Rad Sallee’s Move It! column covers last week’s Metro Mobility Series breakfast meeting:
Afton Oaks residents worried about access to their homes and the fate of live oaks on the Richmond Avenue median aren’t alone in asking an intriguing question about Metro’s planned rail line to the Galleria area:
If Metropolitan Transit Authority officials really want the train to go where the riders are — the reason given for laying track in the middle of public streets — why wouldn’t they want it on Westheimer?
The question was put to Metro board member George DeMontrond several times last week at a breakfast meeting of the Houston Intown Chamber of Commerce at the Briar Club near River Oaks.
Westheimer, which is broad and passes through the heart of the business and shopping hub called Uptown (actually Houston’s second downtown), seems an obvious choice. But as one audience member told DeMontrond with emphasis, “It’s not on the map.”
Indeed it isn’t. Metro’s map shows two possible routes — Richmond, which Metro prefers, and Westpark. Metro is also considering a combination of the two, with trains coming out Richmond to any of several cross streets, where they would cross the Southwest Freeway to Westpark.
Follow the link to Sallee’s story to read the details of what is and isn’t being considered for the new rail line.
