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30 August 2006
KHOU: TXDOT will consider Camacho I-45 tunnel proposal
KHOU-11's Wendell Edwards checks in on Gonzalo Camacho, who apparently has managed to get TXDOT at least to listen to his proposals to use tunnels to expand I-45:
When he heard TxDOT was studying how to expand the North Freeway Camacho developed his own concept.
He designed what he calls the 1-45 Parkway, complete with two underground, double-stacked tunnels.
“I wouldn’t call this a light idea. If you go onto the website you can find a lot of information. It’s probably close to a year of research. And I’m talking 24/7,” said Camacho.
[snip]
“We are going to take a look at that and study that as one of the options that might be permissible within the confines of the space that we have and perhaps the economy that we will have as well,” said Norm Wiggington, TxDOT spokesman.
TXDOT will surely look at many proposals it receives, but it remains to be seen if the tunnel concept (which we have discussed before) is viable.
Camacho's tunnel proposal is located here.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ Camacho I-45 tunnel proposal"> 08/30/06 09:11 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (8)
22 August 2005
I-45 tunnel concept is far from a "no-brainer"
Patrick Kurp reports in today's Chronicle that Gonzalo Camacho is continuing to push his I-45 tunnel concept:
Gonzalo Camacho remains convinced that running 14.5 miles of Interstate 45 under the ground would cost less, be built faster, displace fewer people and businesses, and create less air pollution than any conventional, above-ground road design.
"It's a no-brainer. It would be a large error that would be with us for a long time if the elected officials didn't get behind the tunnel idea," said Camacho, a transportation engineer and the most public proponent of making Houston home to the longest tunnel in the United States.
Camacho raised the idea in a public meeting in April and since has met with Texas Department of Transportation officials, the city's planning commission and community groups.
Just a few weeks ago, I attended Camacho's presentation of the tunnel concept to the Houston Property Rights Association, and at that time he said that his proposal was in its early stages, and that a $300,000 study would be required to know if it is truly feasible.
It is odd that in a few weeks' time, Camacho has changed his tune and what can only be described as a raw conceptual proposal has now morphed into a "no-brainer" in his mind.
Camacho's enthusiasm for his proposal is admirable, but clearly the proposal is not fleshed out enough at this point to be described as a "no-brainer."
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/22/05 10:45 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (27)
28 June 2008
East End no longer overlooked (except when it still is)
At METRO's exciting East End light rail groundbreaking this week, amidst the streamers and fireworks (but apparently NOT scratch-off cards -- or an agreement with the contractor actually expected to do the work), Mayor White offered the following boast:
"It may have been said in the past, but it can't be said now that the city of Houston is overlooking the East End," Mayor Bill White said to applause from about 200 attendees.
Really?
Perhaps the mayor's Prius and bicycle don't find their way into the East End on his commute to and from City Hall each day, because KHOU-11's Brad Woodard reports that funded East End sidewalk improvements are indeed being overlooked by Mayor White's government:
The City of Houston has a predicament on its hands.
They’ve received millions of federal dollars to build sidewalks intended to keep kids safe going to and from school.
But those sidewalks haven’t been built, and now that money is just sitting there while construction costs rise.
“This is a wealthy city. We shouldn’t see this,” civil engineer Gonzalo Camacho said.
In reality, it’s what you don’t see on many of the East End streets that concerns Camacho.
“The fact is, people live here. They have to walk from here somewhere. The only way people and kids can walk along here is cross the street and go over there. But there’s no crossing here,” Camacho said.
It was Camacho that did a cost analysis and helped the city get the federal grant. They were supposed to use the money to improve sidewalks around six East End Schools.
They got $2.4 million from the Safe Routes to Schools program, all funneled through TXDoT.
“That was in September. September of ’07. It’s June of ’08. Any new sidewalks yet?” Camacho said.
There aren’t.
“The funding is available. It has been secured on behalf of the City of Houston, so now it’s up to the City of Houston to secure those funds and implement those projects,” TXDoT’s Raquelle Lewis said.
More specifically, it’s up to the Public Works Department.
So much for not overlooking the East End.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/28/08 12:37 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (4)
07 August 2005
Camacho touts benefits of tunneling for I-45 expansion
Back in June, the Houston Press ran a feature on Gonzalo Camacho, a traffic/civil engineer with a unique approach to TXDOT's announced intentions to expand I-45 -- tunneling. Here's the gist of Camacho's proposal:
There's a little something for everyone in Camacho's solution. Sinking a portion of I-45 into a tunnel eliminates the need for more right-of-way, the primary fear of frontline homeowners. A tunnel could be constructed faster than a typical highway and more cheaply than a depressed or stacked system -- though a traditional flatland expressway is still the cheapest. Eliminating on- and off-ramps would make driving safer. And air treatment would help clean the skies by removing up to 90 percent of the solids in tunnel exhaust.
If all that doesn't sway you, just wait for the colorful PowerPoint presentation. Simply stated: Tunnels look cool. And if you're in the development game, think of those wide swaths of rubble that will need to be transformed after I-45 disappears underground.
After reading the Press present that recap for idiots swayed by the term "world class," I pretty much dismissed the proposal.
That was a mistake. I was able to catch Camacho's presentation myself on Friday at the weekly meeting of Barry Klein's invaluable Houston Property Rights Association, and I have to say that Camacho strikes me as a serious man with a serious proposal.
Camacho makes the case that existing tunneling technology can be used right now to construct a 14 mile I-45 expansion. He claims that it would have a number of benefits to plans currently being considered by TXDOT, including cost (he says tunneling would be cheaper than any traditional road construction except for at-grade construction), the ability to create revenue streams (through traffic could be charged tolls for the convenience of using the limited-access tunnel), aesthetics (obvious), ability to use existing right of way, and limited environmental impact (air would be filtered, so effectively traffic would generate no pollution, not to mention that this type of construction wouldn't cause drainage issues).
Camacho contends that a serious study of the proposal would cost about $300,000. Part of his pitch seems oriented towards generating support for such a study of the proposal. I'm not a civil or traffic engineer, so I can't especially offer a truly educated critique of what Camacho proposes. But he makes a compelling case to a layman.
SUPPLEMENTAL: Camacho's PowerPoint presentation.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ Camacho touts benefits of tunneling for I-45 expansion"> 08/07/05 11:04 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (14)
14 November 2005
Transportation tidbits
There were a couple of interesting snippets in Rad Sallee's transportation column today.
First was METRO's explanation of why public hearings were cancelled recently:
Last week, the Metropolitan Transit Authority abruptly canceled two public meetings on proposed changes in 59 of its 85 bus routes, six of which were set for elimination.
But Metro says protests from the public were not the reason.
"Of course we did get e-mails and phone calls when we posted the changes," said spokesman George Smalley. But the meetings were canceled for three other reasons, he said.
First, combined bus and rail ridership was up nearly 15 percent in October over the same month in 2004. Smalley said Metro wants to find out why, and assess whether the rise is likely to be permanent, before making service changes.
Metro also wants to simplify its complicated fare structure, which some at the agency believe has turned off potential customers, Smalley said.
Third, Metro is waiting to see the results of a poll by the mayor's office, asking whether residents would rather have the agency deal with high fuel prices by cutting service or by raising fares for the first time since 1994.
Hmm, let's see... what might explain an increase in ridership in October? Oh yeah, lots of hurricane refugees using the city's public transit (for free) not to mention two World Series games. METRO should hire us as consultants, and overpay us.
Next was this criticism of METRO:
Speaking of bus service, Gonzalo Camacho criticizes Metro for investing in joint developments with private companies to build and lease office and retail space at two transit facilities.
"Instead of focusing on providing good transit service to its current transit users and expand on that, Metro is getting into a new business," Camacho wrote.
"At this rate, with the replacement of inexpensive bus transit routes with expensive bus rapid transit and light rail, and new development, my prediction is that transit ridership will continue to decrease while costs for operation and maintenance will continue to increase," he said.
Metro spokesman Ken Connaughton said that the joint projects cost Metro and taxpayers nothing and will actually produce revenue. "They will also add value to the riders' transit experience and are expected to further increase ridership," he said.
To further INCREASE ridership? We weren't aware it had been increasing, aside from October's numbers.
The column does not identify Gonzalo Camacho, who is a local civil engineer who specializes in transportation. Camacho has been a strong advocate of expanding I-45 via a tunnel system.
RELATED: Complaints about METRO's joint developments (Owen Courreges, Lone Star Times).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/14/05 10:57 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (0)
13 August 2005
I-45 Coalition Meeting Today
The I-45 coalition will be hosting a town hall meeting this afternoon to discuss TxDOT's I-45 expansion plans.
Officials from TxDOT will present their plans, and Gonzalo Camacho will present his alternative tunnel concept that we noted previously.
The question-and-answer session should be interesting, as residents, activists, and various politicians are expected to be in attendance.
The meeting will begin at 2 p.m. at Jeff Davis High School, 1101 Quitman.
RELATED: Meeting on I-45 plan will be held Saturday (Tom Manning, Houston Chronicle)
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 08/13/05 09:17 AM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (2)
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