HOUSTON – Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner spoke to the Texas Transportation Commission at length last week about the city's mobility challenges.
Turner said the city's previous strategy of adding roadway capacity for single-occupancy vehicles is no longer an effective way of addressing the city's congestion issues, and in fact are making the problem worse.
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He cites the Katy Freeway as a perfect example of the issue.
"The Katy Freeway, or Interstate 10 west of Houston, is the widest freeway in the world, with up to 26 lanes, including frontage road lanes. The 2008 widening had a significant impact on the adjacent businesses and communities," he said. "Yet, despite all these lanes, in 2015, the section of this freeway near Beltway 8 was identified as the eighth most congested roadway in the state. This was only 7 years after being reconstructed."
Turner envisions a "paradigm shift" in urban transportation in order to achieve the desired mobility in Houston.
"We need greater focus on inter-city rail, regional rail, high-occupancy vehicle facilities, park and rides, transit centers, and robust local transit," Turner said. "As we grow and densify, these modes are the future foundation of a successful urban mobility system. It’s all about providing transportation choices."
He also believes highway resources should be diverted toward the urban core — crossroads where freeways, railways, and ports such as the Port of Houston come together, and where the region’s mobility systems often bear the greatest stress.
He said planners must ensure the "last mile" of the commute had adequate capacity to handle the increased volume of vehicles as a result of recent highway improvements.