A $5 billion transportation project to improve Houston’s transportation system has languished in Congress since a year ago.
Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson says the agency has not yet received a formal request from lawmakers to complete the project.
A new study by the Transportation Department and the Houston Economic Development Corporation says the project could cost $4 billion.
The study also says the new project will cost $3.5 million more per mile than the $1.8 million that the city is spending on the project now.
The city has said the study is not rigorous enough to assess the project’s cost-effectiveness, nor does it provide an estimate of the economic impact the project will have.
The Texas Department of Transportation is still working to get the project approved by the state.
The new study says the study should provide more clarity about the project and its impact on Houston’s future transportation needs.
The Department of Energy is also working on a study that the agency says will be ready for release this fall.
Follow Austin Lee on Twitter at @awalker88.
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