2/26/25 – One week from today, Northpark Drive will close for three days – from March 5-7. UnionPacific Railroad (UPRR) will maneuver a two-hundred-foot section of track and ties – welded and bolted into a single, massive unit – into place across what will become ten lanes of traffic and two sidewalks.
Section Already Assembled, Ready, Waiting
UPRR has already assembled the massive section in the TxDOT right of way along Loop 494 that parallels the tracks. According to a UPRR consultant…
The rails, ties and hardware should weigh approximately 55,000 pounds.
That’s the average weight of 22 small cars.
The photos below show the assembly and where it will move.
Assembly area is in old northbound Loop 494 lanes currently scraped to the dirt. Note new section of track near bottom of frame below existing track.Northpark is in upper rightof frame.Track assembly.Steel plates that cradle rails and hold them in position.Looking S along Loop 494 (right). Northpark at top of frame.New rail will be centered across Northpark where old rail now crosses it. See below.Side shot shows placement of new section.
The plan for maneuvering the giant section of track into place has changed several times. The latest indication from UPRR is that they now plan to use four vehicles, one on each corner to lift and place the section.
Benefits of Single Section
The single, long section of track will provide additional stability for the high traffic area, especially where the track crosses over storm sewers, water lines and other underground utilities.
Once placed, the section will span three vehicle crossovers and two sidewalks.
One to replace the existing roadway.
Two where new feeder roads will go
Two 10-foot-wide multi-use pathways outside of each of the two feeder roads.
Next Steps
When the track crew finishes, a different crew will install temporary signals and gate arms. Once the feeder roads are constructed, they will return to install permanent signals and gate arms.
And once the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority’s contractor, Harper Brothers, completes drainage and utility work, they will build two new feeder roads, each containing two lanes, that cross the tracks.
Then, they will abandon the current center lanes so bridge construction can start later this year. The feeder roads will carry all traffic for the duration of bridge construction.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Track-copy.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2025-02-26 18:14:272025-03-05 11:38:17Northpark Will Close at UPRR Tracks One Week from Today for Three Days
2/25/25 – Today, Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) began picking up remaining Hurricane Beryl Debris from Bens Branch in Kingwood. The cleanup effort began on Tree Lane across from Bear Branch Elementary. More than 600 children in grades K-5 attend school there.
The delayed cleanup effort illustrates the need for community leaders and Flood Control to work more closely together and document cleanup efforts, especially after disasters.
The Fog of Disaster
Beryl left a mess all across the Houston area. The massive cleanup effort involved HCFCD, the City of Houston, FEMA, private contractors, CenterPoint and more working months with little sleep. Responsibilities were inevitably bound to get mixed up on occasion and this was one of them.
HCFCD denies the piles of Beryl debris from Bens Branch were theirs, despite the protestations of local leaders who monitored cleanup efforts.
But Eric Heppen, Harris County Precinct 3’s Director of Engineering, said, “We’re past that now. We’re just going to pick up the piles.” Thank you, Commissioner Ramsey. And thank you, HCFCD.
I’m sure that will be a relief to parents who worried about the temptation the piles represented to young boys eager to test their climbing skills. One of the piles crews worked on today easily exceeded six feet in height.
Chris Bloch, a Bear Branch Trail Association (BBTA) board member, led the fight to get HCFCD to clean up piles at ten locations strung out along the forested portion of Bens Branch, which runs through the center of Kingwood.
Thirteen residents who lived near the stream died as a result of flooding during Hurricane Harvey. Ever since then, residents and the BBTA board have been hyper-vigilant about anything that could back water up in the stream. So, it is good to get this behind us.
Remainder of Piles Should Be Gone by Friday
Jessica Lazo, a HCFCD spokesperson for Precinct 3, said that HCFCD crews should remove the remainder of the debris by this Friday, 2/28/25.
The City removed two piles along Cedar Knolls last week. HCFCD will remove the rest.
First load of two piles near Bens Branch (seen in the background at top of frame) along Tree Lane.The right equipment makes it look so easy...…but its not.Note vines and smaller branches mixed with sections of tree trunks.
The photo above shows HCFCD working on the second load of Beryl debris from Bens Branch. After the first, the crew had to drive to the other side of the county to drop off the debris for recycling. According to an employee I interviewed onsite during the operation, few places at this time can handle mixed loads like this. By mixed, he meant large-diameter tree trunks and smaller branches.
So this could be a lengthy process. I’ll let you know when they complete the job.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/25/25
2737 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/20250225-DJI_20250225122804_0007_D.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2025-02-25 16:13:052025-02-25 16:46:43HCFCD Picking Up Last of Beryl Debris from Bens Branch
2/24/25 – Yesterday, I posted pictures and video of a river of muck hundreds of feet wide that has poured out of Hallett Materials 170-acre settling pond into the San Jacinto West Fork…for a full year. Today, I’ll talk about the high cost of living downstream from that situation.
But Hallett has even more environmental issues. The West Fork now flows directly through one of the company’s other pits. It also flows through a third pit that Hallett sold to a residential developer just weeks before the dikes on the pit failed.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has not addressed any of those problems. It investigated one issue, ignored two others and issued no fines – despite a directive from Texas Governor Greg Abbott to “take action against sand mining operations violating regulations.”
Up the Down Escalator
It became clear after Harvey, that sand clogging the West Fork had contributed to epic flooding downstream from the sand mines. 16,000 homes and 3,300 businesses flooded in the Humble/Kingwood area.
The Army Corps said sediment had reduced the conveyance of the river up to 90% in places. But even after taxpayers bore almost $200 million of dredging costs, the river still has not returned to pre-Harvey conditions. More sand keeps coming.
Sand miners claim rivers naturally convey sediment. True. But that ignores the contribution of 20 square miles of exposed sediment in sand mines once protected by dense vegetation. Call the logic police.
Should we ignore industrial air pollution because bird poop falls naturally from the sky?
Meanwhile, downstream areas pay the price. Until we fix the problem of leaky sand mines, the river will continue to silt in as fast as we can dredge it.
See the photos below taken today at River Grove Park where the Kingwood Diversion Ditch outfalls to the San Jacinto West Fork.
Looking upstream. Outfall of Kingwood Diversion Ditch at River Grove Park on right. Compare what it looked like after Harvey.
Before the Army Corps completed dredging after Harvey, River Grove flooded five times in one six month period. The Corps liberated River Grove in December 2018.
KSA supplemented the Corps dredging and reopened its boat ramp in March 2020. Now, less than five years later, we need serious dredging again. See below.
Looking downstream. Note color of West Fork in this and succeeding pictures compared to water coming from Diversion Ditch.
Note: the water level is down slightly for a dam repair project downstream.
Closer shot shows deepest water is now measured in inches. Reportedly, only kayaks can now get through.However, the sand bars do make a convenient resting place for waterfowl.Overhead shot shows how much gap has filled in.
Dredging Estimated to Cost More than Half of KSA’s Cash Reserves
Last year, KSA obtained bids to dredge the outfall. However, the cost amounted to more than $800,000, more than half of KSA’s cash reserves at the time.
Since then, in my opinion, the sedimentation has worsened. So, dredging could cost even more now.
And this is just one ditch among many on the West Fork. All the more reason to reduce sediment coming from upstream sand mines.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/24/25
2736 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/20250224-DJI_20250224143051_0978_D.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2025-02-24 21:08:142025-02-24 21:17:29The High Cost of Living Downstream from Sand Mines
Northpark Will Close at UPRR Tracks One Week from Today for Three Days
2/26/25 – One week from today, Northpark Drive will close for three days – from March 5-7. UnionPacific Railroad (UPRR) will maneuver a two-hundred-foot section of track and ties – welded and bolted into a single, massive unit – into place across what will become ten lanes of traffic and two sidewalks.
Section Already Assembled, Ready, Waiting
UPRR has already assembled the massive section in the TxDOT right of way along Loop 494 that parallels the tracks. According to a UPRR consultant…
That’s the average weight of 22 small cars.
The photos below show the assembly and where it will move.
The plan for maneuvering the giant section of track into place has changed several times. The latest indication from UPRR is that they now plan to use four vehicles, one on each corner to lift and place the section.
Benefits of Single Section
The single, long section of track will provide additional stability for the high traffic area, especially where the track crosses over storm sewers, water lines and other underground utilities.
Once placed, the section will span three vehicle crossovers and two sidewalks.
Next Steps
When the track crew finishes, a different crew will install temporary signals and gate arms. Once the feeder roads are constructed, they will return to install permanent signals and gate arms.
And once the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority’s contractor, Harper Brothers, completes drainage and utility work, they will build two new feeder roads, each containing two lanes, that cross the tracks.
Then, they will abandon the current center lanes so bridge construction can start later this year. The feeder roads will carry all traffic for the duration of bridge construction.
For More Information
See the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority project web pages. For a history of the project, see these select posts on ReduceFlooding.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/26/25
2638 Days since Hurricane Harvey
HCFCD Picking Up Last of Beryl Debris from Bens Branch
2/25/25 – Today, Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) began picking up remaining Hurricane Beryl Debris from Bens Branch in Kingwood. The cleanup effort began on Tree Lane across from Bear Branch Elementary. More than 600 children in grades K-5 attend school there.
The delayed cleanup effort illustrates the need for community leaders and Flood Control to work more closely together and document cleanup efforts, especially after disasters.
The Fog of Disaster
Beryl left a mess all across the Houston area. The massive cleanup effort involved HCFCD, the City of Houston, FEMA, private contractors, CenterPoint and more working months with little sleep. Responsibilities were inevitably bound to get mixed up on occasion and this was one of them.
HCFCD denies the piles of Beryl debris from Bens Branch were theirs, despite the protestations of local leaders who monitored cleanup efforts.
But Eric Heppen, Harris County Precinct 3’s Director of Engineering, said, “We’re past that now. We’re just going to pick up the piles.” Thank you, Commissioner Ramsey. And thank you, HCFCD.
I’m sure that will be a relief to parents who worried about the temptation the piles represented to young boys eager to test their climbing skills. One of the piles crews worked on today easily exceeded six feet in height.
Chris Bloch, a Bear Branch Trail Association (BBTA) board member, led the fight to get HCFCD to clean up piles at ten locations strung out along the forested portion of Bens Branch, which runs through the center of Kingwood.
Thirteen residents who lived near the stream died as a result of flooding during Hurricane Harvey. Ever since then, residents and the BBTA board have been hyper-vigilant about anything that could back water up in the stream. So, it is good to get this behind us.
Remainder of Piles Should Be Gone by Friday
Jessica Lazo, a HCFCD spokesperson for Precinct 3, said that HCFCD crews should remove the remainder of the debris by this Friday, 2/28/25.
The City removed two piles along Cedar Knolls last week. HCFCD will remove the rest.
The photo above shows HCFCD working on the second load of Beryl debris from Bens Branch. After the first, the crew had to drive to the other side of the county to drop off the debris for recycling. According to an employee I interviewed onsite during the operation, few places at this time can handle mixed loads like this. By mixed, he meant large-diameter tree trunks and smaller branches.
So this could be a lengthy process. I’ll let you know when they complete the job.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/25/25
2737 Days since Hurricane Harvey
The High Cost of Living Downstream from Sand Mines
2/24/25 – Yesterday, I posted pictures and video of a river of muck hundreds of feet wide that has poured out of Hallett Materials 170-acre settling pond into the San Jacinto West Fork…for a full year. Today, I’ll talk about the high cost of living downstream from that situation.
But Hallett has even more environmental issues. The West Fork now flows directly through one of the company’s other pits. It also flows through a third pit that Hallett sold to a residential developer just weeks before the dikes on the pit failed.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has not addressed any of those problems. It investigated one issue, ignored two others and issued no fines – despite a directive from Texas Governor Greg Abbott to “take action against sand mining operations violating regulations.”
Up the Down Escalator
It became clear after Harvey, that sand clogging the West Fork had contributed to epic flooding downstream from the sand mines. 16,000 homes and 3,300 businesses flooded in the Humble/Kingwood area.
The Army Corps said sediment had reduced the conveyance of the river up to 90% in places. But even after taxpayers bore almost $200 million of dredging costs, the river still has not returned to pre-Harvey conditions. More sand keeps coming.
Sand miners claim rivers naturally convey sediment. True. But that ignores the contribution of 20 square miles of exposed sediment in sand mines once protected by dense vegetation. Call the logic police.
Meanwhile, downstream areas pay the price. Until we fix the problem of leaky sand mines, the river will continue to silt in as fast as we can dredge it.
See the photos below taken today at River Grove Park where the Kingwood Diversion Ditch outfalls to the San Jacinto West Fork.
Before the Army Corps completed dredging after Harvey, River Grove flooded five times in one six month period. The Corps liberated River Grove in December 2018.
KSA supplemented the Corps dredging and reopened its boat ramp in March 2020. Now, less than five years later, we need serious dredging again. See below.
Note: the water level is down slightly for a dam repair project downstream.
Dredging Estimated to Cost More than Half of KSA’s Cash Reserves
Last year, KSA obtained bids to dredge the outfall. However, the cost amounted to more than $800,000, more than half of KSA’s cash reserves at the time.
Since then, in my opinion, the sedimentation has worsened. So, dredging could cost even more now.
And this is just one ditch among many on the West Fork. All the more reason to reduce sediment coming from upstream sand mines.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/24/25
2736 Days since Hurricane Harvey