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IH 45 South Widening Texas Department of Transportation 1/12/2015 1:43:18 PMProject Narrative
The need for the project is based on existing and anticipated congestion, safety, operations/state of good repair, and economic conditions of the area, including: • Demand exceeds capacity during both of the daily commute periods • Many of the critical IH 45 bridge crossings require replace or major reconstruction • Many section of IH 45 need major pavement maintenance • Improved operational efficiency and safety, • Correct roadway deficiencies, • Added capacity for project population and economic growth; • Improved mobility for hurricane evacuations due to IH 45’s designation as a hurricane evacuation route is a documented concern; • Roadway flooding contributes to reduced highway capacity and increased congestion • Current truck traffic is at four percent and expected to increase; • Facility is considered a freight bottleneck; • Improved connectivity is needed for major employment generators such as Galveston Island, NASA communities, and the nearby ports. IH 45 is the primary north-south corridor leading from Galveston Island to the Houston metropolitan area. IH 45 is on the national highway system and is functionally classified as 1: Interstate. It is a designated hurricane evacuation route and, in general, provides the primary exit from Galveston Island. The need for the project is that demand exceeds capacity during the daily commute periods, bridge crossings require replacement of major reconstruction, many sections need major pavement maintenance or overlay construction, improvements are needed at various locations due to non-standard design configurations, transit services are needed, hurricane evacuation is needed, roadway flooding issues need to be addressed, and improvements needed to provide better access to major employment generators. The purpose of this project is to support the goals of the Interstate system, which is to provide safe and efficient transportation for the movement of persons and goods. It is in the national interest to maintain the Interstate System and to provide the highest level of service in terms of mobility and safety and to maintain a quality driving surface. The purpose of the project is to reduce traffic congestion, improve mobility, correct design deficiencies, and reduce hurricane evacuation times, while protecting the human environment. The desired design benefits of the project include: Reduced congestion/improved mobility Reduce potential for flooding Improved travel options and improved access to alternative modes of transportation Avoid, minimize, mitigate potential environmental and community impacts In general, the improvements will widen IH 45 to 10 main lanes, add two high occupancy vehicle lanes, and two, 3-lane frontage roads. Within this section (South of NASA Road 1 to FM 518), the initial access to the HOV lane would be provided. Northbound AM traffic would be provided access to the reversible HOV lane just south of NASA Road 1. Southbound PM traffic in the reversible HOV lane would merge with the proposed five-lane section and continue southward. This segment of the Build Alternative is approximately 2.0 mi in length. Unlike the continuance of the southbound five-mainlane section to the south, four northbound mainlanes are proposed from FM 518 approaching to the north until the location of two lane entrance ramp just north of FM 518 where the five proposed mainlanes would begin and continue onward to the north. Just south of the proposed NASA 1 Bypass interchange, Forest Park Cemetery is located along approximately 0.6 mi of the southbound frontage road. In this area, the IH 45 alignment is shifted to the east to avoid impacting the cemetery. The only significant water crossing within the project corridor is located within this segment. Clear Creek crosses the existing IH 45 South facility between NASA Road 1 and FM 518 from the west and flows to the east. Currently the existing mainlanes span across Clear Creek utilizing a 451.5 ft bridge. The existing frontage roads each span Clear Creek on individual 450 ft bridges. Due to the satisfactory condition of the existing mainlane bridge, it is anticipated at this time that these bridges can be widened versus replacement to accommodate the proposed recommendations. The frontage road bridges would be replaced with wider bridges of similar length. The proposed mainlane and frontage road bridges would be 158ft and 58.5 ft wide, respectively. More than 30 alternatives were investigated for the IH 45 roadway improvements as part of the MIS. The investigation was based on an analysis of the existing traffic conditions, forecasts of future travel demand, and projected population growth. Conceptual alternatives were considered, including a no build alternative, using a systematic, interdisciplinary approach, which included input from the public, as well as federal, state, and local agencies. The no-build alternative was also considered. Both design and environmental constraints were evaluated in determining the preferred alignment. The improvements outlined in this application represent the preferred alternative. The No-Build Alternative would not improve the roadway. Only routine maintenance would occur within this area, therefore, congestion would continue and safety problems may increase and evacuation would be compromised. The Environmental Assessment for this segment of IH 45 South widening concerns the portion from BW 8 to FM 518. The northernmost segments (North of BW 8 to South of NASA 1 Bypass) have already let to construction. The two CSJs in this Call for Projects, 0500-03-107 and 0500-04-117, are the remainder of the staging of construction, and MUST LET TOGETHER.Project Narrative
Yes Environmental Assessment (EA) Please Select Yes Individual Permit is in progress. Can be acquired by the time the project is ready for letting. 08/01/2006 Yes 3 01/03/2017 No Project is on an interstate. Utility adjustments will be by provider, with TxDOT reimbursement. No A MIS was conducted for this corridor. The MIS team included representatives from TxDOT, HGAC, METRO, FHWA, FTA, TNRCC (TCEQ), as well as Harris and Galveston Counties. MIS Public Meeting - April 28, 29, and 30, 1998. These meetings gave the public the opportunity to provide input about transportation problems and needs within the IH 45 South Corridor. Public comments from this meeting helped the MIS team establish its corridor goals and objectives. MIS Public Meeting - September 15 and 16, 1998. Public input at these meetings was used to help in the development of six viable alternatives for improving the corridor. MIS Public Meeting - March 23 and 24, 1999. These meetings gave the public an opportunity to comment on the six viable alternatives, which emerged from the MIS. This public input was used to help to select the preferred alternative. MIS Public Meeting - June 22 and 23, 1999. The public commented on the recommended preferred alternative of the MIS. Public input from the forth series of public meetings was used in finalizing plans for the corridor. Public Meeting - December 11, 2002, to present the proposed action within the project limits to be discussed in this EA. Public Meeting on May 19, 2005, Public Hearing on October 27, 2009. The EA is complete and FONSI was received on 8/2010. A re-evaluation is in progress. PS&E and ROW are at 30%.Evalutation Questions - Major Investments
Benefit/Cost Methodology
Please attach the completed BCA Excel worksheet and narrative explanation of analyses used