McCaul urges TXDOT to take action on Highway 290 Congestion

Congressman Michael McCaul of the Texas 10th Congressional District testified in Austin today before the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) in order to urge prioritization for funding the reconstruction of the US 290/ IH 610 interchange.

Completion of this segment will have a direct impact on traffic flow for the residents of Cypress and Cy-Fair, who commute to and from Houston. With the continued growth of the Cy-Fair area, and in particular of the Cypress area, the Highway 290 commute has become one of the most congested and problematic in Houston routinely handing commuters travel times of more than one to two hours.

In addition to his testimony before the TXDOT, Congressman McCaul also sent the following letter requesting action for the US 290/IH 610 Interchange project.

November 16, 2009

Texas Transportation Commission
Texas Department of Transportation
125 East 11th Street
Austin, Texas 78701

Dear Texas Transportation Commission and Chairwoman Delisi,

I am testifying here today to urge the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) and this Commission to give funding priority for Proposition 12 bond projects for the reconstruction of US 290/ IH 610 interchange with managed lanes which will expand the capacity of U.S. Highway 290 and reduce overall accidents in this area. As you are aware, Hwy 290 has become increasingly more congested and dangerous and therefore improvements deserve immediate attention.

It is imperative that Proposition 12 funding is allocated for Hwy 290 for the continued growth and safety of the residents for the greater Houston area and its surrounding communities. These immediate improvements are necessary for this highway since it is a main traveled artery for tens of thousands of Cypress residents and fellow Houstonians. Highway 290 is heavily traveled on a daily basis and leads to over 200 accidents per year between this 2.9 mile stretch from Highway 290 and IH-10. This equates to approximately one accident every other day.

In addition to the necessary safety improvements for Hwy 290, this highway serves as an evacuation route for the Greater Gulf Coast Region and is one of the primary hurricane evacuation routes for the Houston area. During the evacuation of Hurricane Rita, U.S. Hwy 290 experienced overwhelming congestion. In fact, the Governor’s Task Force appointed a study for the entire coastal evacuation effort and recognized parts of U.S. 290 as a specific priority for improvement.

Again, I implore TXDOT and this Commission to allocate the necessary Proposition 12 funding for U.S. Hwy 290 as it is essential that this highway is improved and expanded in the immediate future to improve safety and quality of life for the residents of the greater Houston area. I truly appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to working with you on this extremely important improvement project.

Sincerely,

Michael T. McCaul
Member of Congress

Representative McCaul understands that the obligations of a member of Congress are not always confined to matters that garner the most headlines, sometimes serving your constituents is as simple as helping them get to and from work more easily.