Other major projects under construction at the same time:

• Cotswold (Entertainment District street reconstruction)
• Downtown and mid-town street reconstruction
• Minute Maid Park
• Enron Tower
• Hilton Hotel
• Toyota Center
• George R. Brown Convention Center expansion

Street closure parameters:

• The Main Street Bridge reconstruction closed the very north entrance to Downtown on Main St. by UH-D. A lane was added to San Jacinto.
• When blocks of Main St. were closed, the intersections remained open for local traffic access.
• When intersections were closed, no two adjacent streets with same directional traffic could be closed at the same time. There was a segment of three blocks (300, 400 & 500 block of Main St.) at the north end of downtown that was closed for an extended time. Due to significant utility upgrade and relocation, METRO worked with contractors, businesses and civic leaders to accelerate construction and restore access to the 300, 400, and 500 blocks one year ahead of schedule.

Other historic events having a chilling effect on business during rail construction:

• June 5 – 9, 2001 / Tropical Storm Allison:
• Two feet of rain on central Houston caused damages estimated at more than $5 billion in Harris County.
• City of Houston spent over $50 million to repair city property.
• September 11, 2001 / Terrorist attacks in New York and DC
• Direct impact to airline industry severely affected Continental Airlines.

Fall of 2001 / Enron scandal and subsequent collapse:

• December 3, 2001: 4,000 employees lost their jobs due to layoffs a day after the company filed for bankruptcy.

Year METRORail was inaugurated:

• 2004 (January 1).

Special events in 2004 immediately benefiting from new light rail:

• February 2 – Super Bowl XXXVIII
• March – Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
• July 12 – MLB All-Star Game
• Fall – Houston Texans home games

Projected ridership by 2020:

• 39,000 (average daily weekday)
• Actual ridership in August 2005: 40,000 (average daily weekday)

Number of rail cars operating daily:

• 18

Cumulative number of METRORail riders as of mid-Dec. 2005:

• 18 million
• 20 million expected by end of February 2006

Number of bus trips no longer running along Main Street:

• 346 (every weekday)

Examples of business in operation before, during and after construction:

• Mia Bella 320 Main
• St. Pete’s Dancing Marlin 300 Main
• Mercury Room 1008 Prairie St
• Zula 705 Main
• Bossa 610 Main
• Café Express 650 Main
• Cabo 419 Travis
• Dean’s Credit Clothing (bar) 316 Main
• Grasshopper 506 Main
• La Carafe 813 Congress
• Sambucca Jazz Café 909 Texas

Businesses newly opened along METRORail corridor:

• CVS Pharmacy 917 Main Street
• Wilson, Cribbs & Goren, P.C. 2500 Fannin
• Julia’s Bistro 3722 Main Street
• T’afia Restaurant 3701 Travis
• Morris Architects 1001 Fannin
• Hotel Icon 220 Main Street
• Bank Restaurant 220 Main
• St. Luke’s Hospital (300,000 sq. ft.) 3100 Main
• Corner Bakery Café 1000 Main
• Cava Bistro 301 Main
• El Rey 233 Main
• El Centro 416 Main
• Jefe Bar 502 Main
• Live! Sports Café 407 Main
• Reliant Building 1000 Main
• Marriott (Humble Oil Building renovation) 904 Dallas

Other major developments along METRORail:

• University of Houston Downtown – College of Business building 32,000 square feet, began construction 1/30/06
• Texas Medical Center Transit Center – mixed use development by Transwestern Houston.
• Houston Pavilions - mixed-use project developed by Geoffrey Jones and William Denton
• Three blocks along Dallas Street between Main and Caroline
• 350,000 square feet of shops and entertainment destinations
• A 12-story condominium tower
• 200,000-square-foot office building
• Low-rise buildings connected by walkways
• A central corridor

Bus routes interacting with METRORail

• 86 (approximately)

Property value impacts:

• Property located within a quarter mile radius of a light rail station tends to have a 20 – 25% greater appreciation than adjacent property. (Source: Urban Land Institute)
• Property values in the four blocks surrounding Main and McKinney increased as follows:
• More than $10 million from 2000 to 2004 (Source: Houston Downtown Management District).

Lessons learned from METRORail construction:

• Perform construction in sequential segments, rather than all-at-once.
• Minimize utility replacement.
• Temporary asphalt walkways and driveways for improved access.
• Communicate, coordinate, and assist the local business community with signage, public notices, and off-hours construction.