11/15/24 – The Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ 10 Board met yesterday to discuss Northpark expansion, including:
The progress of the project, designed to create the first all-weather evacuation route from Kingwood
Railroad crossing signal work by Union Pacific
Scope changes for Phase 2
Debt capacity and cash flow
Another $48 million in short- and long-term financing.
Two Meetings in One
On a somewhat funny note, the board covered the first half of the agenda while standing in front of a locked Kingwood Community Center.
Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ 10 Board Meeting began outside at 8 AM in blinding sunlight.
After the keymaster finally arrived…
The meeting concluded indoors, much to the relief of everyone’s dermatologists.
Here is the agenda. And here is a link to the 342-page board packet (warning 27.5 mb download).
Upcoming Railroad Signal Work Influencing Construction Focus for Next Month
The UnionPacific (UP) Railroad will start installing new crossing signals in the area beginning in January. Their crew will start at Knox Road north of Northpark and work their way south. The exact date for Northpark is unknown because it’s not clear how long the Knox intersection will take.
As trains come down the tracks, they communicate sequentially with signals. All signals must communicate with each other as well as trains. So, it’s a big job. UP has only one crew to handle this type of work in 26 states.
They want to come here once and handle Knox and Northpark at the same time. If they can’t, it could delay Northpark construction for an undetermined amount of time.
So contractors for the TIRZ and utilities are putting on a full-court press to prep work near the railroad. They are racing to finish:
Soil tests and environmental approvals
Boring under both Northpark and Loop 494
Relocation of water mains and other utilities such as gas, electric and telecommunications
Drainage
Dirt work for all surface lanes both north and south of where the bridge will eventually go.
Change Orders for Phase 2
The board also approved two change orders for Phase 2 – the portion of the project that stretches from about a 1000 feet east of Russell Palmer Road to just past Woodland Hills Drive.
The first change order had to do with an expansion of scope to accommodate new TXDoT requirements for sound, air quality, environmental, and archaeological studies.
A second change order dealt with evaluating additional detention pond sites and updating the drainage report for submittal to TXDoT.
The project team is currently planning to build a 90-acre-foot detention basin to reduce flooding on Ben’s Branch downstream from Northpark Drive.
Additional Debt Capacity
The most complicated discussion of the meeting had to do with a cash flow analysis and additional debt capacity.
Taken together, they show that when Phase 1 is ramping down and Phase 2 is ramping up, expenses would exceed cash flow, so additional borrowing will be needed. The analyses also showed that there is sufficient debt capacity to do so.
To be clear, this is not an increase in the cost of the project. It’s just an increase in borrowing authority to cover a temporary spike in the cost. The analysis shows that future cash flows after project completion will easily pay back the debt.
It is not clear yet what form the debt will take, i.e., whether its short-term borrowing from a bank or the issuance of longer-term bonds. Those details have yet to be worked out.
Because federal funding is involved in Phase 2, the project must be fully funded before construction starts. A revised cash-flow analysis showing the debt-capacity increase will show the federal government that the TIRZ has what it takes to complete the project.
11/15/24 Pictures of Construction Progress
I took the pictures below this morning.
Looking NW at Corner of Northpark and Loop 494. Note two new southbound lanes.Same intersection but looking southboundSame intersection again, but looking westbound. Some drainage and dirt work must still be completed before crews can begin paving the north side of Northpark.
At the board meeting, De Leon also discussed a change in ownership of the Exxon Station at US59. The owner reportedly anticipates rebuilding the station farther back to accommodate road expansion to the south.
The Exxon station will likely move where the car wash now is in the upper left.Looking E from Loop 494. Note crews working on both sides of Northpark just beyond tracks.
In the last shot, the crews are burying electrical lines. They will be encased in RED concrete as a warning to anyone excavating near them in the future.
11/14/25 – At 1 PM EST, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) began issuing advisories on Tropical Storm Sara, the 19th named storm of the Atlantic Hurricane season. It formed in the western Caribbean near the border between Nicaragua and Honduras.
TS Sara in center. Satellite image taken at 10:40AM Houston time on 11.14.24.
Circulation and banding appeared on satellite images taken this morning. The storm currently has sustained winds of 40 MPH and a forward speed of 12 MPH. Some strengthening is possible if the storm remains over water.
Life-Threatening Flash Flooding and Mudslides
Be aware in case you have relatives in Central America or travel planned there.
NHC predicts life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flash flooding and mudslides through the weekend.
National Hurricane Center
The system will likely meander in the Bay of Honduras for the next several days, dropping 10-20″ inches of rain, with isolated totals up to 30″.
Mountains border that northern coast of Honduras where the heaviest rain will fall.
Simultaneously, storm surge and large, destructive waves will rake the northern coast of Honduras for several days.
Track Still Uncertain
The track and intensity for Tropical Storm Sara are still somewhat uncertain. That big, empty area in the satellite photo above is a high-pressure ridge, much like the one that protected Houston from Rafael earlier this month.
But the high pressure will break down early next week ahead of an approaching low-pressure system. That could turn Tropical Storm Sara northwest and north-northwest into the southern Gulf of Mexico.
In the meantime, land interaction could also weaken the system.
According to Harris County Meteorologist Jeff Lindner, “It is possible that the system moves inland over portions of central America or the Yucatan and dissipates.”
Intensity Forecasts Lowered
While Tropical Storm Sara will encounter favorable conditions over water, the interaction with Honduras will likely limit the upper-end potential of the storm over the next 4-5 days, says Lindner.
Should Sara reach the southern Gulf of Mexico, a powerful frontal system moving off the Texas coast early next week will likely produce wind sheer that weakens the storm further.
“No Threat to Texas Coast”
Lindner concluded, “With a strong, deep-layer trough and front moving into the southern plains early next week, this system poses no threat to the Texas coast.”
However, NHC warns Gulf Coast residents to regularly monitor updates through mid-week next week.
At present, main wind threat will be to northern coast of Honduras.
On a personal note, I used to scuba dive regularly in Honduras. The country is beautiful. But the terrain along the northern coast is steep and rugged. And building codes are not up to U.S. standards.
Twenty inches of rain could easily devastate the area. So, keep the folks there in your prayers.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/14/24
2634 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/TD19-11.14.24.jpg?fit=1100%2C640&ssl=16401100adminadmin2024-11-14 12:27:452024-11-14 12:30:01Tropical Storm Sara Forms Near Honduras
11/13/24 – Four years of persistence by flood activist Chris Bloch are finally paying off. HCFCD is clearing a drainage ditch blocked by silt and vegetation.
Bloch, who does not live near the ditch, has no financial stake in the clean-out effort. Yet he has stayed on top of the project and gently pushed it along out of concern for Kingwood. His persistence should be an example for everyone everywhere.
Blocked culverts before clean-out began
Effort Began in 2020
Concerned about how flooding could affect the future of his community, Bloch, a retired engineer, began exploring local drainage issues after Harvey and quickly became a flood activist. In 2020, he reported problems related to G-103-36-02.1 to Harris County Flood Control. The unnamed ditch runs from Kingwood Drive to Lake Kingwood, a couple blocks east of Woodland Hills Drive.
The ditch is only about 1,500 feet long, but helps drain a much larger area around it, including the major intersection of Kingwood Drive and Woodland Hills. The intersection often floods in heavy rains when water backs up in storm sewers because they are blocked by sediment and silt in the ditch.
Extent of clean-out effort on 11/12/24Same area from ground level. Note dirt piled up on left bank.
The two thoroughfares are important evacuation routes during major floods. The flooded intersection also causes major inconvenience at other times. In addition, homes, yards and streets along the ditch have flooded multiple times in recent years as it has become increasingly blocked.
Bloch worked with the Kingwood Lakes Community Association to grant access, so that Flood Control could cross Kingwood Lakes Property.
Overcoming One Obstacle After Another
Finally, in 2021, Bloch received an email indicating the Flood Control District was finally going to start a clean-out project in June of that year.
But a railing installed by the City of Houston along a Kingwood Drive sidewalk still blocked access to the site.
It took several months for HCFCD to get permission from the City to remove the railing.
June 2021 came and went, and the project never started. When Bloch inquired about the delay, he was told they would start in September. That did not happen.
In November, HCFCD told him it had cancelled the project because it did not have “property rights” to the channel. This was despite the fact that HCFCD had posted its signs on the channel.
Bloch persisted. After investigation, he found the City of Houston originally inherited the channel from the MUD District as a result of annexation. The City agreed to transfer the property to the Flood Control District, but somehow the paperwork was never finalized.
So Bloch approached former District E City Council Member Dave Martin. Martin got the paperwork finalized.
Confusion and Nature Lay Down More Obstacles
Finally, in March 2024, HCFCD admitted they had property rights to the ditch and would reinstate the project.
But HCFCD indicated it would have to clear vegetation before the project could start. According to Bloch, crews came out to Kingwood, but mistakenly cleared vegetation on a different tributary of the Bear Branch channel.
Before they could straighten that out, Hurricane Beryl further obstructed the proper channel. Several trees and limbs fell into it.
Bloch worked with a FEMA contractor to make sure they cleared the channel of all tree debris. As a result, HCFCD could finally initiate sediment removal and the project began several weeks ago.
Bloch Remains Vigilant
But Bloch has not let up. He continues to watch the contractor like a hawk. His concern: that sediment piled along the channel’s edge could back water up into yards and homes if we get a heavy rain.
Few people would take on a project like this unless it affected them personally. I find Bloch’s persistence amazing, inspiring and refreshing. I see him popping up at projects I follow all over Kingwood. His activism is a shining example of what it takes to get things done when dealing with multiple entities and overworked bureaucracies. It’s just too easy for things to get lost in the shuffle.
Thank you, Chris Bloch! We need more flood activists like you.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/13/24
2633 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/20241113-Kings-Creek-1.jpg?fit=1100%2C613&ssl=16131100adminadmin2024-11-13 14:30:492024-11-13 14:30:50Four Years of Persistence by Flood Activist Finally Paying Off
TIRZ Board Discusses Additional Financing for Northpark Expansion
11/15/24 – The Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ 10 Board met yesterday to discuss Northpark expansion, including:
Two Meetings in One
On a somewhat funny note, the board covered the first half of the agenda while standing in front of a locked Kingwood Community Center.
After the keymaster finally arrived…
Here is the agenda. And here is a link to the 342-page board packet (warning 27.5 mb download).
Upcoming Railroad Signal Work Influencing Construction Focus for Next Month
The UnionPacific (UP) Railroad will start installing new crossing signals in the area beginning in January. Their crew will start at Knox Road north of Northpark and work their way south. The exact date for Northpark is unknown because it’s not clear how long the Knox intersection will take.
As trains come down the tracks, they communicate sequentially with signals. All signals must communicate with each other as well as trains. So, it’s a big job. UP has only one crew to handle this type of work in 26 states.
They want to come here once and handle Knox and Northpark at the same time. If they can’t, it could delay Northpark construction for an undetermined amount of time.
So contractors for the TIRZ and utilities are putting on a full-court press to prep work near the railroad. They are racing to finish:
Change Orders for Phase 2
The board also approved two change orders for Phase 2 – the portion of the project that stretches from about a 1000 feet east of Russell Palmer Road to just past Woodland Hills Drive.
The first change order had to do with an expansion of scope to accommodate new TXDoT requirements for sound, air quality, environmental, and archaeological studies.
A second change order dealt with evaluating additional detention pond sites and updating the drainage report for submittal to TXDoT.
The project team is currently planning to build a 90-acre-foot detention basin to reduce flooding on Ben’s Branch downstream from Northpark Drive.
Additional Debt Capacity
The most complicated discussion of the meeting had to do with a cash flow analysis and additional debt capacity.
Ralph De Leon, the TIRZ manager, presented two documents: a 5-year cash flow analysis and a 30-year debt-capacity analysis.
Taken together, they show that when Phase 1 is ramping down and Phase 2 is ramping up, expenses would exceed cash flow, so additional borrowing will be needed. The analyses also showed that there is sufficient debt capacity to do so.
To be clear, this is not an increase in the cost of the project. It’s just an increase in borrowing authority to cover a temporary spike in the cost. The analysis shows that future cash flows after project completion will easily pay back the debt.
It is not clear yet what form the debt will take, i.e., whether its short-term borrowing from a bank or the issuance of longer-term bonds. Those details have yet to be worked out.
Because federal funding is involved in Phase 2, the project must be fully funded before construction starts. A revised cash-flow analysis showing the debt-capacity increase will show the federal government that the TIRZ has what it takes to complete the project.
11/15/24 Pictures of Construction Progress
I took the pictures below this morning.
At the board meeting, De Leon also discussed a change in ownership of the Exxon Station at US59. The owner reportedly anticipates rebuilding the station farther back to accommodate road expansion to the south.
In the last shot, the crews are burying electrical lines. They will be encased in RED concrete as a warning to anyone excavating near them in the future.
For More Information
To learn more about Northpark Expansion and see a 3-week look-ahead schedule, consult the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ-10 project pages.
For more about project history, consult these ReduceFlooding.com posts:
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/15/24
2635 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Tropical Storm Sara Forms Near Honduras
11/14/25 – At 1 PM EST, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) began issuing advisories on Tropical Storm Sara, the 19th named storm of the Atlantic Hurricane season. It formed in the western Caribbean near the border between Nicaragua and Honduras.
Circulation and banding appeared on satellite images taken this morning. The storm currently has sustained winds of 40 MPH and a forward speed of 12 MPH. Some strengthening is possible if the storm remains over water.
Life-Threatening Flash Flooding and Mudslides
Be aware in case you have relatives in Central America or travel planned there.
The system will likely meander in the Bay of Honduras for the next several days, dropping 10-20″ inches of rain, with isolated totals up to 30″.
Mountains border that northern coast of Honduras where the heaviest rain will fall.
Simultaneously, storm surge and large, destructive waves will rake the northern coast of Honduras for several days.
Track Still Uncertain
The track and intensity for Tropical Storm Sara are still somewhat uncertain. That big, empty area in the satellite photo above is a high-pressure ridge, much like the one that protected Houston from Rafael earlier this month.
But the high pressure will break down early next week ahead of an approaching low-pressure system. That could turn Tropical Storm Sara northwest and north-northwest into the southern Gulf of Mexico.
In the meantime, land interaction could also weaken the system.
According to Harris County Meteorologist Jeff Lindner, “It is possible that the system moves inland over portions of central America or the Yucatan and dissipates.”
Intensity Forecasts Lowered
While Tropical Storm Sara will encounter favorable conditions over water, the interaction with Honduras will likely limit the upper-end potential of the storm over the next 4-5 days, says Lindner.
Should Sara reach the southern Gulf of Mexico, a powerful frontal system moving off the Texas coast early next week will likely produce wind sheer that weakens the storm further.
“No Threat to Texas Coast”
Lindner concluded, “With a strong, deep-layer trough and front moving into the southern plains early next week, this system poses no threat to the Texas coast.”
However, NHC warns Gulf Coast residents to regularly monitor updates through mid-week next week.
On a personal note, I used to scuba dive regularly in Honduras. The country is beautiful. But the terrain along the northern coast is steep and rugged. And building codes are not up to U.S. standards.
Twenty inches of rain could easily devastate the area. So, keep the folks there in your prayers.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/14/24
2634 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Four Years of Persistence by Flood Activist Finally Paying Off
11/13/24 – Four years of persistence by flood activist Chris Bloch are finally paying off. HCFCD is clearing a drainage ditch blocked by silt and vegetation.
Bloch, who does not live near the ditch, has no financial stake in the clean-out effort. Yet he has stayed on top of the project and gently pushed it along out of concern for Kingwood. His persistence should be an example for everyone everywhere.
Effort Began in 2020
Concerned about how flooding could affect the future of his community, Bloch, a retired engineer, began exploring local drainage issues after Harvey and quickly became a flood activist. In 2020, he reported problems related to G-103-36-02.1 to Harris County Flood Control. The unnamed ditch runs from Kingwood Drive to Lake Kingwood, a couple blocks east of Woodland Hills Drive.
The ditch is only about 1,500 feet long, but helps drain a much larger area around it, including the major intersection of Kingwood Drive and Woodland Hills. The intersection often floods in heavy rains when water backs up in storm sewers because they are blocked by sediment and silt in the ditch.
The two thoroughfares are important evacuation routes during major floods. The flooded intersection also causes major inconvenience at other times. In addition, homes, yards and streets along the ditch have flooded multiple times in recent years as it has become increasingly blocked.
Bloch worked with the Kingwood Lakes Community Association to grant access, so that Flood Control could cross Kingwood Lakes Property.
Overcoming One Obstacle After Another
Finally, in 2021, Bloch received an email indicating the Flood Control District was finally going to start a clean-out project in June of that year.
But a railing installed by the City of Houston along a Kingwood Drive sidewalk still blocked access to the site.
It took several months for HCFCD to get permission from the City to remove the railing.
June 2021 came and went, and the project never started. When Bloch inquired about the delay, he was told they would start in September. That did not happen.
In November, HCFCD told him it had cancelled the project because it did not have “property rights” to the channel. This was despite the fact that HCFCD had posted its signs on the channel.
Bloch persisted. After investigation, he found the City of Houston originally inherited the channel from the MUD District as a result of annexation. The City agreed to transfer the property to the Flood Control District, but somehow the paperwork was never finalized.
So Bloch approached former District E City Council Member Dave Martin. Martin got the paperwork finalized.
Confusion and Nature Lay Down More Obstacles
Finally, in March 2024, HCFCD admitted they had property rights to the ditch and would reinstate the project.
But HCFCD indicated it would have to clear vegetation before the project could start. According to Bloch, crews came out to Kingwood, but mistakenly cleared vegetation on a different tributary of the Bear Branch channel.
Before they could straighten that out, Hurricane Beryl further obstructed the proper channel. Several trees and limbs fell into it.
Bloch worked with a FEMA contractor to make sure they cleared the channel of all tree debris. As a result, HCFCD could finally initiate sediment removal and the project began several weeks ago.
Bloch Remains Vigilant
But Bloch has not let up. He continues to watch the contractor like a hawk. His concern: that sediment piled along the channel’s edge could back water up into yards and homes if we get a heavy rain.
Few people would take on a project like this unless it affected them personally. I find Bloch’s persistence amazing, inspiring and refreshing. I see him popping up at projects I follow all over Kingwood. His activism is a shining example of what it takes to get things done when dealing with multiple entities and overworked bureaucracies. It’s just too easy for things to get lost in the shuffle.
Thank you, Chris Bloch! We need more flood activists like you.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/13/24
2633 Days since Hurricane Harvey