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Transportation
The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) is recognized by transit authorities as one of the best and safest in the nation. More than 125.3 million passengers rode METRO in 2006, up 7.1 percent from 2005. Since its inception in 1979, METRO has nearly doubled its ridership and tripled its bus fleet.
Jan. 1, 2004, brought the beginning of regular service for METRORail's initial phase, a 7.5-mile light rail line serving the University of Houston-Downtown, the Central Business District, Midtown, the Museum District, Rice University, the Texas Medical Center and Reliant Park.
METRO Statistics
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Bus Fleet - 1,218
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Service area - 1,285 square miles
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Route miles – 2,652
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Bus routes - 112
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Miles of light rail - 7.5
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Planned additional miles of light rail - 30 (to be completed in 2012)
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Local one-way fare - $1
Houston Highway System
Houston is well-served by a system of radial and ring highways that provide excellent access to markets outside the region.
In the Houston Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA), 575.4 miles of freeways and expressways (55 percent of the planned system) are in operation.
Houston is the crossroads for Interstates 10 and 45. Other major highways serving Houston are Loop 610, U.S. 59, U.S. 290, U.S. 90, Texas 288, Texas 225, Hardy Toll Road, Sam Houston Tollway and the Grand Parkway (Texas 99).
Houston also lies along the route of the proposed I-69 NAFTA superhighway that will link Canada, the U.S. industrial mid-west, Texas and Mexico.
Source: Greater Houston Partnership
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