Citing the need for safe, quality roads in underserved communities, Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Texas Southern University President Dr. Lesia L. Crumpton-Young officially celebrated the completion of a $12 million construction project on Cleburne Street that includes a shared-use path on both sides for pedestrians and cyclists.

Also, they announced the upcoming start of Phase II of the TSU project that involves improvements to Blodgett, Rosewood and Tierwester streets. The work is part of a $43.1 million investment made by Harris County Precinct One and the City of Houston to repair five streets around TSU and University of Houston.

“Every community should have safer streets with bike lanes, sidewalks and better lighting,” Commissioner Rodney Ellis said Monday at a news conference at TSU. “This investment in road reconstruction in our University Corridor will continue to improve safety and accessibility for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders.”

Of the $43.1 million project involving streets near TSU and UH, Precinct One invested $38 million (88%) and the city spent $5 million (12%).

Mayor Turner, who thanked Commissioner Ellis for the repairs in the Houston city limits,

said the construction near TSU and UH is what Third Ward residents identified as part of the “action plan” for his Complete Communities initiative.

“Every community deserves to be a safe and attractive place to work, play, study and worship,” Mayor Turner said. “Complete Communities is my initiative to encourage and support equitable economic development in under-resourced neighborhoods and, at the same time, keep affordable housing in the community and improve the quality of life for residents.”

TSU President Crumpton-Young, who has been in her position for five months, said an era of transformation was reinforced the first day she drove to the campus.

“You may not know this, Commissioner Ellis, but the first thing I said is: ‘Look at the beautiful road on Cleburne Street,’ ” President Crumpton-Young said. “That was the very first image that I had of campus. Someone quickly said, ‘That was Commissioner Ellis who had the dream to improve our roads.’ And then they said: ‘It could not be done without his partnership with good Mayor Turner.’ ”

In addition to the two-lane concrete street and shared-use path, the Cleburne work includes $2.8 million spent on landscaping and improved street and pedestrian lighting. The work also entailed improving drainage and planting more than 240 trees.

“Mayor, I happen to spend a lot of time over at Rice University,” Commissioner Ellis said. “I love the campus that they have in the neighborhood. Madame President and students, the mayor and I wanted to put up trees so that they were large enough so that the trees will give you a canopy around this university while he and I could still climb them.”

The work on Cleburne between Ennis and Scott started in February 2020 and was completed in September. In addition to Phase II near TSU, the other University Corridor work includes a $19 million investment in similar improvements to Cullen Boulevard between North MacGregor Way and Interstate 45 near UH.

“The work benefits all Houstonians because, quite frankly, what benefits Third Ward – the Tre – benefits all of Houston,” Mayor Turner said. “And what benefits Texas Southern and University of Houston benefits all of Houston.”

Said Commissioner Ellis: “None of this could have been possible without the partnership of the City of Houston and the two universities. This is an example of how local governments and universities can achieve more by working together and leveraging our resources to better serve the community.”