25.3-Mile BRT Route Approved for Houston’s University Corridor

A 25.3-mile bus rapid transit route is on track for completion in 2028 after the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (Metro) approved a final route along the METRORapid University Corridor Project in Houston earlier this month.

The approval “[sets] a locally-preferred alternative for the line, [and] allows Metropolitan Transit Authority planners and consultants for the agency to continue design of the busways along many local streets, and work with the Federal Transit Authority on necessary approvals [paywall],” according to a paywalled article by Dug Begley.

According to the article, the approval of the locally-preferred alternative overcame an uncharacteristic division on the Metro board. Opponents argued the plan needed more public feedback.

“The approved route would run from the Tidwell Transit Center, south along Lockwood to the University of Houston and Texas Southern University, then west mostly along Wheeler, Richmond and Westpark to the Westchase Park and Ride. Buses would travel in their own lanes, separated from vehicular traffic,” reports Begley of the approved route.

The University Corridor BRT is the centerpiece of $7.5 billion of investment [paywall] in the MetroNext long-range plan.