2018 Call for Projects Application List

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.

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.

Additional Agency Information

1. Is this project being developed and/or implemented in partnership with another agency?

Project Information

1. Project Title

Gessner Bus Operations Optimized Service Treatments (BOOST)

2. Project County

Harris County

3. Facility/Street Name

Gessner Road

4. Project limits (from, to) or location (Address)

West Little York P&R to Fondren Meadow Drive at Gessner Road

5. Describe the primary problems to be addressed by the project (Project Need).

The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County’s (METRO) Gessner route is one of the 21 routes that make up METRO’s 21 frequent bus corridors which carry approximately 60 percent of local bus boardings. More specifically, the 46 Gessner route is ranked in the top 15 routes which boasts an average 6,710 weekday boardings (METRONext 2018 BOOST Methodology Analysis). The 46 Gessner route’s significance can be characterized by the following elements: - Provides north-south crosstown service on the west side of the Houston metropolitan area. - Interfaces with the University Corridor bus rapid transit (BRT) line as proposed under METRONext (METRO’s Long Range Regional Planning Process), the 82 Westheimer and the 4 Beechnut Local Bus Routes. - The Gessner corridor and the current 46 Gessner route serves north-south trips that traverse two major activity centers: Memorial City and Westchase District. The 46 Gessner route achieves high ridership while also experiencing large segments with low average speeds and inconsistent reliability. The bus route along the corridor runs through mixed traffic in an area that is densely developed consisting of commercial, industrial and residential areas. Besides the frequency of stops (185 in total), the Gessner corridor is riddled with intersections and driveways serving retail outlets, industrial facilities and residential communities. Right-of-way (ROW) constrains along Gessner Road make the addition of transit, such as bus stop facilities, and sidewalk infrastructure challenging. Along the Gessner route there are impediments to accessibility including discontinuous sidewalks, no marked crosswalks and lack of passenger amenities, such as benches and/or shelters. As for both safety and accessibility, various stops along the Gessner route do not provide adequate access, shelter and crossings.

6. Describe the proposed improvement/activity (Description).

The range of improvements proposed for the Gessner BOOST include: 1. Stop optimization/consolidation/relocation 2. New passenger shelters 3. Accessibility enhancements 4. First/last mile improvements 5. Transit signal priority 6. Queue jumps 7. Bus-only lanes 8. Enhanced passenger information Following a preliminary assessment, other strategies to further improve the Gessner corridor may include all-door boarding, three door buses, near-level boarding, off-board fare collection and headway management. These other strategic enhancements may only apply to specific areas of the corridor and not its entirety. Nevertheless, they will have significant impacts on the service benefits related to customer experience, reliability and time savings. For the 46 Gessner BOOST enhancements will include route extension to West Little York Park & Ride as its northern terminus. These proposed termini will have significant increases in ridership since it will connect the 46 Gessner bus route to multiple commuter bus services as well as other local bus routes, which will offer West Little York patrons connections to major activity centers such as the Westchase District (approximately 12 miles from West Little York Park & Ride) and Memorial City Mall (approximately seven miles from West Little York Park & Ride).

7. Describe the primary outcomes to be achieved by the project (Project Purpose)

By implementing BOOST strategies in the Gessner corridor, trips will improve for many current riders and create service that is more attractive and marketable to potential new riders, positively impacting overall ridership. Additionally, based on METRO’s analysis, the implementation of such strategies could significantly make operations more cost effective. The findings in METRO’s analysis reveal that a six to 10 percent time savings per round trip is possible which can translate to operating cost savings of $470,960 and an overall improved customer experience. With BOOST improvements, customers will benefit from faster more reliable service thanks to actions such as stop consolidation resulting in a 20 percent reduction of stops and transit signal priority (TSP) at specific intersections. Furthermore, improvements at stops will ensure more customer comfort and provide real-time information on next bus arrival. These savings could “pay back” the estimated implementation costs of the BOOST treatments in seven years.

8. Have any MPOID numbers been assigned to this project?

Yes

A. MPOIDs

11525

9. Have any TxDOT Control-Section-Job (CSJ) numbers been assigned to this project?

No

10. What is the estimated total capital investment required for the project?

Less than $100 million

A. Investment Category & Strategy

(Manage) Transit Priority Infrastructure

11. Please provide the federal funding amount requested.

5100000

12. Please upload the funding commitment letter or letters of support from the local government.

Funding Commitment Letter & Letters of Support 10.31.18.pdf

Project Development/Readiness

1. Please select the level of engineering completed.

Not Started

2. What is the completed or anticipated level of environmental documentation required for the proposed project?

Categorical Exclusion (CE)

A. What was/is the anticipated completion date of the environmental clearance?

02/28/2020

B. Type of Categorical Exclusion (CE)? (Optional)

C-listed 1, 2, 5, 12, 13 depending on project section or complexity

3. Will any of the following be required to implement the project? US Army Corps of Engineers Permits

No

US Coast Guard Permits

No

Railroad Agreements

No

None of the Above

Yes

4. Will the acquisition of Right of Way or an easement be required to implement the project?

Yes

A. What was/is the estimated completion date for Right of Way/easement mapping?

06/30/2020

B. What was/is the estimated start date for Right of Way/easement acquisition?

09/30/2020

C. What was/is the estimated completion date for Right of Way/easement acquisition?

02/28/2021

D. How many parcels must be acquired to implement the project?

To be determined during planning and design phases of the project

E. How many parcels have been acquired to date?

None

5. Has utility coordination been initiated for the project?

No

6. Will the project improve or significantly affect infrastructure owned or operated by another agency?

Yes

A. If Yes, please provide appropriate documentation showing interagency consultation (e.g, interagency agreements, coordination documentation).

1. Gessner BOOST Pre-Application_final - Interagency Coordination.docx

7. Please upload project development timeline. A sample of Best-Case Scenario project development timeline can be downloaded here for your review. (Optional)

1a Gessner BOOST DEV TIMELINE.xlsx

8. Please provide any additional project development/readiness information relevant to the proposed project. (6000 characters max) (Optional)

This project was included in the voter-approved 2003 METRO Solutions referendum. Significant study and analysis was undertaken to develop concepts for this project. All evaluations demonstrated strong performance with improvements in this corridor. Through METRO’s development of METRONext, additional investigations and concepts have been produced for various corridors that are to be considered for BOOST enhancements. Ultimately this corridor can be converted to a Bus Rapid Transit service given its strong performance. The Gessner corridor directly benefits from METRO’s projects on State of Good Repair (SOGR) and Universal Accessibility. The SOGR is derived from METRO’s Asset Management Plan, which calls for regularly scheduled assessments and replacement/rehabilitation of transit infrastructure. In FY 2012, Federal Transit Administration (FTA) awarded METRO a $3,212,000 grant under its discretionary SOGR program to establish an agency-wide asset management system, known as the Enterprise Asset Management System. This new system has improved the agency’s operational performance through increased equipment/asset availability, decreased maintenance and repair (M&R) costs and increased bus and rail utilization. SOGR projects account for $107.1 million, or over 64 percent of METRO’s $166 million FY 2018 CIP budget. With regards to Universal Accessibility, METRO developed a Bus Stop Accessibility Plan to improve the ease of access to transit, making transit a more attractive transportation option. The Universal Accessibility Improvements at Bus Stops is one of METRO’s top priorities. METRO wants to achieve 100 percent Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) conformity at all bus stops in the next five years. The METRO system consists of over 9,000 bus stops, approximately 75 percent (6,800) of these bus stops have no or limited ADA accessibility and the rest have potential for providing enhanced accessibility. METRO has been advancing improvements with the budget resources available. In FY 2018, the agency completed improvements at 200 stops and will be completing design at an additional 200 to be implemented in FY 2019. The agency committed $11 million in Universal Accessibility investments in FY 2018. For FY 2019, the agency has a goal of improving 200 bus stops and completing design for another 200 to be ready for construction and implementing 400 bus stops per year moving forward.

Map/Location

1. Please provide a clear and concise GIS coverage or PDF map for the proposed project. (MPK ESRI Map Package file preferred)

1c Gessner BOOST MAP.pdf

Project Budget

1. Please attach a completed project budget worksheet. Templates are available on the 2018 Call for projects website.

1b Gessner BOOST BUDGET.xlsx

2. Are Transportation Development Credits (TDCs) being requested?

No

Benefit/Cost Analysis

1. Safety Benefits

3 Gessner BOOST BCA Files.zip

2. Delay Benefits

1031201814105PM.xlsx

3. Emissions Benefits

BCA Placeholder - see #1 Safety Benefits for BCA information.xlsx

6. Please provide a brief narrative describing the methodology, input data and results. (Optional)

See attached BCA in #1 Safety Benefits for methodology.

Planning Factors - Environmental Justice

1. Is the proposed project located in or is adjoining an environmental justice sensitive area (census block groups) identified by HGAC?

Yes

A. If Yes, Will the project incorporate measures that reduce, minimize or avoid adverse effects environmental justice sensitive areas (census block groups) identified by HGAC?

Yes

Planning Factors - Expands or Improves Connectivity to Employment/Schools/Medical Facilities/Other Points of Interest

1. Does the facility directly connect to or within 1/4 mile of employment?

Yes

A. If yes, please indicate number of jobs the facility directly connects to or is within a 1/4 mile.

901 - 1000

2. Does the facility directly connect to or within 1/4 mile of school, or university or medical facility?

Yes

3. Does the facility directly connect to or within 1/4 mile of other points of interest?

Yes

Planning Factors - Improves Multimodal LOS

1. Does the proposed project improve highway/freight LOS?

No

2. Does the proposed project improve transit LOS?

Yes

3. Does the proposed project improve bike/pedestrian LOS?

Yes

4. Please provide a brief narrative explaining how proposed project improves multimodal LOS (Auto, Bike/Ped, and Transit).

There are currently a total 185 stops along the 46 Gessner route. This project will reduce the number in both directions by 20 percent. By reducing the number of stops along the route, the overall travel time is reduced by 10 minutes. Another aspect of the project is to improve pedestrian and bicycle connections to the route. Pedestrians will have better access to bus stops along Gessner through behind the curb facilities included bus shelters, ADA ramps, wider sidewalks, and/or extensions to sidewalks for connectivity as needed. At select stops along the route there will be bicycle amenities added such as bike repair stations, bicycle parking, and/or bicycle shelters.

Planning Factors - Improves Transit Service Reliability

Does the proposed project include dedicated transit lane?

Yes

If yes, please indicate the type of dedicated lane is included in the proposed project.

Partially Dedicated Lane

Does the proposed project include signal control modifications?

Yes

If yes, please indicate the type of signal modifications included in the proposed project.

Signal Priority

Does the proposed project include other transit reliability improvement strategies?

Yes

If yes, please indicate the type of transit reliability improvement strategies included in the proposed project.

Other Payment Strategies

Planning Factors - Planning Coordination

1. Is the proposed project recommended in a regional/sub regional/or locally adopted plan including regional thoroughfare plans? Or Has the sponsor conducted interagency coordination with other local or state agency affected by the proposed project?

Yes

A. If yes, please provide the title of the regional/sub regional or local plan in which the proposed project is recommended.

METRONext

B. If yes, please provide a link to the regional/sub regional or local plan in which the proposed project is recommended.

www.metronext.org