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Project Information
Installation of Intelligent Transportation Systems on US 290 from Mueschke Rd. to Badtke Rd. in Harris Co. Texas Department of Transportation 1/12/2015 1:58:07 PMProject 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. A fiber connection needs to be made to SH 99 Grand Parkway to enhance reliability, redundancy and continuity of operations for US 290, SH 99 (Grand Parkway) and other major corridors in the region. This project will improve real-time incident detection, responsiveness and notification; and also improve real-time traffic monitoring and reporting capabilities of recurring congestion. A fiber connection would be made to SH 99 Grand Parkway which will enhance reliability, redundancy and continuity of operations for US 290, SH 99 (Grand Parkway) and other major corridors in the region. The project will involve instrumentation of a freeway, US 290 Northwest Freeway, from Mueschke Road to Badtke Road in Harris County. Specifically, this project will include the installation of 8.2 miles of conduit bank and 144-strand fiber trunkline; including 15 closed-circuit cameras, 4 dynamic message signs, 5 radar-based vehicle sensing devices, and 5 travel time readers. Additionally, this ITS segment improvement will better serve an existing regional evacuation route and provides for fiber-optic communication redundancy. 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 02/07/2018 No Yes No Utility Adjustments will be needed. No No Public Involvement activities are needed. The conduit will be installed by a road construction project. The project design can be at 30% complete within 30 days after notice to proceed.Map/Location
Project Budget
Project Budget TIP Application 300753.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 4 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 Mueschke Road to Badtke Road for a distance of 8.2 miles along US 290 in Harris County. A fiber connection would be made to SH 99 Grand Parkway which will enhance reliability, redundancy and continuity of operations for US 290, SH 99 (Grand Parkway) and other major corridors in the region. ; 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; The system will expand/extend the regional communications network from Mueschke Road to Badtke Road for a distance of 8.2 miles along US 290 in Harris County. A fiber connection would be made to SH 99 Grand Parkway which will enhance reliability, redundancy and continuity of operations for US 290, SH 99 (Grand Parkway) and other major corridors in the region. ; 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 system will expand/extend the regional communications network from Mueschke Road to Badtke Road for a distance of 8.2 miles along US 290 in Harris County. A fiber connection would be made to SH 99 Grand Parkway which will enhance reliability, redundancy and continuity of operations for US 290, SH 99 (Grand Parkway) and other major corridors in the region. ; Yes; The system will expand/extend the regional communications network from Mueschke Road to Badtke Road for a distance of 8.2 miles along US 290 in Harris County. A fiber connection would be made to SH 99 Grand Parkway which will enhance reliability, redundancy and continuity of operations for US 290, SH 99 (Grand Parkway) and other major corridors in the region. ; Yes; The system will expand/extend the regional communications network from Mueschke Road to Badtke Road for a distance of 8.2 miles along US 290 in Harris County. A fiber connection would be made to SH 99 Grand Parkway which will enhance reliability, redundancy and continuity of operations for US 290, SH 99 (Grand Parkway) and other major corridors in the region. ;