Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher Leads Effort to Ensure Congress Addresses Houston Region Infrastructure Priorities

Press Release

Dear Chairman DeFazio, Ranking Member Graves, Speaker Pelosi, and Leader McCarthy:

As the United States Congress works on legislation to address the nation's infrastructure, we
write to ask you to include support that will address the unique transportation challenges in
Houston and Harris County, Texas.

Harris County is the most populous county in the State of Texas, and its fastest growing. The
U.S. Census Bureau just announced that, according to its 2019 data, Harris County is the third
most populous county in the entire country, smaller than only Los Angeles County, California
and Cook County, Illinois. And it is also the third-fastest growing county in the country. Over
the last few years, on average, more than 250 people have moved to the Houston area each day.

For all its benefits, this population growth has challenged the area's infrastructure, including its
transportation infrastructure. Improvements to transportation infrastructure have not kept pace
with the area's rapid growth. And that rapid growth is expected to continue. The region's
population is expected to grow from 7 million people to more than 10 million over the next 20
years. Yet the development of public transportation, from rail lines to bus routes, continues to
lag behind other metropolitan regions in Texas, which have received significantly more federal
investment for many years. At the same time, the area has the most congested roadways in the
Texas. And those roadways have highest death rate in the state. A recent Houston Chronicle
analysis of sixteen years of federal highway data revealed that Houston is the most deadly major
metro area in the nation "for drivers, passengers, and people in their path"--equating the death
toll to three fully-loaded 737s crashing and killing everyone on board each year.

The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) has developed a plan to address
the acute need for improved, multi-modal public transportation and reduce congestion on the
roadways. Its METRONext plan will add 500 miles of travel improvements through bus, light
rail, and inter-modal service. Many of these proposed projects will connect different areas in the
region, including underserved communities throughout Harris County to Houston's world-class
institutions, like the Texas Medical Center, and to key locations, such as the airports and
downtown. The goals are to take more cars off the roads, to offer new service and travel options,
and to fund critical safety projects for the health, safety, and mobility of the region.

The region's residents are invested in this plan. In a November 2019 referendum, voters in the
service area approved METRO's authority to borrow up to $3.5 billion for the METRONext
plan. It is our request that, as you consider a new infrastructure package, you will keep in mind
and similarly support the growing, unique, and critically important needs in Houston and Harris
County. Thank you for your consideration of our request.

Source