713-627-3200
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Who is Completing the Application?
Please provide contact information for the person who will complete the online application for this project. The email address and password entered here will be used to complete and submit both Pre-Applications and Applications.
Mariana Raschke
Associate at the Goodman Corporation
713-951-7951
Primary Agency Information
Please provide contact information for the agency official who is representing the project sponsor. This individual will be considered the official applicant and must be authorized by their agency to submit this request for funding and make necessary assertations and representations on the agency’s behalf.
OST/Almeda Corridors Redevelopment Authority
Theola Petteway
Executive Director
713-637-5154
5445 Almeda Road, Suite 545
Houston
TX
77004
Additional Agency Information
City of Houston
Sharon Moses-Burnside
Division Manager, Transportation Planning
832-393-6564
611 Walker Street
Houston
TX
77002
Project Information
Scott Street Reconstruction and Bike/Pedestrian Improvements
Harris County
Scott Street
Old Spanish Trail to IH-610
The state of disrepair on Scott Street is a hindrance to the safe travel of automobiles, pedestrians, transit riders, and cyclists. Signs of failure of previous roadway repairs are evident throughout the corridor. In addition, most of the storm water lines are beyond their useful life and are classified as inadequately sized by the COH Comprehensive Drainage Plan. Scott Street is included in a recently completed City of Houston regional drainage study to assess future detention needs. Sidewalks and curbs are also in poor condition. Most sidewalks along Scott St are 4’ wide and are not currently in compliance with the latest COH standards. ADA ramps are missing or non-compliant throughout the corridor. Pedestrian lighting is also missing throughout the corridor. The Scott Street corridor is adjacent to numerous multi-family residential properties, single-family homes, businesses, grocery stores, George Nelson Park, Beech White Park, Foster Elementary School, and Cullen Middle School. It is a major transit corridor and within walking distance (0.5 miles) of the Brays Bayou Trail. Poor roadway, pedestrian, and bicycle facilities have resulted in unsafe conditions for users and hindered mobility and access.
The project consists of the complete reconstruction of Scott Street from Old Spanish Trail to IH-610. The project includes the rehabilitation of the existing pavement, installation and upsizing of additional storm sewer and sanitary sewer infrastructure, and the upgrade of pedestrian amenities to COH/ADA/Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations (TDLR) standards. The existing roadway geometry will remain consistent with the current alignment, upgraded to the standards prescribed by the latest COH Infrastructure Design Manual (IDM). Slight modifications to intersection geometries might be necessary to accommodate the bicycle facility. The 2016 City of Houston Bike Plan recommends dedicated on-street bikeways on Scott; hence, the project will incorporate 6’ on-street bike lanes on both sides of the street throughout the corridor. The inclusion of a bicycle facility will require the total reconstruction of the back-of-curb throughout the project corridor to better accommodate pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicle users. Pedestrian improvements will consist of enhanced 6’ sidewalks on both sides of the street and streetscape improvements.
The outcomes to be achieved by the project are multi-faceted: Increase safety – Between 2015 and 2017 there were 273 roadway and intersection crashes along the corridor resulting in six severe injuries, and 12 ped/bike crashes resulting in two severe injuries. Improving the safety of the Scott St corridor by improving its walkability, bikeability, and roadway design will lead to a measurable reduction in crashes and a commensurate reduction in associated economic costs. Note that alternative safety benefits have been submitted with this application per HSIP criteria. HSIP methodology yields better results than H-GAC methodology. Maintain a state of good repair – The reconstruction of this facility will avoid the need for ~$10M ($2018) in repair and travel time delay costs (associated with repair) between 2020 and 2040. This supplemental benefit is very important to the purpose and need of this project and has been submitted with the other benefits. Improve connectivity, access, and mobility – Ped/bike improvements will facilitate connectivity among residences, businesses, schools, and parks, as well as facilitate access to transit. The corridor connects to George Nelson Park, Beech White Park, Foster Elem School, Cullen Middle School, two grocery stores, and other businesses. Scott St features 3 METRO fixed route lines throughout the corridor. These routes connect directly to the METRORail Purple Line further north, making this corridor an extremely important connectivity component for University of Houston and Texas Southern University students, faculty, and staff. Current access to the corridor’s 24 bus stops is poor due to the existing back of curb conditions. The project area is classified as an “environmental justice” area. As such, improvements to the corridor will improve connectivity, access, and mobility for a population that has higher than regional amounts of minorities, households below poverty, households without an automobile, female head of household, limited educational attainment, and senior population. Improve drainage – In-line detention, if deemed feasible and necessary by COH, will improve area drainage and reduce the risk of property damage and loss of life during catastrophic rainfall events. Facilitate biking – Research has shown that the installation of bike facilities encourages and increases bike usage in the community. This has numerous benefits for users, including health and recreation. Additionally, the project will further implement a COH Bike Plan recommendation with the addition of on-street bicycle facilities. Bike routes along Scott will provide multi-modal infrastructure to a corridor where 25% of households do not own an automobile – well above the H-GAC area regional average of 15.53%. Facilitate economic development – Research has shown that improving walkability and bikeability can increase property values of residential and commercial properties.
No
No
Less than $100 million
(Manage) Access Management/Safety/Grade Separations
18714620
Project Development/Readiness
Schematic
Categorical Exclusion (CE)
09/30/2020
(c)(22) – Projects that would take place entirely within the existing operational ROW
No
No
No
Yes
No
No
Yes
10_Scott_City of Houston LOS.pdf
4 Scott Project Dev Timeline.xlsx
The proposed project will greatly improve the roadway condition and pedestrian environment of an important COH corridor that is currently in disrepair. The project will also enable safe bicycling in dedicated bike lanes, furthering the objectives and connections promoted by the COH Bike Plan. If found necessary by the City of Houston, the project will also update the detention capabilities in this area. City of Houston representatives have provided a letter of project support. If funded, the project could advance to a 30% submittal (DSR review with TxDOT) within 3 months upon execution of an Advance Funding Agreement. 90% PS&E can be completed by FY20 in order to meet the year of implementation (FY2022). This is contingent upon the project being placed in the TIP, STIP, and an AFA being executed in a reasonable time frame. The City of Houston recently competed a regional drainage study to assess future detention needs of Scott Street and the surrounding area. Additionally, a utility evaluation will be completed as part of the effort to bring the project to the 30% level of design. Utilities will be adjusted to mitigate any potential conflicts prior to and/or during construction. Adjustments will be funded by the OST/Almeda Corridors Redevelopment Authority (TIRZ #7). Utility coordination will occur per the standard TxDOT process but relocations will be completed under existing franchise agreements. A Categorical Exclusion request can be completed by FY20. No major impacts are expected. No ROW is necessary for this project. Public Involvement activities: The 2017 Joint Infrastructure Plan, jointly developed between the Greater Southeast Management District and the OST/Almeda Corridors Redevelopment Authority (TIRZ #7), delineated 21 priority projects that the two entities desire to pursue funding for and implement, including the reconstruction of Scott Street (prioritized #1 out of 21 projects). Extensive public outreach was undertaken as part of the development of the plan, including two public meetings in March 2016 and direct contact with more than 45 individual stakeholders representing approximately 40 community organizations and other entities. Details regarding the public outreach efforts for the Joint Infrastructure Plan are included in an attachment to this application. The importance of Scott St was also underscored in the Houston Southeast Community Plan, completed in 2017. In this plan, Scott St is designated as one of six economic corridors central to the growth and health of the Greater Southeast Management District. An extensive public outreach effort informed the development of the Houston Southeast Community Plan.
Map/Location
Benefit/Cost Analysis
Roadway-Safety-Benefits_gsmd_scott.xlsx
Roadway-Emissions-Benefits_gsmd_scott.xlsx
Planning Factors - Connectivity to Employment/Eliminates At-Grade Railroad Crossings
Yes
901 - 1000
No
Planning Factors - Environmental Justice
Yes
Yes
Planning Factors - Improves Corridor Level of Travel Time Reliability (LOTTR)
0.01 – 0.10
Planning Factors - Improves Multimodal LOS
Yes
Yes
Yes
Auto LOS – Improvements to the roadway condition of Scott St will result in congestion reduction by reducing roadway repair-related user delay (which is frequently experienced in the form of concrete panel replacements and asphalt patches) and reducing user costs associated with potholes and other road failures which create flat tires, damaged suspension, and cause other detrimental impacts. The improved State of Good Repair of the roadway will also result in smoother traffic flow and reduced crashes. Between 2015 and 2017, there were 273 roadway and intersection crashes along the corridor, with six being severe. Transit LOS - Transit LOS will experience the same improvements in travel time reliability and delay reduction as seen for auto LOS. Transit LOS also considers ridership and the entire spectrum of a transit trip. As such, other benefits are achieved: a. Transit ridership will increase as a direct result of the enhanced access to transit afforded by improved and ADA accessible pedestrian facilities, including a more comfortable and accommodating pedestrian realm with wide sidewalks and street trees to provide shade. b. Total transit travel times will decrease due to traversable sidewalks which may reduce the need for pedestrians to take indirect routes to reach bus stops or reach their end destination. c. Total transit travel times will decrease due to new bicycle accessibility which may convert the first/last mile portion of the trip to a bicycle trip from a pedestrian trip. This will reduce total travel time. Bike/Ped LOS – The improved pedestrian realm, including upgraded 6’ sidewalks, pedestrian lighting, and other streetscape enhancements will facilitate a safer, more comfortable walking experience on Scott, encouraging more users to engage in this form of active transportation. Achieving ADA compliance along the corridor will provide accessibility which is currently not possible for wheelchair and other, similar, users. Bicycle LOS will increase due to the introduction of a high-comfort facility which will accommodate safe access through signalized intersections. Between 2015 and 2017 there were 12 ped/bike crashes resulting in two severe injuries along the corridor. Non-expert bike users typically travel on alternate and indirect routes to complete their bike trips to avoid the danger that is present along major thoroughfares such as Scott St. The introduction of the exclusive bike lanes on Scott will allow users, many of whom lack access to an automobile, to utilize a direct, safe route along the corridor.
Planning Factors - Planning Coordination
Yes
The proposed project is recommended in the 2017 Joint Infrastructure Development Plan, developed by the Greater Southeast Management District and the OST/Almeda Corridors Redevelopment Authority (TIRZ #7). The Scott St project is prioritized #1 out of 21 projects recommended in the Joint Plan. The importance of Scott St is also underscored in the Houston Southeast Community Plan, completed in 2017. In this plan, Scott St is designated as one of six economic corridors central to the growth and health of the Greater Southeast Management District.
The Joint Infrastructure Development Plan is included in the Readiness Documentation for this project application. The Executive Summary of the Houston Southeast Community Plan is available here: https://houstonse.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/TruncatedHSE_Exec_Summary_for_Lynn-002.pdf
Planning Factors - Roadway Hierarchy/Freight System Priority/Evacuation Route
Minor Arterial
No
No
No
Yes