US 90A/Southwest Rail Corridor
Scoping Results Report - July 2011
Scoping is a study process designed to inform and solicit input from the public, interest groups, and participating agencies about a proposed project, its alternatives, and issues. The main goal of the scoping process is to encourage active participation of the public and agencies early in the decision-making process. It provides the public with an opportunity to communicate issues and concerns, and to help develop and evaluate alternatives.
METRO held five scoping meetings for the US90A/ Southwest Rail Corridor including an agency scoping meeting in February 2011. The Scoping comment period ended on March 11, 2011. The Scoping Results Report (PDF) describes the results of the scoping process, including comments received during Scoping.
METRO continues to work with the community, agencies and other stakeholders and welcomes comments and input as it continues to evaluate various alternatives for the US90A/Southwest Rail Corridor project.
The scoping process was conducted in cooperation with FTA, METRO, and local elected officials.
METRO Initiates EIS for the US 90A/Southwest Corridor
On January 10, 2011, METRO initiated the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the US 90A/Southwest Rail Corridor. The US 90A/Southwest Rail corridor extends approximately eight miles from the Fannin South Station at the southern end of the existing METRORail Red Line to the vicinity of West Sam Houston Tollway (Beltway 8) in Missouri City, Texas.
The first step is to determine the scope of the EIS so issues are identified early and properly studied. The end result of the scoping process is to ensure that the draft EIS is thorough and balanced. The scoping process is the best opportunity for agencies and the public to raise potential environmental or social impacts that should be considered, as well as any additional alternatives that should be studied.
METRO will host public scoping meetings, beginning in February 2011 to encourage public participation and comment. A copy of the Scoping Package is available for download by clicking the link. To provide your comments online, please click here and select the "90A Southwest Corridor" from the "Topic/Category" drop down menu.
Study Area
The study area is located within the Houston urban area and is defined as being within a half-mile radius of the US 90A/Southwest rail corridor, which extends from the METRORail Fannin South Station to the vicinity of Beltway 8. The majority of the study area (left) is within Harris County, with a small portion within Fort Bend County. The entire corridor is within the METRO service area. It is about eight miles long, linking the City of Houston and the City of Missouri City.
Future rail transit service along the US 90A/Southwest rail corridor would function as an extension of the METRORail Red Line, connecting significant employment areas such as Downtown Houston and the Texas Medical Center with the cities of Missouri City and Stafford. Rail expansion in this corridor would link Fort Bend County and southwest Harris County with major activity centers currently served by the existing METRORail Red Line. These include several colleges, medical research campuses, cultural, sports and entertainment complexes as well as future METRO rail extensions for the North, Southeast and East End corridors.
The study area (outlined with a black dotted line) is shown below within the context of the Houston area:
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Study Schedule |
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How to Get Involved
Public scoping meetings (in open house format) will be held during February 2011 to communicate information about the study and to seek input from the community. Please attend the meeting that is most convenient to you. Additional meetings will be scheduled later in the year as the study progresses.
| February 15, 2011 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. |
February 15, 2011 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. |
February 16, 2011 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. |
February 22, 2011 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. |
| Waterside Café TMC Commons Area 6550 Bertner, STE: 1 Houston, TX 77030 |
Missouri City Community Center 1522 Texas Parkway Missouri City, TX 77489 |
The Power Center Southeast Ballroom 12401 S. Post Oak Rd. Houston, TX 77045 |
Westbury High School Atrium 11911 Chimney Rock Houston, TX 77035 |
Preliminary Alternatives
The US 90A/Southwest Corridor has been the subject of discussion for many years in terms of the projected growth and potential future development, the transportation needs and challenges, and the range of the possible transportation solutions. It was included in Metro Solutions as a potential commuter rail corridor.
METRO has performed early analysis of potential impacts and order of magnitude costs for preliminary alternatives and held initial meetings with public officials and stakeholders within the corridor. METRO has been looking at various funding options and different ways of initiating a formal public process. Based upon these early considerations, and for the purposes of stimulating discussion during the scoping process, the initial list of alternatives for consideration include:
- No Build Alternative
- Alternative 1 – North of UP Railroad – Buffalo Lakes/West Bellfort
- Alternative 2 – North of UP Railroad/Fannin
- Alternative 3 – UP Right-of-Way – Fannin
- Alternative 4 – Between UP Railroad and US 90A – Buffalo Lakes/West Bellfort
- Alternative 5 – South of US90A – Buffalo Lakes/West Bellfort
Technology alternatives will be addressed during the EIS process including those alternatives that would require use of Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) compliant rail vehicles, such as would be case with Build Alternative 3.
The preliminary alternatives are illustrated below.
Media-related Material
2/7/11 - Download Media Briefing Presentation (PDF)
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