Amen! Something desperately needs to be done about our construction problem. Construction is a necessary evil, but it doesn't have to be this big of a problem. It seems like the city has no ablity whatsoever to coordinate it's own construction, and that of the state and utility companies. There needs to be some kind of emphasis placed on maintaining the flow of traffic, and getting some kind of a traffic management plan. Editorial on downtown construction: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/editorial/699787 Oct. 15, 2000, 6:36PM HIGH STAKES: Street digging threatens downtown redevelopment The construction site of the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, due to open in 2002, last week provided the scene for a press conference to assess the state of downtown. Mayor Lee Brown, Harris County Judge Robert Eckels and others made the case that downtown Houston is back and booming, but none dwelled on the forces that threaten to slow or reverse the tide. In recent years, about $1 billion in downtown construction projects have been completed, including Enron Field, Bayou Place, the Rice Hotel conversion and dozens of shops, restaurants and clubs. Another $1 billion in projects such as the Hobby Center are under way, with a third $1 billion worth scheduled to break ground in the next couple of years. All this investment has lured thousands of new residents and theatergoers downtown to experience urban living at its most exciting and enjoyable. Unfortunately, a lack of coordination by the city has made almost every downtown street bottlenecked and many impassable. Few streets can be traveled without the risk of damage to the vehicle. Until recently, utility crews did not get permits before tearing up the streets. Few repaired the damage properly; most left streets rough and rutted. Today, crews laying fiber optic cables are tearing up streets that have just been resurfaced and landscaped at huge expense to the taxpayers. The rough and blocked streets are starting to thin the nighttime crowds of Houstonians coming downtown to enjoy themselves. If the people stop coming, the private-sector dollars invested in downtown will stop flowing, and the public and private dollars already spent could yield few dividends. With all those billions of dollars invested or in the pipeline, the city of Houston cannot afford to let downtown's street grid be destroyed and its traffic paralyzed or subjected to hazard. City officials say they are trying to coordinate the digging, but they need to limit the digging so no more than half the streets are blocked at any time. Utility crews that dig up freshly laid pavement must be required to make repairs that leave streets as smooth and sound as they were when the first backhoe arrived. At their press conference last week, the mayor and other officials clearly stated the high stakes involved in downtown redevelopment. Better management and coordination of road and construction projects is essential if the city is to avoid squandering its investment. [/i] Related Article from Page 1 -- On area construction: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/topstory/709348 ...When a private company tore up part of Texas Avenue through downtown, just four months after a new street had been laid, it convinced Lewis that better regulations are needed. ... ------------------ Stay Cool... [This message has been edited by dc sports (edited October 16, 2000).]
