Big news for White Oak Bayou: neighbors in Lazybrook and Timbergrove are getting safer ways to reach the trail.
The Memorial-Heights Redevelopment Authority (TIRZ 5) and Harris County Precinct 4 are splitting a $2.2 million investment 50/50 to fund safety and access improvements along West T.C. Jester Boulevard, between Millwood Drive and Bryce Street. Precinct 4’s share comes through Commissioner Lesley Briones’s Places 4 People program.
What’s being built
The project covers nine intersections along more than 1.5 miles of West T.C. Jester. It includes:
- 9 new crossings along W T.C. Jester
- Crosswalks at each crossing
- ADA curb ramps and sidewalk improvements, so the route works for wheelchairs, strollers and anyone on foot
- 8 rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFBs): push-button flashing lights that tell drivers someone is crossing
- 1 HAWK signal: a pedestrian-activated signal that stops traffic with a red light
Why it matters
West T.C. Jester separates the Lazybrook and Timbergrove neighborhoods from the White Oak Bayou Greenway, north of 11th Street. Right now, people trying to reach the trail on foot or by bike have to cross a busy road without ADA-compliant ramps, continuous sidewalks or marked crossings.
The risk is real. Between 2021 and 2025, nine vehicle crashes were recorded within 75 feet of these nine intersections.
The trail is right there. These improvements make it safe to get to.
A plan becomes a project
This is phase 1 of Project C1 in the Greater Heights Strategic Connections Plan, the Memorial-Heights Redevelopment Authority’s plan for connecting the neighborhoods around the Heights to the trails and to each other. Funding phase 1 turns a line in that plan into crossings people will use every day, and shows a clear path from planning to building.
In September, Heights Trail Partnership (then A Tale of Two Bridges) was pleased to submit a letter of support to Commissioner Briones backing MHRA’s application to the Places 4 People Call for Projects. We pointed to the missing ramps, sidewalks and crossings, and the crash record at these intersections. We asked Precinct 4 to fund the project.
Thank you
Thank you to the Memorial-Heights Redevelopment Authority for its continued investment in the safety and connectivity of this corridor. Thank you also to Commissioner Lesley Briones and Harris County Precinct 4 for partnering on it through Places 4 People.
Safe crossings are how a trail network reaches the people who live next to it. We’re glad to see this one move forward, and we’ll share updates as the project progresses.
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