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.
Megan Campbell
Planner
713-802-5325
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.
Texas Department of Transportation - Houston
Quincy Allen
District Engineer
713-802-5000
7600 Washington Avenue
Houston
TX
77007
Additional Agency Information
Project Information
Memorial Park Bicycle Pedestrian Connection
Harris County
I 10
Westcott St to Cohn St
There is no bicycle/pedestrian facility providing access from three high density Houston super-neighborhoods (The Heights, Washington Avenue/Memorial Park & Lazybrook/Timbergrove) with a combined population of 83,500 across I 10 and access to Memorial Park. The need for the proposed project is demonstrated by the following conditions: - Most cyclists/pedestrians do not attempt to cross between the foregoing neighborhoods and Memorial park and those that do currently ride on TC Jester Blvd. to cross I 10, without any designated bicycle and pedestrian route; - South of I 10, there is no safe Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) crossing for cyclists that want to access Memorial Park; - I 10 and the rail road tracks are two barriers to a safe high comfort connection to Memorial Park.
The project proposes to construct a 10’ concrete shared use path along TxDOT ROW from Washington Ave to Cohn St. The proposed path will utilize the large berm area along the top of the I 10 EB embankment slope and then will transition down towards the bottom of the slope in order to go under the existing railroad bridge east of Washington Ave (behind existing columns). This transition under the railroad will be achieved using retaining walls. Once the trail passes under the railroad bridge it will transition back up to the I 10 EB berm area and then turn north to tie into the existing pedestrian bridge over I 10 which will be widened to accommodate a 10’ shared use path facility. The project also includes striping, bridge railing, pavement markings, signage, landscape/hardscape as well as associated intersection improvements. This project does not require additional acquisition of right-of-way.
The purpose of the proposed project is to provide, for cyclists, a 10 foot wide concrete path that is separated from vehicular traffic to connect residents from the above mentioned neighborhoods and others beyond to Memorial Park as well as to the Uptown District/Galleria area, which is just west of Memorial Park and for trail users coming into Memorial Park from the west a safe bikeway to the Heights via White Oak Bayou Trail. The proposed bike path connects with Cottage Grove and Woodcrest Parks and addresses first-last mile connection to METRO’s Bus Stop on Larkin Street at Cohn (Route 71). The proposed bike facility provides convenient access for residents of above mentioned neighborhoods improving connectivity and access for alternative modes of transportation (bicycle) to retail and commercial destinations along Washington/Westcott St and to downtown via Memorial Park Trail, and encourages mode shifts from driving to cycling in both work and non-work trips.
No
No
Less than $100 million
Active Transportation
2205391
Project Development/Readiness
Schematic
Categorical Exclusion (CE)
01/01/2021
(c)(3) Construction of bicycle and pedestrian lanes, paths, and facilities
No
No
Yes
No
No
No
Yes
HOU_84- Interagency Consultation.docx
HOU_84_MPC - Timeline Final.pdf
Memorial Connection Summary of Project Scoping This project does not require additional acquisition of right-of-way. The project is on TxDOT’s ROW. ROW maps are provided as part of the application package. The project proposes to construct a 10’ concrete shared use path along TxDOT ROW from Washington Ave to Cohn St, connecting the Heights community north of I-10 to Memorial Park. The proposed path with utilize a large berm area along the top of the I 10 EB embankment slope and then will transition down towards the bottom of the slope in order to go under the existing railroad bridge east of Washington Ave (behind existing columns). This transition under the railroad will be achieved using retaining walls. Once the trail passes under the railroad bridge it will transition back up to the I 10 EB berm area and then turn north to tie into the existing pedestrian bridge over I-10 which will be widened to accommodate a 10’ shared use facility. The bridge widening will remove a portion of the existing structure in order to form a proper joint down the center of the path and will construct a similar new structure alongside the existing one in order to match the look of the existing bridge as close as possible. On the north side of I-10, coming off of the bridge, the proposed trail will then tie into the Cottage Grove Park access at Cohn St. The proposed project will also install high visibility cross-walks at Washington Ave and Cohn St as well as include intersection improvements to slow down the right-turning movements at I-10/Washington Ave. Project Readiness Based on extensive coordination with TxDOT’S Bridge Section, a preliminary schematic that shows available ROW and improvements is provided as part of the application package. The TxDOT West Harris Area Office Design Section provided the preliminary schematic and detailed construction budget which is also included in the application package. No Advanced Funding Agreement (AFA) will be needed for this project since TxDOT will provide the 20% match, which reduces the project timeline by 6-12 months for the AFA process. No documentation is needed from the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). TxDOT’s Houston District Environmental Section has reviewed the project and indicated that the criteria for FHWA Categorical Exclusion Action (c)(3) Construction of bicycle and pedestrian lanes, paths, and facilities would be appropriate for this project would be appropriate for this project. A permit from UPRR will be required, but we have discussed the plan informally with Dale Hill at Union Pacific (UPPR) and stated support for the project as the projects creates an alternative to the existing north-south route cyclists take along TC Jester to cross over UPRR railroad tracks at-grade to access Memorial Park. Scoping meeting conducted by TxDOT TxDOT held several internal meeting to discuss the project. • 8/30/2018 - Meeting with TxDOT Directors: Director of Consultant Contracts, Director TP&D, Senior Planner on behalf of Dir. of Adv. Transportation Planning, Dir. of Project Development, Director of Design. o Directors meeting to discuss improvements with TxDOT Management and get feedback on any preliminary design concerns. • 9/4/18 - Meeting with key community stakeholder representatives o Meeting with representatives from SN 14, SN 15 and SN 22 to discuss improvements get preliminary feedback on community concerns, as well as request letters of support. • 7/25/208 - TxDOT – City of Houston meeting o Meeting to discuss improvements, get preliminary feedback, and discuss possibility of City of Houston Public Works and Engineering Department willingness to serve as a project sponsor, if needed. Previous public involvement activities related to the proposed project. • The Heights Land Use Committee, Feb. 5, 2018. Representing The Heights Super-neighborhood (SN 15) • Washington Avenue Coalition/Memorial Park, Super-neighborhood (SN 22) on March 15, 2018 and August 16, 2018. TIRZ 5 was also represented at the March meeting. • Lazybrook/Timbergrove Super-neighborhood (SN 14) on April 12, 2018. • Citizens’ Transportation Coalition on June 28, 2018. • The Heights 2/5/18 Land Use Committee meeting • 2/13/18 full Greater Heights SN meeting and 10/9/18. • Harris County Pct 4 on Sept. 4, 2018
Map/Location
Benefit/Cost Analysis
TxDOT - Ped Bike and Roadway Safety Benefits - Memorial Connection - Editable.zip
TxDOT - Ped Bike Emissions Beneftis - Memorial Connection - Editable.zip
HOU_84_MPC_Additional Information.zip
Memorial Park Connection Daily User Methodology Generation Methodology A Bicycle and Pedestrian Demand Sketch methodology (Greg Griffin) was utilized to generate daily bicycle and pedestrian volumes for the Memorial Park Connection Facility. This methodology utilizes American Community Survey commuting mode share data (Subject Table “S0801 Commuting Characteristics by Sex”) to estimate mode shares along the facility for both bicycle and pedestrians. A multiplier was generated to account for additional bike and pedestrian travel outside of the commuting periods. To develop the most accurate estimate of mode share for each project, buffers were utilized to account for surrounding land uses and area types. A 1.5-mile buffer was utilized for pedestrian projects and a 5-mile buffer for bike projects. ACS data within these buffers was averaged to generate a likely mode share for both bike and pedestrian modes. This data was then applied to traffic volumes generated from the regional travel demand model to estimate daily user bike and pedestrian trips. The specific process utilized to develop daily user estimates is outlined below: Assemble mode share and roadway network data • ACS data collection for city/county/MPO bike and pedestrian commute share • Pull ADT information from regional model for appropriate network links parallel or nearby project facilities • Load data into GIS • Identify ACS Block Groups within buffer range to generate ACS mode share estimates Estimate total trips by mode (multiplier) • Calculate total bike mode share using the following formula: total bike mode share = 0.3% + (1.5 x bicycle commute share) • Calculate total mode pedestrian mode share using the following formula: total pedestrian mode share = 2.2 x pedestrian commute share Apply bicycle and pedestrian rates to roadway segments • Apply bike/ped rates as proportion of current and/or projected vehicular volumes along specific roadway segment to develop estimated daily users Interpolate to Estimate Build Year Daily Users • The HGAC Model Years are 2018, 2025, and 2045. To estimate the “build year” daily users, an interpolation was applied to develop estimates for 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. Reasonableness Check • A reasonable check was conducted by reviewing local information to assess the reasonableness of user estimates generated in the previous steps. This methodology resulted in reasonable estimates of potential bicycle and pedestrian users in the year open to traffic.
Planning Factors - Barrier Elimination (Active Transportation)
Yes
Yes
Planning Factors - Emissions Reductions
Total NOx Reduction: 7.00 tons/year For Bike: Estimated Daily Volume Reduced in Year Open to Traffic 594 Estimated Daily VMT Reduced in Year Open to traffic 5,942 Estimated NOx Reductions In Year Open to Traffic (in gms/day) 425.9967375 For Ped: Estimated Daily Volume Reduced in Year Open to Traffic 796 Estimated Daily VMT Reduced in Year Open to traffic 2,389 Estimated NOx Reductions In Year Open to Traffic (in gms/day) 171.2754437
Total VOCs Reduction: 1.71 tons/year For Bike: Estimated Daily Volume Reduced in Year Open to Traffic 594 Estimated Daily VMT Reduced in Year Open to traffic 5,942 Estimated VOC Reductions In Year Open to Traffic (in Gms/day) 104.2625939 For Ped: Estimated Daily Volume Reduced in Year Open to Traffic 796 Estimated Daily VMT Reduced in Year Open to traffic 2,389 Estimated VOC Reductions In Year Open to Traffic (in Gms/day) 41.9196216
Planning Factors - Environmental Justice
No
Planning Factors - Expands or Improves Bicycle & Pedestrian Connectivity to Employment/Schools/Medical Facilities/Transit Stops/Other Points of Interest
Yes
901 - 1000
No
No
Yes
Yes
Planning Factors - Planning Coordination
Yes
SN 22 Transportation Master Plan
http://nebula.wsimg.com/107e9aeff08fadaf1760d3a147ecc931?AccessKeyId=A746326865DF89284D6D&disposition=0&alloworigin=1