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.
11977 Memorial Drive
Houston
TX
77024
Additional Agency Information
P.O. Box 22167
Houston
TX
77227-2167
Project Information
Memorial Drive Access Management and Safety Project
Harris County
Memorial Drive / Gessner Road
Memorial Drive from Tallowood Drive to Gessner Road, Gessner Road from from Memorial Drive to Vanderpool Lane
The proposed Memorial Drive Access Management and Safety Project is the reconstruction of two major intersecting corridors, Memorial Drive and Gessner Road to include an access controlled median along Memorial Drive, a key safety improvement The primary need for the project is to improve safety, maintain the state of good repair of the facility, improve mobility, accommodate pedestrian and bicyclists, and upgrade the facility to current design standards, including upgrades to the storm-water system. As major corridors for east-west and north-south movement, both Memorial Drive and Gessner Road provide important connectivity between the City of Houston and the City of Bunker Hill Village. Maintaining the level of service (LOS) of these facilities through implementation of City of Houston and TxDOT approved safety improvements, as well as improving bicycle/pedestrian access, are priorities for both project sponsors. Overall, the roadways are generally in poor condition, with conditions varying along the project alignment. On Memorial Drive, from Tallowood to Frostwood, the pavement is in poor condition. From Frostwood to Gessner, the pavement is in fair to poor condition. The project proposes to reconstruct the corridor with new concrete curb and gutter, continuous ADA compliant sidewalks, wheelchair ramps, and bicycle facilities. The aging public utilities will also be upgraded within the project limits. Existing turning movements along Memorial Drive present a growing safety issue. The continuous turn lane along Memorial Drive from Frostwood Drive to Tallowood Road causes unpredictable and unwarranted movements for motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians. Improved design for proper access control with controlled median access will help negate unwarranted movements and provide an enhanced comfort level for all users. Project improvements will be designed to modern safety standards for all aspects, specifically access control. Pedestrian and bicycle mobility is currently limited due to deteriorating sidewalk infrastructure and gaps in the network. The sidewalks along Memorial Drive, currently in poor to fair condition, do not meet the City of Houston standard width of 5’ to 6’. Furthermore, the section of Memorial Drive from Tallowood going east neither continues nor facilitates the bike/pedestrian improvements being constructed to the west, from Tallowood to Beltway 8. Portions of sidewalk are also missing along both sides of the Gessner Drive corridor from Memorial Drive to the southern city limits of Bunker Hill. This is critically important to improve safe access to Frostwood Elementary School.
The proposed Memorial Drive Access Management and Safety Project is the reconstruction of two major intersecting corridors, Memorial Drive and Gessner Road (See Project Map). This project involves two sections, one within the City of Houston as managed by the MCRA and one within the City of Bunker Hill Village. The project description is divided by each section, but will be let and managed as one construction contract. City of Houston/MCRA Section (See Schematic of MCRA portion): Reconstruct a portion of Memorial Drive between Tallowood Drive and Tealwood Drive (approximately 2,325 linear feet). • The reconstruction of Memorial Drive from Tallowood Drive to Tealwood Drive will include sub-surface utilities, drainage, pedestrian accommodations, and functional landscaping. Includes the following: o Remove existing sidewalk sections along both northern and southern portions of Memorial Drive from Tallowood Drive to Tealwood N Drive o Construct two (2) 8’ shared-use paths along the northern and southern portions of Memorial Drive from Tallowood Drive to Tealwood N Drive o Include addition of landscaped and accessed control medians along Memorial Drive to replace continuous turn lane City of Bunker Hill Village Section (See Schematic of BHV portion): Reconstruct a portion of Memorial Drive within its City limits, from Tealwood Drive to Gessner Road (approximately 850 linear feet) and a portion of Gessner Road. • The reconstruction of Memorial Drive starting 120’ west of Tealwood N. Drive to the intersection of Gessner Road to include sub-surface utilities, drainage, pedestrian accommodations, and functional landscaping. Includes the following: o Along the southern portion of Memorial Drive, from 180’ west of Gessner Road continuing through the Memorial/Gessner intersection, reconstruct the existing sidewalk to a 10’ shared use path. o Along the southern portion of Memorial Drive, from Tealwood Drive to 180’ west of Gessner Road, reconstruct the existing sidewalk to an 8’ shared use path. o Along the northern portion of Memorial Drive, construct a new 6’ sidewalk from Tealwood Drive to Gessner Road. • The reconstruction of the northbound lanes of Gessner Road between Memorial Drive and Vanderpool Lane, located at the southern City limits (to include additional storm-water conveyance). Includes the following: o The construction of new 5’ sidewalks along both sides of Gessner Road between Memorial Drive and Vanderpool Lane to improve pedestrian safety and accessibility. This will also improve access to Frostwood Elementary School. • The reconstruction of the intersection at Gessner Road and Memorial Drive.
The proposed project would bring a number of benefits: • Safety: There were a total of 68 crashes between 2015 and 2017 along the project corridor, with one being a bike/ped related crash. Improving walkability, bike-ability and roadway design through the introduction of access controlled medians of the corridor will lead to a measurable reduction in crashes, thereby improving safety and reducing the economic costs of crashes along the corridor. • State of Good Repair: The roadway condition of Memorial Drive from Tallowood Road to Gessner Road has deteriorated and would benefit from roadway rehabilitation. Additionally, the reconstruction of sidewalks, improvements to current storm water infrastructure and updates to intersection signalization will improve the functionality of the project corridor. • Congestion (Vehicle Hours Traveled): The conversion of automobile trips to pedestrian, bike and transit trips will save vehicle hours traveled (VHT) on the segment. The introduction of new sidewalks and new dedicated bike facilities, both allowing for improved access to transit, will work synergistically to reduce congestion and provide greater transportation choices for all users. • Environmental: Improving sidewalks and adding bike facilities will encourage non-motorized trips instead of using an automobile, resulting in a reduction of vehicle trips and subsequent emissions. • Economic Impact: Research has shown that improving pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure and access to a given corridor can increase the value of surrounding residential and commercial properties. The resulting annual tax generation, throughout the planning horizon, is a benefit to the community. • Connectivity: The proposed project includes improvements to both the current roadway and bike/pedestrian infrastructure as well as construction of new bike/pedestrian infrastructure where none existed previously. Implementation of the project will greatly enhance access for automobiles, pedestrians and cyclists to residential properties, nearby businesses, and schools, such as Frostwood Elementary School, located along the project corridor. The addition of bike facilities will further promote connectivity within the regional network. Current access to 7 bus stops serving METRO bus routes 070, 046, 161, 162 along the corridor is poor due to the existing back of curb conditions. • Sustainability: The project area was recently impacted by severe flooding events, and includes the installation of two reinforced concrete boxes which will help to retain additional stormwater through inline detention. This improvement will work synergistically with the adjacent improvements planned for Memorial between Beltway 8 and Tallowood, which will provide an additional 8 acre-feet in additional stormwater detention.
No
No
Less than $100 million
(Manage) Access Management/Safety/Grade Separations
13678000
MCRABUN Resolution of Support and Letter of Funding Commitment.pdf
Project Development/Readiness
Schematic
Categorical Exclusion (CE)
03/31/2021
(d)-list Open-Ended Approval Authority for CEs.
No
No
No
Yes
No
No
Yes
COH Concurrence and MCRA-BUN ILA.pdf
The proposed project has been adopted by both the MCRA and the City of Bunker Hill via Board and City Council resolution. Both the MCRA and BHV have solidified their legal, financial and technical support for their project via board and city council resolution respectively. Both entities have also signed-off on an inter-local agreement stating the respective roles each entity has in both the project and pursuit of grant opportunities Both entities have jointly developed the recently completed Memorial Drive/Gessner Road Multimodal Corridor Assessment, which provides the following project information: • Project overview – description of the proposed project and role of sponsor agencies • Project information – project background, purpose and need and existing conditions • Proposed improvements – scope of project, conceptual costs and project benefits. Note that the assessment document shows information that is now somewhat dated and not completely consistent with the information within this grant application. In addition to interagency coordination between MCRA and the City, the incorporation of a bike facility in the project is denoted within the City of Houston Bike Plan as a programmed bike lane. This project will incorporate that recommendation. 90% PS&E can be completed by FY2020 in order to meet the year of implementation. This is contingent upon the project being placed in the TIP, STIP, and an AFA being executed in a reasonable time frame. We believe we can meet this deadline because of the information obtained via the design of the section of Memorial Drive between BW8 and Tallowood as well as the detailed advance planning work completed to date. A preliminary environmental assessment predicated on the NEPA process has been completed and a CE can be completed by FY2021. No major impacts are expected. This information is included within the full report submitted as a component of this grant application. No ROW acquisition is necessary for this project. Utility coordination will occur per the standard TxDOT process but relocations will be completed under existing franchise agreements. Utility conflicts identified are minimal as is consistent with the corridor in general.
Map/Location
Benefit/Cost Analysis
MCRABUN_Memorial Drive_Roadway-Safety-Benefits.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
The project consists of enhancing both the roadway and pedestrian and bike facilities in the project area, which will improve the level of service for automobiles, pedestrians and cyclists. In addition, enhancing access to several bus stops along the project corridor will also increase the level of service to METRO buses.
Planning Factors - Planning Coordination
Yes
The Memorial Drive/Gessner Road Multimodal Corridor Assessment and the City of Houston Bike Plan
The Memorial Drive/Gessner Road Multimodal Corridor Assessment: In Readiness Folder; Houston Bike Plan: http://houstonbikeplan.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/HoustonBikePlan_Full.pdf
Planning Factors - Roadway Hierarchy/Freight System Priority/Evacuation Route
Principal Arterial
No
No
No
Yes