Congressman Tom DeLay was successful in securing $1 million to enable the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) to help identify effective approaches for improving mobility and air quality in Houston. TTI will apply results from their nationally recognized transportation research efforts and will work closely with Houston area transportation organizations. The research will include identification of congestion-causing bottlenecks, near-term actions to alleviate congestion on freeways and streets, and an assessment of the transportation effects of the increased development inside Loop 610. This funding was included in the recently passed Omnibus Appropriations Act.
“Houstonians see transportation issues as a priority; this funding provides us an unusual opportunity to use broad academic expertise to help address the transportation problems in the region,” said Dr. Herb Richardson, Director of TTI. “The Institute greatly appreciates the action taken by Congressman DeLay, and we are confident this will result in mobility improvements.” Congressman DeLay, the current House Majority Leader, has also served as Majority Whip and as a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee – the only member of Congress from Houston to ever serve on that panel and in the House leadership.
With the funding provided by Congressman DeLay, the Institute will also update and expand the information in the Greater Houston Partnership’s 2000 Travel Rate Improvement Program Report, a multi-agency assessment of the mobility needs of the region. Updating this report will provide an excellent baseline for defining the magnitude of the transportation problem and assessing the effectiveness of alternative actions.
“Congressman DeLay has always been a strong supporter of university research and transportation,” Richardson noted. “We appreciate the opportunity to utilize the expertise developed at TTI to help address the transportation problems facing Houston.”