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Project Information
Installation of Intelligent Transportation Systems on US 59 from SH 99 to Reading Rd in Ft. Bend Co. Texas Department of Transportation 1/12/2015 8:12:00 AMProject Narrative
This project will provide necessary expanded coverage of existing incident management, congestion management, and traveler information systems infrastructure for the TxDOT Houston District (TranStar) region. This improvement project will allow TranStar to move closer to achieving the goal of DISTRICT-WIDE integrated coverage. This project will improve real-time incident detection, responsiveness and notification; and also improve real-time traffic monitoring and reporting capabilities of recurring congestion. This segment of roadway is being reconstructed. US 59 will then become IH 69. This project will provide and extension of ITS for incident management for better operations of the freeway network in one of the fastest growing counties in population. The project will involve instrumentation of a freeway, US 59 (Southwest Freeway), from SH 99 to Reading Road in Ft. Bend County. Specifically, this project will include the installation of 4 miles of 144-strand fiber trunkline (4 miles of conduit bank currently exists in this project segment); including 6 closed-circuit cameras, 2 dynamic message signs, 5 radar-based vehicle sensing devices, and 5 travel time readers. None. However, since this is an ITS infrastructure expansion versus conventional roadway capacity expansion, the inherent benefit is to gain more capacity utilization of the existing facility without any environmental impacts or requiring additional right-of-way/heavy construction.Project Narrative
Yes Categorical Exclusion (CE) (c)(21) Deployment of electronics, photonics, communications, or information processing No 04/01/2016 No Yes No Utility Adjustments will be needed. No No Public Involvement activities are needed. The conduit for this ITS project is being installed by the road construction project. Project plans can be 30% within 30 days.Map/Location
Project Budget
Project Budget TIP Application 300711.xlsx
Yes NoScreening Questions
Yes ITS technology deployment is typically at least 7-10 years before retrofit or total replacement is required.Evalutation Questions - ITS Projects
Benefit /Cost Methodology
H-GAC to conduct analysis based on the GIS/map project location and project scope information provided above.
Congestion Safety
Incident/Event Management
Yes; This ITS project improvement segment will be a fully-integrated extension of TxDOT’s current ITS system operated out of the region’s multi-agency housed Traffic & Emergency Management Center (Houston TranStar). ; Yes; This ITS project improvement segment is both on the National Highway System and a component on H-GAC’s CMP Network. ; Yes; This ITS project improvement segment will include the installation of 2 dynamic message signs and 5 travel time (Bluetooth) readers that provide updated traveler information on TranStar’s speed map and email alert free subscription service. ; No; However, through the extension of ITS instrumentation (i.e., CCTVs, RSVDs, and travel time readers) emergency vehicles can be routed more efficiently during their incident arrival and departure tripmaking. ; No; However, through the extension of ITS instrumentation (i.e., CCTVs, RSVDs, and travel time readers) mobility management for the OVERALL travel corridor will be improved.; Yes; This project will provide the communication and monitoring infrastructure foundation for the future implementation of integrated corridor management applications such as ramp metering, variable speeds, variable pricing, etc. However, immediate benefits of this project will provide for traffic condition monitoring that will enhance travel time reporting and tripmaking reliability. ;Coordination
System Migration/Expandability
Yes; The system will expand/extend the regional communications network from SH 99 to Reading Road for a distance of 4 miles along US 59 Southwest Freeway in Ft. Bend County. US 59 will transition into IH 69 once the reconstruction of the corridor is complete. This project will also extend down to Rosenberg and allow for the connection into the Ft. Bend County EOC and Ft. Bend County Traffic.; Yes; This ITS project improvement will be fully-integrated into the region’s Traffic and Emergency Operations Center (Houston TranStar). This will allow all real-time traffic and incident information to be viewed and shared among the principal transportation and emergency management agencies in Harris County (TxDOT, Harris County, City of Houston, and METRO).;Integration and Information Sharing
AND, System ties into another agency’s systems to allow for the sharing of data; All information and data captured by this ITS improvement project will be transmitted to the region’s Traffic and Emergency Management (Houston TranStar). Since all information and data will be coming into TranStar, the capability for sharing among the primary TranStar partners is inherent.; Yes; The system will provide data to Houston TranStar website, TxDOT website, Dynamic Message Signs via TranStar operators, local media outlets, and free individual subscription service for customized email alerts.; Yes; The system will collect segment speed and travel time data that can be used for mobility performance measures. Additionally, the system will assist in the real-time monitoring of incidents providing the necessary time increments to define total clearance timelines by various types of incidents to report incident clearance performance.;Asset Mgmt/Efficient Operations
Continuity Operations
Yes; The project will extend the ITS communications network along US 59/IH 69 towards Rosenberg. It make it feasible to do communications to the Ft. Bend County EOC and Ft. Bend County Traffic. ; Yes; This project is an important leg in the connection to Ft. Bend and Wharton counties. This project extension will continue a path along US 59 Southwest Freeway which will become IH 69 once reconstruction of the roadway is completed. ; No; This project improvement will provide expanded monitoring and communication for the region, thereby allowing more mobility benefits to be available to a greater number of travelers. However it is a single leg of communications at this time. It will be vital to further system reliability once fiber network paths come down from IH 10. ;