to live in distant neighborhoods, increasing congestion and average commute times. He promised that, post-referendum, Houston Tomorrow will recalibrate its outreach and continue to push for responsible transit.

    According to a 2011 study by the Brookings Institute, Houston ranks 72 among the nation's 100 largest metropolitan areas in providing transit access to jobs.

    "I truly don't believe people would have voted for METRO's referendum if they knew more of the details about it," Crossley said. "The language was vague and shouldn't have been publicly represented the way it was. We're squandering our abundance here in Houston."

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    eyes on the road

    5 Houston highways rank among deadliest roads in America, per report

    Amber Heckler
    Jun 12, 2025 | 9:30 am
    I-45 Houston downtown
    Photo courtesy of TXDOT
    I-45 is in the hotseat again.

    Heads up to Houstonians commuting on the city's freeways: Five busy Harris County highways were just deemed among the deadliest roads in the country, with I-45 in Houston ranking as the deadliest road in Texas. That's according to a new study based on the latest National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data.

    The study, commissioned by Santa Ana, California-based company Future Bail Bonds, compared fatal crash data across 96,000 U.S. roads from 2019-2023. The top 150 "deadliest" roads were ranked by the total number of fatal crashes that occurred during the five-year period.

    The No. 1 deadliest road in America is I-15 in San Bernardino County, California, the study found. The interstate, which runs from Southern California to Las Vegas, experienced the highest rate of deadly car crashes from 2019-2023 with 196 crashes.

    For comparison, I-45 in Houston had 88 fatal vehicle wrecks during the same time period to rank as the 16th deadliest U.S. road and No. 1 deadliest in Texas. Considering that tens of thousands of people drive the road every day, a fatal crash is relatively unlikely, but the data underscores the need for drivers to remain aware of their surroundings at all times.

    The crowded highway stretches from Dallas to Galveston, and the I-45 North Freeway earned its own spot on the list as the 124th deadliest U.S. road. I-45N experienced 44 deadly crashes between 2019 and 2023, the report said. I-45's controversial expansion project between downtown Houston and the north Sam Houston Tollway (and portions of connecting freeways) also earned it a new reputation as a "freeway without a future" by the activist group Congress for the New Urbanism.

    Elsewhere in Harris County, I-10 ranked as the 22nd deadliest U.S. highway on the list with 76 fatal crashes during the five-year span. It was dubbed the third most fatal Texas highway, with I-35 in Austin splitting up the two Houston roads as the second deadliest statewide.

    "From 2019 to 2023, motor vehicle crashes claimed 186,284 lives across 96,257 roads in the United States, underscoring the persistent danger on American roadways," the report said.

    Two more Houston highways ranked much farther down the report, but still remained among the top 150 deadliest U.S. roads: FM 1960 ranked 114th on the list with 45 fatal crashes, and I-610 ranked No. 131 with 43 fatal crashes.

    Nine other Texas roads that were deemed the deadliest in America with the highest rates of fatal vehicle crashes from 2019-2023 include:

    • No. 23 – I-30 in Dallas County (76 crashes)
    • No. 27 – I-410 in Bexar County (73 crashes)
    • No. 32 – I-10 in El Paso County (69 crashes)
    • No. 63 – I-20 in Tarrant County (56 crashes)
    • No. 66 – I-820 in Tarrant County (55 crashes)
    • No. 115 – SR-12 in Dallas County (45 crashes)
    • No. 130 – I-35 in Bexar County (43 crashes)
    • No. 132 – I-635 in Dallas County (43 crashes)
    • No. 141 – I-10 in Jefferson County (42 crashes)
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