Houston's Montrose Backs $27M West Alabama Street Overhaul: 76 Businesses Demand Safety Upgrades After 500 Crashes in Six Years
Houston is a city in Harris County, Texas. A massive coalition of tens of thousands of Montrose residents, business owners and faith leaders is voicing strong support for a multi-million-dollar reconstruction of West Alabama Street in Houston — while urging city planners to spend public money on key long-term safety features before designs are finalized, FOX 26 Houston reported.
The West Alabama Reconstruction Project, overseen by Montrose TIRZ 27 and city engineers, will completely overhaul a 1.6-mile stretch between Shepherd Drive and the Spur 527 corridor. The $27–30 million project is scheduled to break ground between late 2026 and early 2027, with construction running through late 2028.
According to municipal crash data cited by organizers, the busy corridor recorded roughly 500 crashes over a six-year period, causing an estimated $57 million in economic and personal damage. It remains on Houston's High Injury Network.
"We want to see Alabama Street get rebuilt, but we just want to see it be built safely," said Margo Fendrick of Friends of the Boulevard. "We think it'd be a shame to see $30 million be spent and not be spent in a way that makes this road safer for all users of the road."
Current official plans already include a repaved roadway, standard sidewalk repairs and new pedestrian-activated flashing beacon signals. But the West Alabama Improvement Coalition — 76 local businesses, civic clubs, faith groups and three super neighborhoods representing more than 52,000 residents — is pushing engineers to add specific safety features.
"This road hasn't been touched in like 20, 30 years," said organizer Alexander Spike. "This is probably a once-in-a-generation type project, and we've got to make sure it's genuinely transformative rather than just reproducing the status quo."
For residents with disabilities, the project is a critical chance to fix daily hazards. Anthony Morales, a local wheelchair user, told FOX 26 that crumbling pavement, driveways cutting across sidewalks and vehicles parked over walkways frequently force him into active traffic lanes.
Merchants along the strip also welcomed the project. One business owner told FOX 26 off-camera that while construction will temporarily slow foot traffic, the city's investment is worthwhile if it ultimately creates a safer, more inviting corridor. Engineers expect to finalize design blueprints in the coming months. FOX 26 said it reached out to city officials about the coalition's requests and is awaiting a response.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：休斯顿蒙特罗斯区（Montrose District）街区标识牌，改造路段所在社区。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons，CC0 授权
