Public Meeting Discusses Future of Transportation in Houston-Galveston Region

HOUSTON, April 22, 2019 (Newswire.com) - By 2045, the Houston-Galveston region will be home to nearly 11 million people, according to the Houston-Galveston Area Council's (H-GAC) transportation department. That's 66 percent more people living in the eight-county metropolitan transportation planning area. An increase in population also means a boost in employment and more vehicles on the road. The agency forecasts that by 2045 employment will grow by 50 percent, causing a 61 percent increase in vehicles on the road.

The 2045 Regional Transportation Plan (2045 RTP) is a long-range plan that prioritizes regional
transportation projects that will identify transportation needs, goals and policies over the next 20
years. On April 24, the agency is hosting a public meeting for residents and stakeholders to review
the final draft of the long-range plan and submit public comments. "We've been through a series of public meetings to involve our residents and stakeholders in the long-range planning process," H-GAC's Director of Communications, Meagan Coughlin, said. "This public meeting will outline the final draft of the plan and collect public comments from our residents and to answer any questions," she added.

The transportation public meeting is scheduled for April 24 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Houston-
Galveston Area Council, second floor, located at 3555 Timmons Lane in Houston. The meeting will be an open house from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., with a presentation and time for questions and answers from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Interested parties unable to attend the meeting in person may live stream the public meeting at 2045RTP.com and submit comments online. The official public comment period for the final draft of the long-range plan and transportation conformity opened April 10 and will close on May 10.

###
About the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC): H-GAC is a voluntary association of local governments and local elected officials from the 13-county Gulf Coast planning region, which includes an area of 12,500 square miles and more than 7 million people. H-GAC is designated by the state of Texas as the region's metropolitan planning organization for transportation planning in Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery and Waller counties. For more information, visit www.h-gac.com.

Contact: Meagan Coughlin, APR / 713-993-4504 / [email protected]

Source: Houston-Galveston Area Council