Harris County leaders, including Commissioner Rodney Ellis, Commissioner Adrian Garcia and County Attorney Christian Menefee were also present at Monday’s news conference to announce the Harris County MOU and offer support in advancing TxDOT’s North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP).

The city’s MOU will focus on six key areas:

–    Housing and Community Cohesion
–    Drainage and Flood Mitigation
–    Reducing the NHHIP Footprint During Detailed Design
–    Transit and MaX Lanes
–    Connectivity
–    And Park Space and Urban Design

See signed MOU.

The NHHIP is designed from IH 45 North Corridor from Beltway 8 North to and around Downtown Houston. It will provide connectivity for residents and businesses within and beyond the State of Texas.

“The path forward begins anew today. As I’ve said before, the NHHIP done the right way can be a transformational and generation-level project, enhancing connectivity, increasing mobility, and significantly lowering flood and existing parks and greenspace impacts,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner. “Today’s MOU represents the commitment, ongoing collaboration and communication between county, city and state governments to meet the needs of residents and businesses within the region.  It also provides resources for Houstonians to stay in their neighborhoods, as our people, our residents, are the heart of our city.”

TxDOT will engage the public throughout the period of construction to ensure communities are informed about developments, congestion, transportation issues and other related matters.  The public will also be able to submit comments to TxDOT throughout the life of the project.

“Both the Memorandum of Understanding executed with Mayor Turner, and the agreed upon terms and conditions agreed to with Harris County, which will warrant their dismissal of the lawsuit against the project, represent how staying focused on common ground and the benefits to the region in key areas of interest have provided an outcome that will enhance the I-45 NHHIP project as we move forward,” Texas Transportation Commissioner Laura Ryan said.

“The City of Houston has spoken as a voice for our residents, and I will continue to support the project as long as my goals of resilience, multimodal transportation and equity are met,” Mayor Turner says. “Coming together under this MOU provides a path forward that will benefit us all.”