Houston Chronicle (subscription may be required) yesterday introduced an article format designed for tracking metro Houston’s 11 major highway construction projects. The clarity and comprehensiveness of the presentation is so unique, in TRN’s view, that the article deserves special attention. The Chronicle pledges to maintain the format and keep the project information updated. If it follows through, the task of tracking the history, scope, cost and progress of TxDOT, Houston METRO and Harris County Toll Road Authority projects will become much simpler.
The projects are categorized and color-coded by when they’re expected to be finished. A table graphic incorporates hyperlinks to a profile of each project, including its high-level focus, a succinct description, a high-level recap of anything noteworthy about its progress, a timeline, a budget graphic, links to related newspaper articles and an image gallery. A static map of the project’s route is one of the included images.