HOUSTON – Have you been wondering about the construction work south of I-10 near the Rice Military area?
Folks are writing in to tell us traffic sometimes reaches West Gray Street on Shepherd and Durham heading towards the Katy Freeway, and this is just one section of a much bigger project
Shepherd / Durham project
- The entire project is called the Shepherd/Durham project, which is a major investment project. Work kicked off earlier this summer. When all the work is done, folks will see improvements stretching, all the way north of I-10 into the Heights.
- Project one: project one: work on Shepherd and Durham, south of I-10, from Dickson to Washington. This work will be completed at different points in time, with the goal of having Shepherd done first then Durham by fall of 2022.
- Project two: Shepherd/Durham from 610 to I-10 (crews have not broken ground on this section just yet)
- Done in two phases:
- Phase one: 610 to 15th street (crews are ready to break ground on the first phase of project two by the end of 2021.)
- Phase two: 15th to I-10.
Improvements
- Work on Shepherd and Durham will include reducing lanes from four to three to make way for:
- Better bike lanes--with added buffer zone to protect cyclists from car traffic.
- Wider sidewalks
- Better drainage
- Drivers can expect better timing for traffic signals too.
We told you about this project last year. In fact, District C Council Member Abbie Kamin was able to secure a big chunk of money, $40 million to be exact, to fund phase two of project two.
“We saw during the pandemic how important outdoors are and nature is, and people are appreciating that a lot more, and we need to make sure we have safe and comfortable and enjoyable environments where thatcan continue,” Kamin said.