Without a lot of fanfare, something popped up on the latest Commissioners Court agenda:
Recommendation that an unsolicited proposal by Grand Parkway Constructors be subjected to review and fact-finding negotiations by county staff and consultants for a public-private partnership for a project delivery system for the Grand Parkway for the county’s Toll Road Authority.
“Unsolicited.” Nice.
Today the Chron’s Bill Murphy has more information:
A joint venture led by a road construction company and an engineering firm has asked Harris County to enter into a public-private partnership to build and operate the 197-mile Grand Parkway as a toll road.
Commissioners Court will consider today whether it wants to study the unsolicited offer to undertake the $5.3 billion project to build an outermost ring skirting the metropolitan area.
“It’s intriguing because we have not seen details of the proposal,” said Art Storey, director of the county’s public infrastructure department.
“It appears that it would allow us to retain some control of the project, (rely on) the local construction community and get financing for the project guaranteed.”
If the court decides to go ahead with a partnership between the county and Grand Parkway Constructors, the joint venture would need approval from the Texas Department of Transportation.
Grand Parkway Constructors’ principals are Williams Brothers Construction and Dannenbaum Engineering.
Executives at both companies did not return calls Monday.
Storey said the joint venture proposal envisions the Harris County Toll Road Authority serving as the project’s managing partner.
Under a partnership, the county and the joint venture could agree to have the toll road authority operate the Grand Parkway and retain some of the revenue, Storey said.
The idea of a Grand Parkway encircling the metropolitan area outside Highway 6 has been around for decades. Critics long have contended that it is a highway sought by road builders and developers who intend to build subdivisions and strip malls in the still undeveloped areas.
Regardless of one’s stance in that debate, the Legislature and TxDOT have decided the Grand Parkway will be built.
Delvin Dennis, TxDOT’s deputy district engineer in the Houston area, said some areas where the highway would be built are rural now, but will not be in 10 to 20 years.
Critics contend it’s being pushed by developers, because…it’s being pushed by developers! Billy Burge is the president of the Grand Parkway Association, and former state Sen. Jon Lindsay held meetings with developers in an effort to further the project. Goodness knows what he’s been up to these days, since he now has some free time on his hands.
As for the assertion that some areas are rural now, but won’t be in a decade or two, Mr. Dennis should come and visit the Spring area where the F-2 segment has been mapped out. It’s already a whole lot less rural than it was even a couple of years ago, and running a big highway through it will be devastating.
Judge Emmett has already said that completion of the Grand Parkway must occur, but I can’t recall seeing where the other candidates for county judge stand on the issue.
