HOUSTON — During Thursday’s METRO board meeting, dozens of people spoke in support of the University Corridor Bus Rapid Transit Line as the agency let a key funding application deadline lapse and maintained its position to pause the project indefinitely.
Thursday was the deadline for the board to move ahead with a grant application to the Federal Transportation Administration for nearly $1 billion to help pay for a signification portion of the project. The board said it could apply for the funding in the future.
The University Corridor BRT Line would have connected the Tidwell Transit Center to the University of Houston and the Westchase Park and Ride.
The METRO Board said last week it was citing financial challenges due to low ridership since the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason for putting a halt on the project.
"We underwent a review, we had our findings that for this fiscal year, that it was not something that we should move forward with because of the ridership," METRO Board Chair Elizabeth Gonzalez Brock said during the meeting.
Leaders also said because there were new members on the board, the fast-approaching deadline for federal grant funding created unease for those who claimed they did not have time to fully review the project and its impact.
KHOU 11 News spoke with Brock after the meeting and asked what would trigger the board to move forward with the project in the future.
"I think when we look at how we're trending in the right direction in terms of making sure that we have ridership, that we have initiatives that, and we take care of some of our core services," Brock said. "And then we can continue to look at where when we're going to expand."
However, residents believe the pause could risk the project never coming to fruition.
"I am very disappointed that you are planning to discontinue building the University BRT and I urge you to reverse this decision before it is too late," one public speaker said.
"We do want the board to use our taxpayer dollars responsibly, but we also do believe that rapid transit is a responsible use of that money," another speaker said.
Brock said the board maintains the bond authority it got from when voters approved the project in 2019.
Moving forward, the board said it will hold a tour throughout the city to meet directly with the community to explain the decision to pause the project and its future.