Metropolitan Transit Authority
of Harris County, Texas

High Occupancy Toll (HOT) project becomes hot topic

As part of his State of METRO address delivered at a Greater Houston Partnership luncheon on October 25, 2006, President and CEO Frank Wilson said that METRO is working on a High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lane project.  The HOT lane project, part of the scope of the METRO Solutions Phase 2 Implementation Plan, would allow solo drivers to use High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes by paying a toll.  A pilot HOT lane could be introduced by next fall. 

METRO is in the early stages of project planning, so the details are in development.  At this time, METRO has outlined the guiding principles for the work ahead on developing HOT lanes, which appear here in order of priority:

1. Move more people / vehicles in the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes
2. Preserve the level of service for commuter bus routes, van pools, and carpools
3. Provide an additional travel alternative in the HOV lane corridors
4. Reduce/eliminate Metro's HOV operating costs
5. Offset new HOT lane operational costs

Read HOT lane project news coverage.

METRO Solutions: the ripple effect 

Another important aspect of Frank Wilson's State of METRO presentation on October 25 was a vision of what METRO Solutions represents for the business community. 

Preliminary engineering work worth $37 million is underway on all 5 corridors, with about 40 percent of this work going to small local businesses.  This translates to 2,400 direct and indirect jobs and the list is just beginning as design work will continue into 2007.  As construction begins in the summer of 2007, METRO projects that nearly 60,000 people will be working during the program, or 10 percent of the Greater Houston Partnership's job creation goal.

Further coverage of Frank Wilson's presentation will be published in our monthly newsletter, METRO Connections.  We will also post the presentation online very soon.  Visit us regularly this week.

Community Visioning Workshops scheduled for Public Art Program 

Are you a life-long resident of the East End and have old photos or memorabilia?  Are you a resident of the Northside and you feel you have a good sense of its historical value?  Are you someone who has a strong sense of community and wants to have a say in how your community looks and represents itself?  If you've answered yes to the above questions, METRO is seeking your perspective to collaborate with the Public Art Program.   Residents of the East End and the Northside are invited to attend one of the scheduled workshops:

October 30, 2006
Volume I, No. 27

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Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas
1900 Main
Houston, TX 77002