[Press Conference: "Westpark Tollway MOU Signing"]
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JOIN US TODAY FOR THIS VERY MOMENTOUS OCCASION, THE SIGNING CEREMONY FOR THE WEST PARK TOLL STUDY WITH ALL OF OUR PARTNERS HERE TODAY.I WILL SERVE AS THE MC IN THIS VERY MOMENT HERE TO LET YOU KNOW THE ORDER OF THE SHOW.
FIRST WE'LL HEAR FROM COMMISSIONER LESLIE BRIANIS, FOLLOWED BY MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER, FOLLOWED BY FORT BEND COUNTY JUDGE KP GEORGE, FOLLOWED BY THE CHAIR OF METRO BOARD SANJAY ROM, FOLLOWED BY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF TAG, CHRISTINA CABRAL.
THEN WE WILL MOVE OVER FOR THE SIGNING CEREMONY ITSELF.
WITH THAT, PLEASE ALLOW ME TO INTRO, INTRODUCE, AND WELCOME HARRIS COUNTY PRECINCT FOR COMMISSIONER LESLIE BRIANIS.
THANK YOU, MS. RHODES, AND THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY.
I'D LOVE TO INVITE THE PARTNERS UP, PLEASE, TO STAND WITH ME, 'CAUSE THIS IS A PARTNERSHIP EFFORT THAT I'M SO ENERGIZED BY.
SO THANK YOU FOR JOINING US THIS AFTERNOON.
I'M LESLIE BRIANNE, AND I'M GRATEFUL TO BE SERVING AS YOUR HARRIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER FOR PRECINCT FOUR, AND GRATEFUL TO BE HERE WITH MANY OF MY PRECINCT FOUR TEAM MEMBERS.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTNERSHIP.
I'M HONORED TO BE HERE WITH FORT BEND COUNTY JUDGE KP GEORGE.
I AM HONORED TO BE HERE WITH OUR MAYOR OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, SYLVESTER TURNER.
AND I'M ENJOYING EVERY LAST DAY MAYOR OF OUR PHENOMENAL PARTNERSHIP TOGETHER AND OUR BOLD, INNOVATIVE METRO CHAIR, SANJAY RAM, WHO IS A DEAR FRIEND, AS WELL AS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF TAG RAL.
AND THEY'RE LONGTIME TEXAS LYCEUM SIBLINGS OF MINE.
SO IT'S ALWAYS NICE TO HAVE A PUBLIC POLICY REUNION HERE.
SO WE ARE HERE TO CELEBRATE THE SIGNING OF THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING TO REIMAGINE THE WEST PARK TOLLWAY.
THIS IS ONE OF THE ONCE IN A GENERATION TYPE OF PROJECTS THAT WILL HAVE A LASTING IMPACT FOR DECADES TO COME.
I AM ENERGIZED BY THIS PROJECT FOR VARIOUS REASONS.
I'LL SHARE SOME OF THE TOP ONES.
FIRST, WE KNOW THAT THERE IS DEEP NEED TO REIMAGINE THE WEST PARK TOLLWAY.
WESTERN PART OF HARRIS COUNTY AND FORT BEND COUNTY ARE THE FASTEST GROWING REGIONS IN THE STATE OF TEXAS AND ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING REGIONS IN THE UNITED STATES.
WE KNOW THAT OVER HALF A MILLION PEOPLE HAVE MOVED TO THIS REGION IN THE LAST 12 YEARS, AND WE KNOW THAT THAT WILL CONTINUE.
WE KNOW THAT APPROXIMATELY 25,000 VEHICLES A DAY USE OUR WEST PARK TOLLWAY, AND THAT EQUATES TO APPROXIMATELY 5 MILLION TRIPS PER MONTH.
THE WEST PARK TOLLWAY CONNECTS INDIVIDUALS TO FOUR KEY EMPLOYMENT CENTERS JUST IN PRECINCT FOUR ALONE.
AND I SEE WE'RE JOINED BY OUR ENERGY CORRIDOR, DISTRICT DIRECTOR, ELIJAH WILLIAMS. SO WE HAVE THE ENERGY CORRIDOR THAT IT CONNECTS TO WEST CHASE, UPTOWN GREENWAY PLAZA, AND WE ALSO KNOW THAT THE HOUSTON REGION RANKS AS ONE OF THE TOP FIVE, I WOULD SAY LOWEST FIVE IN TERMS OF THE MOST DIFFICULT CITIES IN THE US WITH REGARD TO COMMUTING.
ANOTHER REASON I'M SO EXCITED IS WHEN WE CAME TOGETHER AS PARTNERS, WE DON'T WANT JUST TO HAVE A VERY NARROW VIEW IN WHAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT IN TERMS OF RE-IMAGINING.
I WAS ENERGIZED BY THE BOLDNESS.
NOT ONLY DO WE WANNA WORK ON INCREASING MOBILITY AND REDUCING CONGESTION, THAT IS A GIVEN, BUT HOW DO WE INCREASE PUBLIC SAFETY? HOW DO WE ENHANCE INFRASTRUCTURE IN A WAY THAT CAN RECONNECT THE COMMUNITIES ACROSS EITHER SIDE OF WEST PARK? AND WE'RE ALSO SEEKING, PRECINCT FOUR IS REACHING OUT AND HAS APPLIED FOR FEDERAL FUNDING TO SEE HOW WE CAN AUGMENT THE RECONNECTION EFFORTS.
WE'RE ALSO LOOKING FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO CELEBRATE LOCAL CULTURE, ART, AND ARCHITECTURE THROUGH THIS RE-ENVISIONING, AND AGAIN, ENHANCING PUBLIC SAFETY THROUGH INNOVATIVE MECHANISMS. WE WANNA FIND WHERE WE CAN CREATE CONNECTIVITY, WHERE WE CAN CREATE GREEN SPACE OPPORTUNITIES AND HOW WE CAN MAKE SURE THIS IS A SAFER, MORE EFFICIENT MODE OF TRANSPORTATION.
THE OTHER REASON I'M ENERGIZED IS BECAUSE EVERY PARTNER UP HERE AGREED THAT THE COMMUNITY WOULD BE THE DRIVER, AND I, NO PUN INTENDED, LIKE CLEARLY THEY'RE THE DRIVERS, BUT THEY WILL BE DRIVING THIS EFFORT BECAUSE
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WE ALL BELIEVE IN DEEP COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN A WAY THAT IS MULTILINGUAL AND MEANINGFUL IN MULTI MODES, SO THAT WE CAN TRULY USE TAXPAYER DOLLARS TO REFLECT THE DESIRES AND NEEDS OF THE TAXPAYER.SO THAT WILL BE OF FUNDAMENTAL IMPORTANCE AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
AND TO ME AS A MOM OF THREE, AND AS SOMEBODY WHO I, I BELIEVE TIME IS OUR MOST PRECIOUS COMMODITY.
WHAT I WOULD DO TO BE ABLE TO EXTEND EACH DAY AND THE THOUGHT THAT WE CAN MAKE BY HOPEFULLY BEING VERY BOLD IN THE WAY WE CREATE MULTIMODAL OPTIONS AND THINK OF OTHER WAYS TO EXPAND THE UTILITY OF WEST PARK.
HOW CAN WE GIVE TIME BACK SO THAT YOU CAN SPEND MORE TIME WITH YOUR FAMILIES OR YOU CAN MAKE IT TO THAT GAME, OR YOU WON'T HAVE TO BE THE LAST PARENT AT DAYCARE AT 5 59, RIGHT? I'VE BEEN THAT PARENT MANY, MANY TIMES.
SO HOW CAN WE CREATE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE MORE TIME WITH OUR FAMILIES TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS A SAFER ROAD, SO THAT YOU HAVE AN EVEN BETTER CHANCE TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE GETTING HOME SAFELY TO YOUR FAMILIES.
AND THEN AGAIN, JUST INCREASING THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, HELPING FOLKS GET TO WORK FASTER.
AND AS WE CONTINUE TO GROW IN THIS REGION, MAKING SURE WE'RE DRAWING INDIVIDUALS TO THE REGION BECAUSE IT IS NOT JUST A MASSIVE CONGESTIVE UM, AREA.
AND LASTLY, AGAIN, THIS IS THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIPS.
WHEN YOU CAN HAVE HARRIS COUNTY COMING TOGETHER WITH FORT BEND COUNTY AND DOING IT AT THE BEGINNING SO THAT THEN HARRIS COUNTY DOESN'T JUST CREATE CONGESTION FOR FORT BEND COUNTY, WHICH WE WOULD NEVER WANNA DO.
SO AT THE OUTSET, WORKING WITH OUR WONDERFUL MAYOR OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND METRO AND TAG, HOW CAN WE DO THIS TOGETHER FROM THE BEGINNING SO THAT WE CREATE STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT SO THAT AGAIN, WE ARE WORKING ACROSS LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT TO BE BETTER STEWARDS AND FIDUCIARIES OF TAXPAYER RESOURCES.
SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE REASONS I'M JUST SO ENERGIZED.
THIS IS A ONCE IN A GENERATION TYPE OF PROJECT, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO THE WEST PART TOLLWAY TO BE AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT WE CAN DO WHEN THE BOLDNESS OF THIS HOUSTON REGION GETS TO WORK, TO DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY, TO DO THINGS BETTER.
I WILL BE VERY BRIEF IN SPANISH.
TURNER, SANJAY RAM WEST PARK ENERGY CORRIDOR WEST UPTOWN E GREENWAY.
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THANK YOU AGAIN.AT THIS TIME WE'LL HEAR FROM MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER.
AND UM, LOOK, LEMME TELL YOU, I'M, I'M ALREADY EXCITED.
I'M READY TO SIGN
UM, SO LOOK, UM, I'VE GOT TWO WEEKS LEFT AND, UM, WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE THE MAYOR'S DETAIL, YOU WANT THE EFFECTIVE TRANSPORTATION TRANSIT SYSTEM.
SO I'M STANDING HERE AS THE MAYOR OF CITY OF HOUSTON, AND, UH, AS OF JANUARY 1ST, I'M STANDING IN MY OWN SELF-INTEREST.
SO, UM, AND OFTENTIMES, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO TRAVEL DOWN TO FORT BEND AND DON'T WANNA NECESSARILY FACE THE TRAFFIC.
SO TO EXTEND, UH, UH, THE WEST PARK CAR ANOTHER 16 MILES IS A BEAUTIFUL THING.
WE WERE JUST TALKING, UH, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A GAME CHANGER.
SO, UM, SO LOOK, LEMME AGAIN, THANK COMMISSIONER BRIANIS AND, UH, ALL OF OUR PARTNERS WHO ARE HERE AND IT'S GOOD TO BE, UH, WITH HER AGAIN, UM, IN HER LEADERSHIP AND THE THINGS THAT ARE TAKING PLACE IN OUR ENTIRE REGION.
WE ARE HERE TO TALK ABOUT, UH, THE MORE THAN 16 MILES OF MULTIMODAL MOBILITY ENHANCEMENTS ALONG THE WEST PARK CORRIDOR AND THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, HARRIS COUNTY, UH, FORT BEND AND METRO.
AND LOOK, LEMME JUST SAY THAT'S A BEAUTIFUL, THAT'S A BEAUTIFUL THING.
WE KNOW THE STUDY WILL DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF MULTIMODAL MOBILITY ENHANCEMENTS EXTENDING WEST OF THE PLANNED TERMINUS OF THE 25 MILE UNIVERSITY BUS, RAPID, UH, LINE AT THE WEST CHASE PARK AND RIDE FOR AN ADDITIONAL 16 MILES THROUGH HARRIS AND FORT BEND COUNTIES.
UM, BUT LET'S TALK ABOUT THE PARADIGM SHIFT THAT WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT YEARS AGO.
UH, UH, HOUSTON KEEPS MOVING TOWARDS THE FUTURE AS A MULTIMODAL CITY.
AND THE KEY TO THAT VISION IS A TRANSIT SYSTEM.
UH, LEMME SAY A TRANSIT TRANSPORTATION ECOSYSTEM, UH, THAT WORKS FOR EVERYONE AND NOT JUST WITHIN THE 640 SQUARE MILES OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, UH, BUT FOR OUR ENTIRE REGION, METRO IS BRINGING THAT SYSTEM TO LIFE, BUILDING OUT THEIR METRO.
UH, NEXT PLAN SUPPORTED BY 70% OF OUR VOTES AND IS 500 MILES OF TRANSIT IMPROVEMENTS.
METRO'S ALREADY WORKING ON THREE BUS RAPID, UM, UH, TRANSIT LINES, THEN ACA, THE GULFTON CORRIDOR, THE UNIVERSITY CORRIDOR WITH THIS MOU, UM, METRO, THE CITY OF HOUSTON, HARRIS COUNTY, FORT BEND COUNTY, ARE SHOWING OUR SUPPORT FOR EXTENDING THE MOBILITY IMPROVEMENTS FOR ANOTHER 16 MILES.
WHAT'S THE RESULT OF ALL OF THAT? MORE TRANSIT CONNECTIONS TO JOBS, MORE TRANSIT CONNECTIONS TO SCHOOLS, MORE TRANSIT CONNECTIONS, WILL CONTINUING TO CHANGE OUR TRANSPORTATION PARADIGM.
AND QUITE FRANKLY, IT MAKES US EVEN MORE COMPETITIVE, UH, NOT ONLY WITHIN OUR REGION AND WITHIN THE STATE AND IN THIS COUNTRY, BUT IT JUST MAKES US COMPETITIVE.
WHEN PEOPLE ARE LOOKING AT US FROM A GLOBAL POINT OF VIEW, WE HAVE TO MOVE FORWARD.
WE CAN'T STAY STUCK IN TRAFFIC AND NOT MOVE.
UH, AND QUITE FRANKLY, UH, MOBILITY JUST DOESN'T STOP AT THE CITY'S LINE OR AT THE LINES OF HARRIS COUNTY OR FORT BEND.
UM, WE ARE CONSTANTLY GOING FROM ONE TO THE OTHER.
AND IN ORDER TO MEET THE NEEDS, OUR FUTURE
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NEEDS, UH, WE HAVE TO BUILD THAT ECOSYSTEM NETWORKS.SO I WANT TO THANK OUR PARTNERS AT METRO, INCLUDING CHAIR, UH, SANJAY, AND THE PRESIDENT, CO TOM, UH, LAMBERT, WHO IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS, UH, HE AND I BOTH WILL BE LOOKING FOR A MORE EFFECTIVE ECOSYSTEM, PLUS OUR FRIENDS AT HARRIS AND FORT BEND COUNTY, UH, FOR SEEING THIS VISION OF OUR REGION'S FUTURE AND WORKING TOGETHER TO MAKE IT COME TRUE.
UM, COMMISSIONER, I'M EXCITED.
I KNOW ALL OF US WHO ARE STANDING HERE EXCITED, BUT THE PEOPLE THEMSELVES ARE THE ONES WHO TRULY, UH, WILL BE EXCITED AND WILL BE THE BENEFICIARIES OF WHAT WE PLAN TODAY AND BILL TOMORROW.
PLEASE HELP ME WELCOME NOW FORT BEND COUNTY JUDGE KP GEORGE.
IT IS ABSOLUTELY AN HONOR AND PRIVILEGE TO STAND IN FRONT OF YOU IN THIS VERY IMPORTANT MOMENT IN OUR REGION'S HISTORY.
AND I TELL YOU, CHANGE IS ALWAYS GOOD BECAUSE THERE WAS A PRECINCT FOR BEFORE THERE WAS, FORT BEND COUNTY WAS THERE BEFORE, BUT WE NEVER HAD THIS CONVERSATION.
SO THANKS TO COMMISSIONER BRIANNA AND BRINGING THIS AS SOON AS SHE CAME INTO, I THINK WE STARTED THE CONVERSATION BEFORE EVEN YOU TOOK OFFICE.
AND SO, UM, YOU STARTED THIS CONVERSATION THAT IS WHAT THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING VISIONARY LEADERS.
AS MUCH AS IMPORTANT AS HARRIS COUNTY AND CITY OF HOUSTON.
THIS IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT FOR FORT BEND COUNTY.
AND, UH, AS YOU ALL KNOW, THAT FORT BEND COUNTY IS ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING COUNTIES IN INSTEAD OF TEXAS, AND WE ARE PART OF THIS METROPLEX AREA.
WE HAVE, UH, AROUND 25% OF THE TEXAS POPULATION LIVE IN THIS REGION, BUT WE ARE ONLY AT THREE AND A HALF PERCENT OF THE LANDMASS OF STATE OF TEXAS.
SO THAT MEANS WE ALL KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, TRANSPORTATION IS ALWAYS GOING TO BE A PROBLEM.
MOBILITY IS ALWAYS GOING TO BE A PROBLEM.
AND ALSO I ALWAYS TALK ABOUT THIS WAY, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S ABOUT QUALITY OF LIFE, QUALITY OF LIFE.
AND SO I AM HAPPY TO STAND WITH, UH, COM, UM, COMMISSIONER BRIANIS AND ALSO MAYOR TURNER.
AND I TELL YOU I'M GOING TO, AND I KNOW THAT MAYOR IS GOING TO, WE ARE GONNA BE WORKING IN A DIFFERENT CAPACITY FOR SURE, BECAUSE WHEN PEOPLE STARTED WORKING IN THAT C YOU NEVER GOING INTO SIT AT HOME.
AND SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO, BECAUSE I, I ALWAYS LOOKED UP TO HIM AS A MENTOR AND A PERSON OF A, A DIFFERENT LEVEL I CAN LEARN SO MUCH FROM.
AND, UM, WE WORKED TO SO MANY IN THICK AND THIN, YOU KNOW, WITH, WITH COVID AND, UH, SNOWSTORM AND ALL THAT STUFF AND YOUR PARTNERSHIP.
AND I DON'T KNOW, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A PIECE OF, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, CITY OF HOUSTON NEWS IN FORT BEND.
AND SO WE HAVE A VESTED INTEREST EVEN MORE TO WORK TOGETHER.
UM, AND OF COURSE, ALONG WITH, UM, A GOOD FRIEND, UH, SAN RIN AND ALSO CHRISTINA RAL, AND THANK YOU, UM, UH, TO JOIN HERE TODAY.
UM, AND ALSO I JUST WANNA RECOGNIZE SOME OF MY STAFF AND ALSO OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR HERE, UH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, CARLOS GUZMAN, AND OUR COUNTY ASSISTANT ENGINEER, UH, IKE, AND OF COURSE, MY CHIEF OF STAFF, UH, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, IKA SMITH AND, UH, COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR, THEY ALL, THEY ALL LIVE IN HARRIS COUNTY, WHICH IT'S
UH, TAMMY AND OF COURSE RYAN, MY COMMUNICATION PERSON.
AND THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF THERE IS NO BOUNDARIES.
THERE IS NO BOUNDARIES FOR FLOODING.
THERE IS NO BOUNDARIES FOR TRANSPORTATION.
THERE IS NO BOUNDARIES FOR DRAINAGE ISSUES.
AND THAT'S WHY THE REGIONAL LEADERS NEED TO COME TOGETHER SO THAT WE COULD WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE A BETTER COUNTY, BETTER CITY, BETTER REGION FOR THE BETTERMENT OF OUR CITIZENS.
END OF THE DAY, END OF THE DAY, IT'S ALL WHAT WE DO IS ABOUT OUR CITIZENS AND THEIR MOBILITY.
AND NOBODY WANTED TO SIT IN, IN, UM, UH, TRAFFIC FOR TWO HOURS.
AND ALONG WITH THAT, EVEN THOUGH I CAME TO SIGN THIS TODAY, AND I HAVE TO RECOGNIZE IT IS IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE OUR COMMISSIONER'S, COURT MEMBERS, PRECINCT ONE COMMISSIONER, UM, VINCENT MORALES, PRECINCT TWO COMMISSIONER, UH, GRADY PRESTIGE, UH, THREE COMMISSIONER ANDY MYERS AND ALSO PRECINCT FOUR COMMISSIONER DEXTER MCCOY.
THEY UNANIMOUSLY THEY UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED THIS, UH, FOR ME TO DO, GO AHEAD AND DO THIS, AND I WANTED TO THANK THEM FOR THAT.
AND, UM, AND ALSO THEIR VISION AND SUPPORT TO PICK MAKING THIS, UH, REGIONAL, UM, PARTNERSHIP,
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UH, A REALITY TODAY, UH, OR EVEN AT LEAST WORKING TOWARDS AS FORT BEND COUNTY TALL ROAD, EXPAND WEST ALONG WEST PARK, UH, THE CAPACITY ISSUE IMPACT TRAVEL TIMES ON WEST PARK.UH, THIS SEES AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE HOW WE LOOK AT A MULTI-MODEL MOBILITY ENHANCEMENT AS A REGION.
YOU HEARD A LOT OF DETAILS, SO I WOULDN'T BE TALKING ABOUT, ABOUT DETAILS.
AND THEN FORT BEND COUNTY STAND AS, AS I MENTIONED, ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING COUNTIES.
AND I DON'T KNOW YOU REMEMBER, UH, THOSE WHO LIVED HERE LONG ENOUGH, 52,000 PEOPLE IN THE 1970 CENSUS.
WE ARE GONNA HAVE A MILLION PEOPLE BY 20 26, 20 27.
BY 2040, WE ARE GONNA HAVE 1.8 MILLION PEOPLE.
SO WE NEED TO BUILD ROAD AND NOT JUST BUILDING ROAD OR OTHER MEANS.
WE HAVE TO REIMAGINE MOBILITY FOR SURE.
THAT'S THE ONLY WAY TO DEAL WITH THAT.
WESTPAC CORRIDOR PROJECT OFFERS A TRANSPORTATION SOLUTION THAT ALIGNS WITH THE PACE OF GROWTH IN THE NORTHWEST PART OF FORT BEND COUNTY.
AND ALSO, AS COMMISSIONER RIGHTFULLY MENTIONED, THE NORTHWEST PART OF, UH, THE REGION, UH, AT LARGE AND TOTAL ROAD CAPACITY ENHANCES, UH, POTENTIAL TRANSIT SERVICES AND OTHER COMMUNITY AMENITIES TO IMPROVE OVERALL QUALITY.
WE JUST TALK ABOUT IT BEFORE THE, THIS IS ALL ABOUT QUALITY OF LIFE, UH, OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL OUR CITIZENS.
UM, CONNECTIVITY TO NORTHERN, UH, NORTHWESTERN FORT BEND COUNTY, UM, AS I MAYBE THREE TIME MENTIONED, RAPIDLY GROWING COMMUNITY, ENSURING THAT THE RESIDENTS HAVE AN EFFICIENT AND DIVERSE, UH, TRANSPORTATION OPTION.
BUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, WE TELL YOU THIS IS NOT JUST ABOUT MOBILITY, THIS IS ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
THIS IS ABOUT, SO THE EXPLORATION OF WESTPARK CORRIDOR IS NOT ONLY ABOUT CONNECTING COMMUNITIES, BUT ALSO ABOUT CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR COMMUNITIES.
AND THAT INCLUDE JOB CREATION, WHICH INCLUDE WITH THIS PROJECT.
AND THEN MANY OTHER PEOPLE WILL BE LOOKING TO, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, COME TO THIS REGION.
AS YOU KNOW, IT IS CONSTANTLY HAPPENING.
AND WE WANTED TO CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE, UH, THEY ARE, THEY ARE, CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD, MOVE HERE BECAUSE THE SAME WAY PEOPLE MOVING HERE, WE WANTED TO CREATE MORE JOBS IN THIS REGION ALSO.
AND, UH, A SUSTAINED, UM, ECONOMIC GROWTH IS GOING TO FOSTERING BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, ATTRACT NEW INVESTMENTS, AS I MENTIONED, CREATE NEW COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES IN OUR AREA.
AS I ALSO MENTIONED, THE MMOU REPRESENT A SHARED COMMITMENT AND VISION TO ADDRESS THE EVOLVING NEED OF OUR GROWING COMMUNITY.
THIS COLLABORATIVE EFFORT EXEMPLIFIES THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIP, THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIP IN ACHIEVING, UH, A TRANSFORM IN ACHIEVING, UM, ACHIEVING TRANSFORMATIVE OUTCOMES, WHICH YOU WILL SEE IN THE COMING YEARS, UH, IN, IN THIS REGION.
I LOOK FORWARD NOT ONLY TO CONNECTING REGIONS, BUT ALSO BUILDING A FOUNDATION FOR SUSTAINED ECONOMIC GROWTH, ENHANCED JOB OPPORTUNITIES, AND A MORE INTERCONNECTED AND VIBRANT FUTURE FOR EVERYONE.
COLLECTIVELY, OUR GOAL IS TO CREATE AN AN, AN ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL COMMUNITY.
HOUSTON METROPLEX CREATE NOT ONLY FOR US, OUR CHILDREN AND GENERATIONS TO COME.
NOW WE WILL HEAR FROM SANJAY RAHM, WHO IS CHAIRMAN OF THE METRO BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
I'M SANJAY RAMAN, CHAIR OF THE METROPOLITAN TRANSIT AUTHORITY.
BEFORE I GET STARTED, I WANNA START WITH TOM LAMBERT.
45 YEARS OF SERVICE, IMPROVING MOBILITY FOR THE HOUSTON REGION.
IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE GET THIS DONE UNDER HIS WATCH AS WELL.
AND I'M JOINED HERE BY MY BOARD COLLEAGUES, BOB FRY, DIANE LUTER, AND TROY TAYLOR WHO WAS HERE EARLIER.
COMMISSIONER BRIANIS, THANK YOU FOR HOSTING US AT HARRIS COUNTY.
I'M GLAD THIS HAS FINALLY COME INTO FRUITION.
ALWAYS GLAD TO JOIN MAYOR TURNER AND JUDGE GEORGE AND MY LYCEUM SISTER CHRISTINA CABRAL WITH TAG.
IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, IT'S A PERFECT EXAMPLE.
THIS MIGHT SOUND CLICHE, IT'S A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF TOGETHER WE CAN DO MORE BECAUSE IN HOUSTON, TEXAS, WE MAKE BOLD DECISIONS.
WE MAKE VISIONARY DECISIONS TO BUILD A BETTER FUTURE FOR THE ENTIRE REGION.
WHAT COMES TO CULMINATION TODAY STARTED MANY, MANY MONTHS BACK AS A SIMPLE CONVERSATION IN SOME CASES MONTHS BACK, IN OTHER CASES A COUPLE OF YEARS BACK.
BUT IT TAKES TIME FOR THESE THINGS TO COME TO FRUITION BECAUSE WE CAN IMPROVE
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MOBILITY.AND AS A JUDGE SAID, QUALITY OF LIFE FOR A BOOMING POPULATION.
ONLY IF WE CHOOSE TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX, I MIGHT SAY THIS PUN INTENDED WHEN WE QUIT DRIVING IN OUR OWN LANES.
BUT THINK ABOUT SHARED LANES THAT WE CAN TRAVEL ON SO THAT WE CAN COLLECTIVELY MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE TODAY? THINK ABOUT IT.
YOU'VE GOT THE FOURTH LARGEST CITY IN THE UNITED STATES.
HOUSTON, THE THIRD LARGEST COUNTY IN THE UNITED STATES, HARRIS COUNTY, ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING COUNTIES IN THE UNITED STATES, FORT BEND COUNTY, AND A LOCAL TRANSIT AUTHORITY COMING TOGETHER FOR MULTIMODAL MOBILITY ENHANCEMENTS.
HOW? BY LEVERAGING A POTENTIAL FEDERAL INVESTMENT IN THE UNIVERSITY METRO, RAPID BUS, RAPID TRANCHE AT CORRIDOR, A 25 MILE LONG CORRIDOR THAT IS THE LONGEST BRT CORRIDOR IN PLANNING, DESIGN OR CONSTRUCTION ANYWHERE IN THE UNITED STATES.
GOOD NEWS, JUST IN TIME FOR THANKSGIVING, WE GOT THE ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARANCE UNDER THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT, NEPA FOR THE 25 MILE LONG CORRIDOR RUNS FROM.
THINK ABOUT THIS, NORTHEAST HOUSTON, HARRIS COUNTY TIDWELL IN 59, RUNNING DOWN LOCKWOOD, CONNECTING THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY, THE UNIVERSITY OF ST.
THOMAS, FIVE CAMPUSES OF THE HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM, ALL THREE RAIL LINES, MIDTOWN, GREENWAY PLAZA, LOWER GALLERIA, ALL THE WAY TO WEST CHASE, WEST PARK, AND THE BELTWAY.
AND WE WANT TO THANK PRESIDENT BIDEN FOR INCLUDING THE FIRST $150 MILLION FOR THIS PROJECT IN THE FISCAL 2024 PRESIDENTIAL BUDGET.
METRO WAS SHOOTING TO HAVE IT IN THE FISCAL 2025 BUDGET.
BUT WE LIKE DOING THINGS AHEAD OF TIME AND AHEAD OF SCHEDULE AND WE'LL GET TO THAT AS WELL IN JUST A SECOND, RIGHT? BECAUSE IN HOUSTON WE AIM HIGH, WE DREAM BIG, AND WE HOPE TO ACHIEVE EVEN BIGGER AND BETTER THINGS.
THIS PARTNERSHIP WILL LEVERAGE THAT POTENTIAL INVESTMENT.
AND WE SAY TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, IF YOU HELP US BUILD 25 MILES OF BUS RAPID TRANSIT, WE WILL PARTNER AND PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL 16 MILES OF MOBILITY IMPROVEMENTS.
THAT'S HOW WE ROLL IN HOUSTON.
'CAUSE THINK ABOUT HOW, WHAT THAT FUTURE LOOKS LIKE.
A STUDENT AT A HIGH SCHOOL NEAR TIDWELL IN 59 CANNOT JUST ACCESS U OF HTSU, UNIVERSITY OF ST.
THOMAS AND HCC, BUT CAN ALSO ACCESS JOB OPPORTUNITIES IN WESTERN HOUSTON, WESTERN HARRIS COUNTY, NORTHWEST FORT BEND COUNTY, A SENIOR CITIZEN IN WEST HARRIS COUNTY CAN TRAVEL TO MIDTOWN IN PREDICTABLE TRAVEL TIMES TO GO MEET FRIENDS, GO TO THE THEATER, WHATEVER IT MAY BE.
BUT THAT'S THE FUTURE WE ARE LOOKING FOR.
WHERE ARE JOB CENTERS AND BUSINESS DISTRICTS, SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES, HOSPITALS AND CLINICS, PARKS AND RECREATIONAL FACILITIES ARE ALL CONNECTED BY PREDICTABLE, ACCESSIBLE, FRIENDLY, SAFE, FREQUENT, MULTIMODAL PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS.
THAT IS WHAT THIS MOU IS ABOUT IN MY MIND, BECAUSE THIS WOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE COLLABORATIVE EFFORT BETWEEN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, HARRIS COUNTY, FORT BEND COUNTY.
AND I WANT TO THANK OUR PARTNERS AT BOTH THE TOLL ROAD AUTHORITIES, OUR COLLEAGUE ON THE BOAT, ROBERTO TREVINO IN HIS CAPACITY AS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE HARRIS COUNTY TOLL ROAD AUTHORITY, LOOKING TO SEE HOW WE CAN BUILD ON THIS, TALKING WITH IKE AND WITH THE COMMISSIONER CODE AT FORT BEND COUNTY TO SAY, WE WANT TO Y'ALL OWN SOME REAL ESTATE.
THE TOLL ROADS HAVE SOME MONEY, WE HAVE SOME RIGHT OF WAY.
IT TAKES, WHAT DOES IT TAKE FOR PROJECTS TO COME TO FRUITION? IN MY MIND, THREE THINGS.
I SOUND CLICHE, IT TAKES RIGHT OF WAY, IT TAKES FUNDING AND IT TAKES POLITICAL WILL.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE SEE HERE, TWO COUNTIES IN THE CITY COMING TOGETHER TO SAY, WE WANT TO GET THIS DONE.
BECAUSE NO SINGLE AGENCY, NO SINGLE ENTITY EITHER HAS ALL THE IDEAS OR ALL THE MONEY TO GET THIS DONE.
IT TAKES PARTNERSHIPS TO GET IT DONE.
THE MAYOR TALKED ABOUT THE PARADIGM SHIFT IN TRANSPORTATION, METRO WORKING TOWARDS MAKING THAT A REALITY.
AND IT IS ABOUT GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS BECAUSE THINK ABOUT THIS.
IN ORDER FOR US TO CONTINUE TO ATTRACT AND FRANKLY RETAIN BUSINESSES AND THE NEXT GENERATION OF HOUSTONIANS AND CITIZENS OF HARRISON, FORT BEND COUNTY, WE'VE GOT TO SOLVE CONGESTION.
WE'VE GOT TO IMPROVE MOBILITY OPTIONS.
WE'VE GOT TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE.
'CAUSE THAT'S WHAT THAT NEXT GENERATION'S LOOKING FOR.
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TO COME, BUSINESSES COMING HERE, THEY'RE LOOKING FOR A WORKFORCE THAT WILL WANT TO LIVE HERE AS WELL.NOW, UH, COMMISSIONER BRIANIS TALKED ABOUT THE TEXAS LYCEUM.
WE HAVE COLLABORATED ON, UH, POLICY LEADERSHIP, NONPROFIT THINGS FOR OVER A DECADE.
AND I REMEMBER THE FIRST CONVERSATION WE HAD ABOUT THIS.
UH, SHE SAYS, I WANNA GET THIS DONE, BUT ON A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT TIMELINE THAN A GOVERNMENT PROJECT.
I WANT IT DONE ON LESLIE TIME
I REMEMBER TALKING TO JUDGE GEORGE SAYING, HEY, YOUR, THE AGENCY'S A METROPOLITAN TRANSIT AUTHORITY OF HAD A COUNTY, BUT WHAT CAN WE DO FOR THE REGION? WHAT CAN WE DO FOR FORT BEND COUNTY? THE MAYORS ALWAYS SAID, YES, IT'S ABOUT CITY OF HOUSTON MOBILITY, BUT HE IS THE MAYOR OF THE FOURTH LARGEST CITY, A GLOBAL PLATFORM AS THE CHAIR OF THE, UH, CLIMATE MAYORS LOOKING TO SEE HOW WE IN HOUSTON CAN SERVE AS A SHINING EXAMPLE.
AND THAT'S WHAT I THINK THIS IS ABOUT.
'CAUSE MISSIONARY LEADERSHIP GOES WELL BEYOND JUST IDEATION.
IT TAKES THE HARD WORK TO PUT THINGS IN PLACE.
SO THIS CAN ACTUALLY COME TO FRUITION.
I WANT TO THANK THE TRANSPORTATION ADVOCACY GROUP AND CHRISTINA CABRAL FOR HELPING BRING ALL OF US TOGETHER TO, FOR THE CEREMONIAL SIGNING.
I THINK WE CAN ALL, WE ALL AGREE WE DO LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMES, BUT IN HOUSTON, HARRIS COUNTY AND FORT BEND COUNTY, THE SIGN OF THE TIMES IS WE PARTNER FOR MOBILITY IMPROVEMENTS.
AND NOW PLEASE WELCOME CHRISTINA CABRAL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF TAG.
I'M THE CABOOSE OF THE GROUP, THE SHORTY AND THE CABOOSE.
AND COMMISSIONER BRIANNE, MY LY SISTER, MY FRIEND, AND A CONS.
THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU AND YOUR ENTIRE STAFF DO FOR US EVERY DAY.
UM, MAYOR TURNER, MY MAYOR, THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU'VE DONE.
JUDGE GEORGE, THANK YOU FOR YOUR FRIENDSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP AND ALWAYS WILLING TO COLLABORATE.
AND MY GOOD FRIEND SANJAY, CHAIRMAN IAN, BROTHER, MANY, MANY, MANY THANKS FOR ALL THAT YOU DO FOR US EVERY DAY.
AND I WANNA EXTEND A THANK YOU TO OUR AUDIENCE.
I LOOK OUT THERE, ALL THOSE RIGHT HERE WHO WORK WITH US EVERY DAY AND OUR WORK WITH US IN EVERY CAPACITY FOR TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE, WHETHER IT BE ACTUAL ROAD BUILDING OR PUBLIC POLICY.
I SEE FRIENDS OF OURS FROM THE HOUSING, HOUSING WORLD AND OTHERS ALL ABOUT BUILDING THE QUALITY OF LIFE.
SO AGAIN, I'M JUST HONORED TO BE HERE AS THE EXECUTOR OF TAG.
TAG STANDS FOR THE TRANSPORTATION ADVOCACY GROUP CORPORATION, UH, ORGANIZATION.
AND WHAT WE DO IS WE WORK TOGETHER WITH LEADERS ACROSS ALL OUR REGION TO HELP INSECURE FUNDING AND POLICY TO HELP BUILD INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSPORTATION.
WE WORK WITH THE COLLABORATIVE OF BUSINESSES, GOVERNMENT, NONPROFIT GROUPS, ALL TO HELP ENSURE THAT WE HAVE PROSPEROUS COMMUNITIES, VERY SIMILAR AS WE DO WITH THE WEST PARK CORRIDOR, WHICH WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY.
AND YOU CAN ALLOW ME A MOMENT.
I REALLY HOPE THAT WE EMPHASIZE RIGHT NOW THE SIGNIFICANCE AND I THINK MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS UP HERE HAVE DONE THAT.
THIS IS SIGNIFICANCE PROGRAM, TODAY'S SIGNIFICANT SIGNING BECAUSE TODAY WE EACH STAND TOGETHER AS ONE REGION.
IT IS A TESTAMENT TO THE POWER OF BUILDING COALITIONS TO ACHIEVE OUR COMMON GOAL, WHICH IS TO HAVE MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION BUILD THRIVING COMMUNITIES FOR ALL OF OUR CITIZENS.
I THINK WE'RE A VIVID ILLUSTRATION TODAY, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, FOR THE ENTIRE WORLD OF THE EXTRAORDINARY POTENTIAL THAT COMES WHEN ALL LEADERS COME TOGETHER AS ONE TAG.
LOOKS FORWARD TO WORKING WITH EVERYONE TO HELP PAVE THE WAY FOR MORE THRIVING COMMUNITIES, BETTER ECONOMIC GROWTH, AND ENHANCING THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THE COMMUNITY AND ALL CITIZENS IN OUR REGION.
IF YOU WOULD PLEASE JOIN ME IN GIVING A ROUND OF APPLAUSE TO THESE FABULOUS PARTNERS.
AND THANK YOU AGAIN TO ALL OF THE HARRIS COUNTY PARTNERS.
WHETHER IT IS OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF HECTOR, THE HARRIS COUNTY TO ROAD AUTHORITY, ROBERTO IS NOT ABLE TO MAKE IT TODAY.
WHETHER THAT IS MY COLLEAGUES ON UNANIMOUSLY.
SO MANY THANKS TO JUDGE ALGO, COMMISSIONER ELLIS, COMMISSIONER GARCIA AND COMMISSIONER RAMSEY.
COMMISSIONER'S COURT IS ALL IN, AND IT WAS UNANIMOUS IN FORT BEND.
IT IS GONNA TAKE THE TALENT IN THIS ROOM.
YOU ARE THE DRIVERS, LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY.
BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE MOST IMPORTANT PARTNER THAT WE LOOK FORWARD TO LISTENING TO AND PARTNERING WITH IS FROM THE COMMUNITY.
BECAUSE THIS WILL BE A WAY TO COMMUNITIES, EMPOWER COMMUNITIES, ENERGIZE
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COMMUNITIES, AND WE CAN SEND PEOPLE TO THE MOON.WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS OUR TRAFFIC CHALLENGES AND WITH THE INNOVATION AND BOLDNESS.
AND WE'RE NOT ONLY BOLD THINKERS, BUT WE'RE DOERS.
SANJAY WAS TEASING ME 'CAUSE PATIENCE IS NOT A VIRTUE.
I POSSESS ONLY WITH MY KIDS SOMETIMES AND WHEN I USED TO BE A TEACHER.
THERE IS SUCH AN URGENCY OF NOW.
I WANT US TO STAY A GLOBAL LEADER TODAY, TOMORROW, AND ALWAYS.
AND TRANSPORTATION WILL BE KEY TO THAT.
SO THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR ONGOING PARTNERSHIP.
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, THANK YOU TO THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE WE'RE HERE TO LISTEN, LEARN AND SERVE.
WE ARE GONNA SYMBOLICALLY SIGN THIS DOCUMENT THAT REPRESENTS THE MOU THAT HAS BEEN SIGNED.
SO THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOU JOINING US TODAY.
AND AGAIN, THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE TEAM MEMBERS WHO MADE TODAY POSSIBLE.