The Federal Highway Administration has asked Texas to delay issuing requests for proposals and pause ongoing contracting on a $7-billion, three-phased highway expansion project in metropolitan Houston as it evaluates complaints that up to 1,000 homes and multifamily buildings and 350 businesses would be condemned to build the project.
The agency sent the March 8 notice to the Texas Dept. of Transportation as Harris County sued the state in federal court on March 11 to halt contracting of the Interstate-45 project, pending a new environmental impact review.