METRO continues bus stop upgrades as part of ongoing “BOOST” initiative

METRO bus shelter — A METRO bus passenger waits in front of a bus shelter in September 2023.

The Houston-area transit provider, which cited rising costs and expected declines in ridership while recently putting the brakes on a planned bus rapid transit line, continues to invest in its most heavily used traditional bus routes .

The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) plans to unveil a new type of bus shelter and marker next month along its 54 Scott Route in south Houston, one of three oft-used routes where improvements Continuous efforts are made as part of the agency’s “BOOST” initiative. A total of 10 bus stops will be updated in July with solar-powered shelters and beacons that will include digital signage, according to a presentation at METRO’s strategic planning committee meeting last week.

The committee got updates on a series of ongoing construction projects expected to cost a total of more than $160 million, including the installation of standard and solar-powered bus shelters, a new park-and-ride buses in Missouri City and improvements along Routes 54 Scott, 56 Airline/Montrose and 82 Westheimer. METRO leaders also decided not to seek federal grants for the University Corridor rapid bus line project, indefinitely shelving a potentially transformative project that would create a 25-mile route across the city at an estimated cost of $2.28 billions of dollars.

“We are committed to improving the customer experience while being fiscally responsible and transparent,” METRO Board Chair Elizabeth Gonzalez Brock said in a statement. “We are moving forward with proof-of-concept and viable infrastructure projects that should increase ridership. This includes initiatives like the Gulfton Transit and Revitalization Project, which addresses first- and last-mile needs through microtransit and continued BOOST route improvements. “

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Like the University BRT project, METRO’s BOOST initiatives were also part of a $3.5 billion bond proposal that Harris County voters approved in 2019 — although a spokesperson The agency said Monday that no corresponding bonds had been issued or sold. A total of 17 bus routes are expected to potentially be upgraded under the BOOST program, which, in addition to new shelters and signage, also involves new or improved sidewalks and pedestrian crossings as well as wheelchair-accessible ramps.

Construction began in 2021 on the portion of Route 56 Airline/Montrose that runs through the Heights neighborhood. Two additional segments along the 23-mile corridor, stretching from the Greenspoint area to the Texas Medical Center, are half-finished and construction has begun on a fourth segment. The total cost of the Route 56 Airline/Montrose improvements is nearly $16.5 million, with construction expected to last until the end of 2025.

BOOST work costing more than $5.6 million is expected to be completed this summer on Route 54 Scott, an 11-mile corridor from downtown to the MLK Health Center. A total of 100 bus stops are being upgraded, with the first segment as well as 60% of the second segment already completed.

Construction has not yet begun on Route 82 Westheimer, with METRO waiting for the City of Houston to complete road and underground work first. Fifty bus stops will be upgraded along a 6-mile corridor from downtown to West Loop 610, with the project expected to cost more than $12.2 million.

Across its service area, METRO installed a total of 226 new bus shelters over the past year and aspires to install 174 more by the end of the year. The agency has also rehabilitated nearly 250 existing shelters since last October.

“METRO’s mission is simple: to provide safe, clean, reliable, accessible and user-friendly public transportation options,” Julie Fernandez, METRO’s data analytics manager, said at last week’s meeting. “These five qualities describe the type of experience our clients want. The extent to which we deliver that experience is a critical measure of our success as an agency.”