Bohac Reports Progress On Long Point Funding

HOUSTON – State Representative Dwayne Bohac is pleased to announce new funds have been set aside for the Long Point reconstruction project. Some estimate that construction could begin as early as the middle of next year on major intersections along the vital thoroughfare.

“I am proud to announce that $100,000 was added for additional Long Point engineering studies in the City of Houston’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for FY2004,” said Rep. Bohac. “Additional funds, totaling $8.4 million, have been set aside in the city budget for following years, all part of a master plan designed to get traffic moving again.”

Rep. Bohac recently passed a resolution in the Texas House of Representatives calling on the city of Houston to move forward with the redevelopment effort. With the support of fellow Houston lawmakers Beverly Woolley, Jessica Farrar, Jon Lindsay, and John Whitmire, HR 1295 was sent to Mayor Brown after being passed unanimously by the House as part of an effort to focus the city’s attention on this project.

“I am pleased to see the city responding to the needs of Spring Branch,” said Bohac. “This has been a collaborative effort between Council Member Bruce Tatro, Congressman John Culberson, my office and many area community leaders. There now appears to be substantial movement. The time is now for Long Point construction to begin because this project has been neglected far too long.”

While the city works to fund their share of the Long Point project, Bohac is working to gain Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) funding and Culberson is seeking to bring in federal dollars. These combined efforts, along with future funds from the Spring Branch Area Community Improvement District, will get construction completed as soon as possible.

“This is great news,” said Catherine Barchfeld, President of the Spring Branch Central Super Neighborhood. “We are hoping that the time frame can be accelerated to more closely align with the construction of I-10.”

“Our challenge now is to hold the funding in place in a new mayoral administration and move the project to actually start construction by mid-2004 at the latest,” said community leader Helen Huey. Helen has been a major proponent of the Long Point effort for many years.

Earlier in the year, Rep. Bohac, Rep. Beverly Woolley and Congressman Culberson sat down with Jon Vanden Bosch, Director of the City’s Public Works and Engineering Department, to discuss the current status and future reconstruction of Long Point Road.

“Long Point Road is the common sense east-west alternative route for traffic slowed by future construction on the Katy Freeway,” concluded Bohac. “Westview should not be used as the relief valve as it is residential. Long Point is commercial in nature and in character. These new developments are a great step in the right direction.”