Cleburne Street improvements

Cleburne street is up for remodeling and the City of Houston partnered up with Texas Southern University (TSU) to host a town hall meeting in the University’s grounds, the meetings main goal was to inform residents about the new changes Cleburne Street will undergo beginning this May 2019, the remodeling will take place from Ennis Street and will stretch all the way down to Scott Street in hopes to improve the street’s quality and aesthetic.

These efforts hope to create a “better, safer, pedestrian-friendly street," said Sheila Condon, the meeting host and president of Clark Condon the landscaping company taking over the project.

The project which is expected to last 16 months plans on widening sidewalks to 10 feet in order to make them safer for pedestrians, alongside many new trees will be added to provide shade for those. Pedestrian crossings will also be upgraded to ensure the safety of those who cross from one side of Cleburne to the other. TSU will mark their territory by adding banners throughout the street and bus shelters will be dressed in maroon and grey to represent the university.

The remodeling project will be divided into two phases, phase one is estimated to last 10 months. Phase two, will stretch from Tierwester to Scott and is expected to last the other estimated six months, from March to August 2020. During the phase two period, Cleburne will be closed from Tierwester to Scott and all traffic will be detoured through Alabama Street.

Of Course all of this remodeling will come with a hefty price tag, in dollars about $15 million will be spent but residents are afraid they will pay a higher price when they take into account the traffic turning a four lane street into a two lane street will cause.

“When was the decision made to reduce one of the few arteries [streets] that we have for going across, other than Blodgett which floods A LOT and Alabama which is a flood tramp as well… Cleburne has been a little bit higher than both Alabama and I would say Blodgett for sure, which can hold water sometimes two-thirds of a year so why take down our main artery [street] to two lanes,” said a concerned resident at the meeting.

Other residents feel like they do not get enough say in the improvements that the city tries to make.

“You haven’t addressed with the residents down there how that’s going to affect their property,” said a resident of Cleburne Street who believes will be directly affected by the changes, he claims parking will be limited and tight around the area.

This was the first town hall meeting the city has put on for residents, “This is the first time we are bringing the concept to the community… the goal is to collect input today and incorporate that into the design as best as possible,” Sheila Condon said.

The city is expected to host another town hall meeting at the Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church on February 21st where they will talk about this and other upcoming projects in the community.