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METRO's New Concept Drawings Reveal Possible Impacts of Proposed METRORapid Bus Line on Hillcroft Area

METRO's concept drawing of the proposed Gulfton Corridor bus line at the intersection of Hillcroft and Bellaire

At METRO's community meeting on June 28, 2023, signs on black easels displayed new concept drawings of the proposed Gulfton Corridor METRORapid bus line.

Some locals worry that the bus line might cause street congestion by turning some regular traffic lanes into bus-only lanes.

Are those fears founded? The concept drawings (see the bottom of this page) show that METRO has proposed shrinking Gulfton St from two regular lanes each way to one each way.

Some parts of Hillcroft may also lose lanes. At Gulfton St, the proposed design would narrow Hillcroft from four lanes each way to three each way. At Bellaire Blvd, the proposed design would keep Hillcroft at three lanes each way (the current number) but remove the street's bike-only lanes.

South of Bellaire Blvd, Hillcroft already narrows to two lanes each way. The proposed design would keep all lanes but cut into the median strip (and expand the sidewalks by removing trees).

Where Hillcroft meets Bissonnet, the median strip is likely too narrow to fit the bus-only lanes.

How will METRO solve that? Clint Harbert, METRO Vice President of System and Capital Planning, said that the buses are "interoperable on streets," so they could "pull out of the guideway" before reaching the intersection. In other words, the bus-only lanes could end before Bissonnet, and the buses could approach the intersection using regular traffic lanes.

Harbert also said that the bus line could end one block before Bissonnet. (That would mean somewhere around Sharpview Dr, Evergreen St, or Roos Rd.)

But right now, that's hypothetical. According to Harbert, one of the biggest unknowns right now is "How do we get the bus...to turn around?"

He mentioned a couple of options: the bus could turn off of Hillcroft into a special turnaround zone, or even take a left on Bissonnet, then turn around along that street.

METRO is still exploring possibilities. But right now, here are some likely impacts of the Gulfton Corridor Project, based on METRO's drawings:

Narrowing Gulfton St to one regular lane each way
Narrowing Hillcroft to three regular lanes each way where it intersects Gulfton St
Removing the bike-only lanes along Hillcroft
Expanding sidewalks along Hillcroft
Removing trees along the median of Hillcroft near Gulfton St
Removing trees along the sides of Hillcroft south of Bellaire

According to one of the signs at the meeting, METRO plans to replace trees removed by the project.

What do you think of these impacts? Let METRO know. At the meeting, METRO board chair Sanjay Ramabhadran invited "questions and suggestions" from the community.

While you're at it, let the Sharpener know your thoughts too. We plan to continue covering this project, and we would appreciate your input. Subscribe to comment below!