Construction on new bike lanes along Blodgett Street in Third Ward is already underway, but a Houston City Council member is holding up funds for nearby drainage improvements in an effort to slow down the bikeways project.

Catch up quick: Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis' office is funding $11.7 million of the $12.1 million needed for improvements to Blodgett, Tierwester, Rosewood and Sampson streets deep in the heart of Third Ward.

• The precinct is fronting the full amount, but the city agreed to reimburse Ellis' office $378,000 for drainage improvements on Rosewood Street.

Driving the news: District D Council Member Carolyn Evans-Shabazz, who represents Third Ward, initially objected to a vote approving the reimbursement and then had it delayed indefinitely by proposing the agenda item be sent back to the mayor's office during last week's City Council meeting.

• The rest of the council voted with Evans-Shabazz to send it back.

Details: The work includes transforming Blodgett Street between Scott and Ennis streets from a four-lane road to two lanes of traffic with protected bike paths on either side.

• The drainage work on Rosewood Street is already complete, Ellis said, while the construction of the bike lanes is ongoing.

What they're saying: Evans-Shabazz said the community did not receive enough of a heads-up before the project moved forward. She also contended that adding bike lanes to Blodgett Street would create traffic issues for drivers.

The intrigue: Her office is hosting a community meeting on the Blodgett Street project at 6pm Thursday at Pilgrim Congregational United, where she expects representatives from Precinct 1 to attend.

The other side: "​​If the councilwoman wants to reimburse the county, I'd be more than happy to take the check," Ellis told Axios. "I fully expect the city to follow through on its commitments that are in writing, a legally binding agreement."

What we're watching

Latino leaders are suing the City of Houston over its lack of representation for Latinos on City Council, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) announced yesterday.

Driving the news: Attorneys for LULAC filed a federal civil rights lawsuit to eliminate the city's at-large council seats. The city's charter dictates City Council consists of five at-large representatives and 11 single-member districts.

• Of Texas' five largest cities, Houston is the only one to still have at-large representation.

What they're saying: "The Latino voters of Houston have waited for fair redistricting plans," the lawsuit says. "They have waited for years for the City of Houston to end its long relationship with 'at-large' districts that dilute the electoral strength of Hispanics. The time has come to replace this old election system that functions solely to dilute the power of Houston's Latino voters."

How it works: LULAC asked a federal judge to "discontinue" the November 2023 elections for Houston's five at-large positions.

The big picture: While the city is 44% Hispanic or Latino, Houston's 16-person council has only one Latino member.

The other side: "The city believes its system of 11 single-member districts with five at-large districts has benefited its residents," City Attorney Arturo G. Michel said in a statement. "At-large council members are engaged in and advocate for district issues."

What we're watching: Once officially served, the City of Houston has three weeks to respond to the complaint in court.

🧢 Justin Verlander has ended his Astros tenure and agreed to a reported $86 million two-year contract with the New York Mets. (Houston Chronicle)

🌊 Galveston's previously hot vacation-home market is now feeling the full effect of rising mortgage rates, high home prices and the end of the pandemic-era boost for sales of homes away from the workplace. (Houston Business Journal)

🛤 Fifth Ward residents have been fighting for years to get contamination believed to cause cancer cleaned up in their neighborhood. (Houston Public Media)

🩺 A Texas man was arrested on a federal charge after he threatened a Boston doctor who cares for transgender children. (Texas Tribune)

The average cost of a gallon of gas in the U.S. has dropped below what it was before Russia invaded Ukraine this year, Axios' Herb Scribner reports.

Driving the news: It's the first time since February that the average national gas price has been under $3.40 per gallon, a significant decrease from record prices this summer.

Zoom in: Texas gas prices are among the lowest in the country, averaging around $2.78 as of Monday, per AAA.

• Houston-area prices are hovering around $2.81 — down from a record high of $4.68 in mid-June.

Of note: If you're planning on taking a road trip in Texas soon, we've included San Antonio's holiday guide below. More Texas cities to come.

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Texans know all about driving across our vast state, and we're guessing many of you will hit the road this month.

The big picture: We've teamed up with our colleagues at Axios Dallas, Austin and San Antonio to bring our readers holiday travel guides for each city.

• First up: San Antonio.

For a holiday getaway without the airport hassle, the Alamo City is home to postcard-worthy Christmas scenes, writes Axios' Madalyn Mendoza.

What to do: San Antonio's famous River Walk is a must-see during the holidays, when more than 100,000 lights are draped over the cypress trees that line the waterway.

• The lights, which are free to see, stay on until Jan. 9.
• Narrated river barge cruises are also available. Tour prices range from $8.50 to $32.

For the 21-and-up crowd: Snowbound and Miracle, two national Christmas cocktail pop-up bars, have returned to San Antonio.

The bottom line: Whether you're traveling with kids, trying to save money or looking for a night out with kitschy cocktails, San Antonio has a bit of everything.

Sign up for Axios San Antonio, which launches Jan. 9, here.