11/8/24 – A trip down Northpark Drive today revealed that the focus of Northpark expansion work is shifting west from Russell Palmer toward Loop 494 and US59. The project will create the first all-weather evacuation route from Kingwood. Here’s where things stand.
Major Accomplishments since Last Northpark Post
Since my last Northpark expansion update, contractors for the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ 10 have:
Paved a new crossover at Russell Palmer Road
Removed about 1,600 feet of the of the old westbound lanes between Sherwin Williams and Loop 494
Begun repaving an expanded Loop 494 for about a block north and a block south of Northpark Drive to accommodate extra turn lanes.
Prepped the area on the north side of Northpark and west of 494 (Shell to Chick-Fil-A) for paving
Worked on new water connections for Northpark businesses.
See the five images below that correspond to the bullet points above.
New crossover at Russell PalmerFacing E along Northpark near Public Storage. Concrete from old lanes removed in preparation for new surface turn lanes adjacent to bridge.Looking S toward Northpark at new Loop 494 lanes Facing W along Northpark toward US59 at area being prepped for paving in coming weeksExample of water-line work.
The new water lines will enable the removal of old fire hydrants that stand in the way of roadway expansion.
Next Up for Northpark Expansion
A new look-ahead schedule posted today shows that in the next three weeks, work will include:
Continue working on waterlines
Do more dirt work from Culver’s to Chick-Fil-A
Install 6×5 reinforced concrete box culverts from the Quick Quack to the railroad tracks
Place Type C inlets on LP 494. (often used to collect runoff from large depressed areas or highway medians)
Place base from Culver’s to Chick-Fil-A
Prep driveways along west side of Loop 494 to tie into new paving
Prep for more paving on west side of Loop 494
Pour more Fast-Track concrete on west side of Loop 494
Mobilize to Russel Palmer to begin prepping both east- and westbound lanes from Russel Palmer to the end of the project.
Then, they’re back to adding more east- and west-bound lanes on Northpark.
Pictures of Upcoming Work
Expect to see major work in these areas before Thanksgiving.
Looking west toward UP tracks. Culverts waiting for installation before new surface turn lanes can be constructed next to bridge over tracks.Facing N along 494 toward Northpark. Pavement and driveways will be constructed the left of the new lanes above.Looking west on Northpark toward Russell Palmer from over Kingwood Diversion Ditch.
11/7/24 10 AM – Late-season Hurricane Rafael briefly intensified into a Category 3 storm yesterday as it crossed over Cuba. But since then it has gradually weakened. This morning, Hurricane Hunters measured the sustained wind speed at 100 MPH, making it a Cat 2 storm. Cat 2 ranges from 96 to 110 MPH.
Rafael in center near western tip of Cuba will be blocked from moving north by high pressure descending from Great Plains.Satellite image taken at 10 AM Houston time.
Recent aircraft fixes indicate Rafael is beginning a leftward (west) turn toward Mexico. NHC notes greater than average uncertainty concerning its track. But if Rafael keeps moving it that direction, the storm would move away from Houston and the northern Gulf of Mexico.
The current forward motion estimate is 9 MPH.
Further Weakening Predicted
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) predicts further weakening today as Rafael encounters minor to moderate wind sheer and drier air pushing down from the north. Flight crews have already noted that the eyewall has opened up to the south and southwest.
Rafael’s central pressure has risen slightly to around 971 mb. NHC expects the hurricane to move into an even drier airmass during the next few days. They say that despite the weakening, Rafael should remain a hurricane through the weekend.
Currently, hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles. In its latest update, NHC predicts that tropical storm force winds will not likely reach the Houston area. They say the chance of that is less than 5%.
Main Impact Will be High Waves
The main effect felt in southeast Texas will be high waves. At high tide, they could cause minor coastal flooding.
According to Harris County Meteorologist Jeff Lindner, with Rafael on its projected track, “…large long period swells of 6-10 feet will begin to reach the Texas coast this weekend. When combined with NE winds over the local waters, tides will increase to 3.5-4.0 ft above the barnacle level.”
“This is right on the cusp of coastal flooding thresholds along the upper Texas coast. During high tides into the weekend, some minor coastal flooding may be possible especially on the Gulf facing beaches where elevated wave action will be in place,” said Lindner early this morning.
For those who work offshore, waves could go even higher. At 10:12 AM EST, NHC issued an offshore waters forecast for the Gulf. It says that for the west-central Gulf (91W to 94W longitude and 22N to 26N latitude), seas could reach 16-24 feet in NE to E swells this Saturday.
NHC also says that swells generated by Rafael should spread across most of the Gulf of Mexico during the next several days. These swells will likely cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
Late Season Oddity
Lindner noted that it is rare for a hurricane this late in the season to move due west across the entire Gulf of Mexico. The only such similar instance, he says, was hurricane Jeanne from 1980 (Nov 12-15).
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/7/24
2627 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/145523_5day_cone_no_line_and_wind.png?fit=897%2C736&ssl=1736897adminadmin2024-11-07 10:40:112024-11-07 18:57:26Rafael Weakens, Turns West
11/6/24 – Voters narrowly approved Harris County Flood Control District’s (HCFCD) Proposition A, a 63% tax increase, by a little more than 2 percent on Election Day. However, Prop A failed dramatically in the underserved Lake Houston Area by almost 13 percent – for a total 15.4 percentage-point swing.
The difference underscores frustration over past promises broken, skepticism about future fairness, and doubt about whether area residents will see any benefit from the tax increase.
The Lake Houston Area, which suffered the highest flooding in the county during Harvey, has consistently been shorted by HCFCD in both capital improvement spending from the flood bond and maintenance dollars. The upper San Jacinto watershed drains an area 50% larger than Harris County through Lake Houston. But quarter after quarter, Lake Houston Area watersheds rank in the bottom half of all flood-control mitigation spending.
And when you rank watersheds by maintenance dollars per stream mile, the area ranks in the bottom third of all watersheds.
Possible Reasons Residents Voted Against
In voting against the tax increase yesterday, it’s not clear whether Lake Houston Area voters rejected the massive tax increase because they felt they would not benefit from it.
They may have also wanted to send a message to the 4:1 Democratic majority on Commissioner’s Court about being treated fairly. That majority has twice reneged on recent promises:
Then they adopted an equity funding allocation formula that allocates flood-bond dollars by the percentage of low-to-moderate income voters in an area.
The formula does not consider threats to infrastructure, flood-related deaths, depth of flooding, flood risk, or damaged structures.
In fact, the County’s current administration has repeatedly failed to publicly release flood-risk data.
Since the passage of the 2018 Flood Bond, HCFCD has invested more than $200 million in the Brays Bayou watershed. Commissioner Rodney Ellis lives in that watershed. Meanwhile, HCFCD has spent a fifth of that in the San Jacinto watershed and one-thirtieth that amount in the Luce Bayou watershed.
To sell the 2022 Road and Parks Bond, Democratic commissioners promised that each of the four Precincts would receive at least a minimum of $220 million. After that bond passed, they allocated $157 million to the lone Republican precinct…which includes half the roads that the county maintains.
Fool Me Twice, Shame on Me…
Lake Houston Area voters were not going to be fooled a third time.
After previous bait-and-switch schemes, I personally wanted to see specific ballot language that guaranteed a fair distribution of funds from the tax. It wasn’t there.
The ballot language in HCFCD’s Prop A did not specify how, when, where, or by what standards the money would be spent. Neither did their road show.
Even though HCFCD pitched the tax as a maintenance tax, nothing in the ballot language limited expenditures to maintenance. In fact, ballot language explicitly included “operations.”
Having been fooled twice, Lake Houston Area voters were not about to be tricked a third time.
People are becoming increasingly skeptical about Harris County’s Democratic leadership.
The 2018 Flood Bond passed by more than 85%; the Lake Houston Area had five of the top eight precincts in the county in terms of turnout.
The drainage portion of the 2022 bond received a 69% majority.
Yesterday’s flood tax vote received only a 52% approval, but only 44% in the Lake Houston Area.
Notice a trend?
An old recipe for success in business says, “Promise what you will deliver and deliver what you promise.” Harris County’s Democratic leadership needs to start delivering what they promise and treating all people fairly…if they ever hope to pass another bond or tax increase.
How I Tallied the Vote
Using the Election Day figures which may change slightly, I tallied up the votes by precinct in the far northeastern part of the county. That included the area:
East of US59 to the county line and north to Montgomery County
Roughly north of the Greens Bayou watershed and slightly south of the Lake Houston Dam.
The area includes Kingwood, Humble, Atascocita, Huffman and Crosby plus unincorporated areas.
Thus, the Proposition lost within this area by 12.76%. But countywide, the proposition passed by 2.7%. That made the total spread 15.46%.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/6/24
2626 Days since Hurricane Harveyand 1 Day since Election Day 2024
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/LHA-Vote-vs-Countywide.jpg?fit=1100%2C425&ssl=14251100adminadmin2024-11-06 16:09:212024-11-06 16:18:39HCFCD Prop A Passes by 2% Countywide, But Fails by 13% in Lake Houston Area
Focus of Northpark Expansion Work Moves Toward Loop 494
11/8/24 – A trip down Northpark Drive today revealed that the focus of Northpark expansion work is shifting west from Russell Palmer toward Loop 494 and US59. The project will create the first all-weather evacuation route from Kingwood. Here’s where things stand.
Major Accomplishments since Last Northpark Post
Since my last Northpark expansion update, contractors for the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ 10 have:
See the five images below that correspond to the bullet points above.
The new water lines will enable the removal of old fire hydrants that stand in the way of roadway expansion.
Next Up for Northpark Expansion
A new look-ahead schedule posted today shows that in the next three weeks, work will include:
Then, they’re back to adding more east- and west-bound lanes on Northpark.
Pictures of Upcoming Work
Expect to see major work in these areas before Thanksgiving.
For More Information
For a more detailed schedule of what will happen when, see the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority website.
For a history of the project, consult the ReduceFlooding posts below.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/8/24
2628 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Rafael Weakens, Turns West
11/7/24 10 AM – Late-season Hurricane Rafael briefly intensified into a Category 3 storm yesterday as it crossed over Cuba. But since then it has gradually weakened. This morning, Hurricane Hunters measured the sustained wind speed at 100 MPH, making it a Cat 2 storm. Cat 2 ranges from 96 to 110 MPH.
Recent aircraft fixes indicate Rafael is beginning a leftward (west) turn toward Mexico. NHC notes greater than average uncertainty concerning its track. But if Rafael keeps moving it that direction, the storm would move away from Houston and the northern Gulf of Mexico.
The current forward motion estimate is 9 MPH.
Further Weakening Predicted
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) predicts further weakening today as Rafael encounters minor to moderate wind sheer and drier air pushing down from the north. Flight crews have already noted that the eyewall has opened up to the south and southwest.
Rafael’s central pressure has risen slightly to around 971 mb. NHC expects the hurricane to move into an even drier airmass during the next few days. They say that despite the weakening, Rafael should remain a hurricane through the weekend.
Currently, hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles. In its latest update, NHC predicts that tropical storm force winds will not likely reach the Houston area. They say the chance of that is less than 5%.
Main Impact Will be High Waves
The main effect felt in southeast Texas will be high waves. At high tide, they could cause minor coastal flooding.
According to Harris County Meteorologist Jeff Lindner, with Rafael on its projected track, “…large long period swells of 6-10 feet will begin to reach the Texas coast this weekend. When combined with NE winds over the local waters, tides will increase to 3.5-4.0 ft above the barnacle level.”
“This is right on the cusp of coastal flooding thresholds along the upper Texas coast. During high tides into the weekend, some minor coastal flooding may be possible especially on the Gulf facing beaches where elevated wave action will be in place,” said Lindner early this morning.
For those who work offshore, waves could go even higher. At 10:12 AM EST, NHC issued an offshore waters forecast for the Gulf. It says that for the west-central Gulf (91W to 94W longitude and 22N to 26N latitude), seas could reach 16-24 feet in NE to E swells this Saturday.
NHC also says that swells generated by Rafael should spread across most of the Gulf of Mexico during the next several days. These swells will likely cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
Late Season Oddity
Lindner noted that it is rare for a hurricane this late in the season to move due west across the entire Gulf of Mexico. The only such similar instance, he says, was hurricane Jeanne from 1980 (Nov 12-15).
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/7/24
2627 Days since Hurricane Harvey
HCFCD Prop A Passes by 2% Countywide, But Fails by 13% in Lake Houston Area
11/6/24 – Voters narrowly approved Harris County Flood Control District’s (HCFCD) Proposition A, a 63% tax increase, by a little more than 2 percent on Election Day. However, Prop A failed dramatically in the underserved Lake Houston Area by almost 13 percent – for a total 15.4 percentage-point swing.
The difference underscores frustration over past promises broken, skepticism about future fairness, and doubt about whether area residents will see any benefit from the tax increase.
The Lake Houston Area, which suffered the highest flooding in the county during Harvey, has consistently been shorted by HCFCD in both capital improvement spending from the flood bond and maintenance dollars. The upper San Jacinto watershed drains an area 50% larger than Harris County through Lake Houston. But quarter after quarter, Lake Houston Area watersheds rank in the bottom half of all flood-control mitigation spending.
And when you rank watersheds by maintenance dollars per stream mile, the area ranks in the bottom third of all watersheds.
Possible Reasons Residents Voted Against
In voting against the tax increase yesterday, it’s not clear whether Lake Houston Area voters rejected the massive tax increase because they felt they would not benefit from it.
They may have also wanted to send a message to the 4:1 Democratic majority on Commissioner’s Court about being treated fairly. That majority has twice reneged on recent promises:
Fool Me Twice, Shame on Me…
Lake Houston Area voters were not going to be fooled a third time.
After previous bait-and-switch schemes, I personally wanted to see specific ballot language that guaranteed a fair distribution of funds from the tax. It wasn’t there.
The ballot language in HCFCD’s Prop A did not specify how, when, where, or by what standards the money would be spent. Neither did their road show.
Even though HCFCD pitched the tax as a maintenance tax, nothing in the ballot language limited expenditures to maintenance. In fact, ballot language explicitly included “operations.”
Having been fooled twice, Lake Houston Area voters were not about to be tricked a third time.
People are becoming increasingly skeptical about Harris County’s Democratic leadership.
Notice a trend?
An old recipe for success in business says, “Promise what you will deliver and deliver what you promise.” Harris County’s Democratic leadership needs to start delivering what they promise and treating all people fairly…if they ever hope to pass another bond or tax increase.
How I Tallied the Vote
Using the Election Day figures which may change slightly, I tallied up the votes by precinct in the far northeastern part of the county. That included the area:
Slightly more than a hundred thousand people voted in that area (101,305) according to HarrisVotes.com and Harris County’s voting precinct map.
Thus, the Proposition lost within this area by 12.76%. But countywide, the proposition passed by 2.7%. That made the total spread 15.46%.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/6/24
2626 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 1 Day since Election Day 2024
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.