HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) received 193 proposed transportation projects from various sponsors within the eight-county transportation management area seeking federal funding through the “2018 Call for Projects” application process. Approximately $920 million of flexible funding including the federal, state, and local match is authorized for programming in the next 10 years (FY 2019 – FY 2028). Application requests totaled $2.9 billion in federal funding requests.
“The proposed highway, freight, transit, bicycle and pedestrian projects requesting federal funding will be evaluated, ranked, prioritized, and released by H-GAC for public review and comment in January 2019,” Adam Beckom, transportation program manager for H-GAC said.
After the public review process, H-GAC’s Transportation Policy Council will make the final selection of projects for federal funding commitment. The selected projects will be programmed in the 2019-2022 Transportation Improvement Program, the H-GAC 10-Year Transportation Plan, and the Draft 2045 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP). H-GAC will seek public review and comment on the Draft 2045 RTP in early spring before it is finalized and adopted by the policy council.
Public participation is an essential part of the transportation planning process and H-GAC will be hosting a series of public meetings for residents to review the draft selection of transportation projects for the region.
“During the public meetings, residents will have the opportunity to comment on the draft selection of the transportation projects and to learn what’s next for the 2045 RTP,” Beckom said.
H-GAC will highlight an expert panel featuring “Transportation 101: What You Need to Know.” The panel will discuss future transportation projects in the region, air quality and transportation conformity, transportation performance measures, and an update on the 2045 Regional Transportation Plan. Public comment period for “2018 Call for Projects” draft selection will open on Jan. 16 and close on Feb. 28. Public comment period for the 2045 Draft Plan and Transportation Conformity will open on March 19, and close on April 16. General comments about the 2045 Regional Transportation Plan may be submitted anytime during the process. For a list of public meeting times and locations, visit 2045RTP.com.
H-GAC is a voluntary association of local governments in the 13-county Gulf Coast Planning Region—an area of 12,500 square miles and seven million people. H-GAC is designated by the State of Texas as the region’s Metropolitan Planning Organization for transportation planning in Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, and Waller Counties.
