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FM 1960 Bike Lane Texas Department of Transportation 1/12/2015 7:02:34 PMProject Narrative
Farm to Market 1960 Road (FM 1960) is an east/west principal arterial roadway, including the Mackay Bridge over Lake Houston. It does not have a designated bicycle facility. The need for the proposed project is demonstrated by the following conditions: • Many cyclists currently ride along FM 1960 to cross Lake Houston, without any designated bicycle facility to protect their safety. • The cyclists ride alongside vehicular traffic on the bridge with a posted speed limit of 55 miles per hour. • Lake Houston is a major waterway barrier; there is no bicycle route that connects the east and west side of Lake Houston. The purpose of the proposed project is to provide a bicycle lane separated from vehicular traffic by a physical barrier (parapet), create a safe and hospitable bicycle route with bicycle railing across the bridge span, improve alternative modes of transportation and encourage mode shifts from driving to cycling in non-work trips. The proposed bike lane is located on FM 1960 from Atascacita Shores to Gray Fox Dr. The project is approximately 2.75 miles in length. The FM 1960 project includes restriping, installing the parapets and the 48” bridge railing and shoulder widening to connect to Atascacita Shores (future shared the road bike facility). This project does not require additional acquisition of right-of-way. FM 1960 Bike Lane will connect: - The Huffman community east of Lake Houston to existing bike and hike trails west of Lake Houston via Atascacita Shores -This bike facility will also connect with the FM 2100 roadway widening project which will include a bike facility Initially only striping for the bike lane was considered (without the parapet separating the bike lane from vehicular traffic). Because the posted speed limit on the MacKay Bridge is 55 miles per hour and the bridge span over the waterway is long, a physical barrier separating the bike facility from the vehicular lanes was incorporated in the project design. No other alternatives have been considered or evaluated.Project Narrative
No Categorical Exclusion (CE) (c)(3) Construction of bicycle and pedestrian lanes, paths, and facilities No 10/01/2015 No No Privately owned utilities in conflict would be relocated by the respective owners at their expense. State-owned facilities would be relocated by TxDOT as part of the contract. Although a thorough utility evaluation has not yet been conducted, a preliminary evaluation indicates that there would be no relocations. No None NoneScreening Questions
Yes Per AASHTO, the minimum width of a bike lane is 5 ft (AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities, Fourth Edition, Chapter 4: Design of On-Road Facilities, pg. 4-15). The project design also includes 1 ft offset from the rail to the bike lane and from the bike lane to the parapet. The width from the railing to the parapet is 7 ft. The project design also includes bicycle railing 42” high complying with AASHTO’s safe bicycle rail standard.Evalutation Questions - Pedestrian/Bicycle Projects
Design Standards
Yes Per AASHTO, the minimum width of a bike lane is 5 ft (AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities, Fourth Edition, Chapter 4: Design of On-Road Facilities, pg. 4-15). The project design also includes 1 ft offset from the rail to the bike lane and from the bike lane to the parapet. The width from the railing to the parapet is 7 ft. The project design also includes bicycle railing 42” high complying with AASHTO’s safe bicycle rail standard.Connectivity
Barrier Elimination
Yes The proposed facility provides a safe and convenient crossing of Lake Houston, a waterway. This bicycle facility provides accessibility for communities east of Lake Houston Bridge to connect to over 10 miles of existing hike and bike trails that lead to the Kingwood Greenbelt.Pedestrian/Bicycle Facility Connections
Yes The proposed facility directly connects to the proposed Harris County Precinct 4 bike route along Atascocita Shores Dr, which connects to Kings River Dr, W Lake Houston Parkway, Water Point Trail, Auburn Oak Trail and Kings Park Way hike and bike trails.Transit Connections
None of the Above NoneConnections to Regional Destinations
None of the Above* Density thresholds for different types of activity centers are defined within the Livable Centers Benefits Calculator, which is available online at http://www.h-gac.com/livable-centers/tools.aspx. Project area is considered within a 1/2-mile radius of the project location.
NonePilot Projects
No NoSafety
Does proposed facility:
Yes No No No The proposed facility provides a new, safe, designated bike route for the many cyclists that currently ride across the McKay Bridge on FM 1960. The bike lane will be separated from vehicular traffic by a barrier (parapet) along the span of the bridge. The project design also includes bicycle railing 42” high. The railing will increase cycling safety by significantly decreasing the risk of a bicyclist falling off the bridge into the water body below. The current parapets at the edges of the bridge are 36" high, too low for the safety of cyclists riding on a bridge over a water body and would not comply with current AASHTO standards if the McKay Bridge was to designated as bike route with a bike lane.
Project will be awarded:
15 points if three or more of the aforementioned characteristics are met.
10 points if two of these characteristics are met.
5 points if one of these characteristics is met.
Existing Plans/Studies
No NoFunding Leverage
Neither NAUnderserved Population Access
Is all or part of the proposed facility located within a Census Tract that has a higher proportion of the following populations than the regional average:
H-GAC to conduct analysis based on the GIS/map project location provided above
Project will be awarded:
3 points if one of the aforementioned indicators is above the regional average
7 points if two of the aforementioned indicators is above the regional average
10 points if three of the aforementioned indicators is above the regional average