SH 146 – Galveston County

From FM 518 to FM 517 in Galveston County, Texas, Seabrook, and Kemah residents are expected to see a drastic change. It is expanding its roads from six to 12 lanes. That includes restructuring, grade separations at the major intersections in Seabrook, elevated lanes over Clear Creek continuing into Kemah, and access roads. According to TxDOT documents, the highway will expand beginning at Red Bluff Road. Also, an expressway bridge will be constructed parallel to the Kemah- Seabrook Bridge, just west of it.

The Grand Parkway

Plans for the SH 99/Grand Parkway Segment H, I-1 and I-2 project are underway. Segment H through 1-2 will pass through the northeast area of Houston within Harris, Liberty, Chamber, and Montgomery counties. According to online documents and TxDOT, the two-lane tollway will begin construction early 2018 and open certain lanes in 2022. The controlled access toll road will extend from US 59 North to IH 10 East.

The Gulf Coast Express Pipeline

On December 21^st, Kinder Morgan Texas Pipeline (KMTP), DCP Midstream and an affiliate of Targa Resources Corporation announced their plans to joint build an approximately 497-mile-long natural gas pipeline stretching from the Waha Hub (near Coyanosa, TX) down to Agua Dulce. It will be comprised of 82 miles of 36-inch pipeline and 365 miles of 42-inch pipeline and will include an approximately 50-mile-long Midland Lateral portion. The company states that it will transport up to 1.92 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d).

The North Houston Highway Improvement Project

The I-45 highway is undergoing a facelift in hopes to alleviate traffic woes. Referred to as the North Houston Highway Improvement Project, it is reportedly going to span about 24 miles. TxDOT released a schematic detailing the project, which shows the many businesses and private properties that will be displaced. There have been public meetings leading up to the decision to expand the highway dating back to 2013. 

Amid the Controversial Border Wall, What Should You Know?

No matter what your views are on the border wall, first and foremost, you should always have an eminent domain attorney look over the initial offer. Even if you have plans to accept it “as is”, there are a lot of things that can go into what your property is worth that aren’t always accounted for when the government comes knocking. In fact, many of the people involved in the last round of eminent domain on the border realized belatedly that they could have received much higher settlements with the help of legal counsel. The Texas Tribune posted a very informative article about what land owners faced and learned the hard way, including instances where the government didn’t evaluate water or mineral rights before taking the land.

McHard Road Extension Project

The McHard Road Extension Project is set to construct four lanes divided on a new location from Cullen Parkway to Mykawa Road. It has faced several delays, initially projecting to be done with ROW acquisition May of 2017 and construction October 2019. It is currently in the middle of ROW acquisitions with dates for completion to be determined. The expected bid date has changed as well and was last recorded as May of 2019.

Eminent Domain in New Mexico

What is Eminent Domain?

Eminent Domain is the power of the government or quasi-government entities to take private or public property interests, through condemnation, for public use. A quasi-government entity is a type of corporation in the private sector that is backed by a branch of government that has a public mandate to provide a given service. Most quasi-public corporations began as government agencies, but have since become separate entities. Condemnation occurs when a local, state, or federal government seizes private property and gives payment or “just compensation” (aka fair market value) to the owner. Private companies have been using “public use” to allow them to condemn for pipelines, power lines, and water lines.