In exchange, Commissioner Gene Locke wants to use funds the City receives from the federal government for some projects in Precinct 1.

Harris County and the City of Houston could reach an agreement that would increase the rate of street repairs.

The Commissioners Court has authorized Precinct 1 Commissioner Gene Locke to negotiate an inter-local agreement with the City for the County to perform road and bridge repairs and improvements on streets and roadways which are part of Precinct 1 but are within the City's limits.

Part of the goal is to have roadways in better condition when Houston hosts Super Bowl LI in February of 2017.

Locke wants the City to help him prepare a list of streets located in Precinct 1 that are in need of repair.

Locke’s office has already identified several sections of streets where repairs and improvements are necessary.

Many of them, such as Ardmore, El Rio and Holly Hall, are near or around NRG Stadium and Locke already has a price tag.

"If we do the streets that I’ve talked about in and around NRG Stadium, that’s a $12.5 million bill that we are prepared to do out of the General Mobility money from the County using County crews," Locke explained after the meeting the Commissioners Court held on February 23rd.

The Commissioner indicated the repairs would vary.

"In some cases, it’s simply an overlay. In some cases it’s a reconstruction of the street. It will be on a case by case basis depending on what the actual condition of the street is and, ultimately, what we can put into it."

In exchange for the County's financial and human resources, Locke wants the City to allow his Precinct to use some of the money it receives from the federal government through the Community Development Block Grant Program.

Building sidewalks and developing a job program for youth who live in Precinct 1 are two of the projects Locke says he would like to fund if the County and the City reach an agreement.

Harris County Judge Ed Emmett praised Locke's initiative.

"The Super Bowl was the trigger for it, but I think it will be the first of many," Emmett noted about Locke's idea.

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