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Project Information
Fairmont Parkway ITS Improvements Harris County 1/12/2015 3:51:55 PMProject Narrative
Eastern Harris County, particularly the area surrounding the Port of Houston, is experiencing increased development and population due to the region's vibrant economy. Increasing traffic as a result of this growth is causing a degradation of traffic operations on Harris County roadways. Harris County has identified Fairmont Parkway from Beltway 8 to 7th Street as a corridor that would benefit substantially from a combination of intersection geometric improvements, traffic signal modernization / rebuild / installations, fiber optic interconnect network, real time traffic monitoring and battery backup system. At approximately 50,000 vpd, portions of this roadway are among the most heaviest traveled roadway segments maintained by Harris County. The proposed intersection geometric improvements, traffic signal modernization / rebuild / installations, fiber optic interconnect network, real time traffic monitoring and battery backup system will enhance efforts to reduce motorist delay, congestion and improve air quality. Geometric improvements will provide additional intersection capacity and lane balance. Traffic signal improvements will optimize vehicle detection and utilize modern ITS equipment. Fiber optic interconnect network will allow remote monitoring and adjustment of signals operation and synchronization. Real time monitoring system will provide the public with average speed and travel time of vehicles along roadway sections. Also, collected data will be instrumental in the ability to develop ongoing transportation performance measures. Battery backup systems will be utilized to increase public safety and reduce traffic congestion by allowing traffic signals to operate during a power disruption / failure. Improvements are proposed at (14) intersection locations in Precinct 2, which intersects TxDOT-owned and maintained roadways. They consist of intersection geometric improvements, (4) traffic signal modernizations, (8) traffic signal rebuilds, (2) traffic signal installations with use of modern ITS equipment, upgraded vehicle detection, real time traffic monitoring, battery backup system and (8.5) miles of fiber optic interconnect network. At signalized intersections, traffic signal timing has previously been adjusted to optimize the efficiency with the existing geometry. No further enhancement alternatives are available.Project Narrative
No Categorical Exclusion (CE) (c)(26) Modernization of a highway which meets constraints in paragraph (e) Yes One utility crossing permit will be required, for installation of a fiber optic cable conduit crossing the Union Pacific Railroad’s tracks, west of SH 146. Experience has shown such minor permits can easily be completed during the time allotted to the design phase for a project of this type. Also, there is flexibility to install the conduit as either an underground crossing or as an overhead crossing because Fairmont Parkway crosses over the UPRR tracks at a bridge. This flexibility reduces the possibility of a permitting issue. 10/01/2015 No No Once utilities are identified as conflicts, each affected owner will be notified that their facilities will need to be relocated. Utility adjustments within County ROW are typically completed within 90 days with no cost to the County or the project budget. Yes The corridor is directly connected to facilities operated and maintained by Pasadena, La Porte, TxDOT, and HCTRA. Improving the county-maintained portion of the corridor will reduce overall delay. Discussions with TxDOT staff and others have been positive and in support of any improvement to their infrastructure. Completion of a fiber optic interconnect link between Beltway 8 and SH 146 also provides an opportunity to create redundant path in the multi-agency fiber network, improving network reliability.Harris County Letter of Project Support_Precinct 2.pdf
No public involvement activities have occurred. Any future public involvement will comply with TxDOT policies and procedures. Coordination with City of La Porte, where the most significant improvements are planned, is ongoing. See attached letter of support. No additional right of way is required.Map/Location
Screening Questions
Yes This project will have a lifespan of 20+ years with routine maintenance activities performed by Harris County.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; CCTV cameras will be installed at major intersections. With the addition of the fiber optic communications network, the cameras will be integrated into TranStar's CTMS and be utilized by TranStar operators for incident management and surveillance. ; Yes; Fairmont Parkway is designed as an NHS route. Also, proposed project crosses two additional facilities on the NHS: Beltway 8 and SH 146. ; Yes; Intersections will be equipped with a real time monitoring device. With the addition of the fiber optic communications network, the real time monitoring device will be integrated into Tran star's CTMS and be able to provide extensive information of value to motorist (e.g. speed maps, travel times) and traffic management operators. ; Yes; While no plans are in place to implement an EVP systems, Harris County has allowed Emergency Service Districts to implement a GPS-based EVP system on County maintained roadways with adherence to Harris County system requirements. ; No; Not Applicable ; No; Not Applicable ;Coordination
System Migration/Expandability
Yes; The addition of a fiber optic communication network on this facility will expand Harris County's existing communication backbone, and provide exchanging transmission capacity, redundancy and associated services with other agencies. Connection at Beltway 8 and SH 146 provides opportunity for network redundancy. ; Yes; All equipment will use industry standards such as Ethernet, Internet Protocol, NTCIP, etc. ;Integration and Information Sharing
AND, System ties into another agency’s systems to allow for the sharing of data; System ties into a centralized Traffic Management Center (Houston TranStar) ; Yes; System loops and real time monitoring device will be able to provide average speed, travel time and volume data, which is currently being provided real time on Houston TranStar's website. ; Yes; System loops will be installed to provide volume data for determining split usage and Other MOE's. Also, real time monitoring device will be installed to provide additional data. ;Asset Mgmt/Efficient Operations
Continuity Operations
Yes; Battery Backup Systems (BBS) will allow traffic signals to operated for several hours during a loss of power without interruption. ; Yes; Harris County shares facilities with other agencies with reciprocal agreements. Other agencies could potentially use the proposed facilities for redundancy in their own networks. ; Yes; Battery Backup Systems (BBS) will lessen the possibility of a traffic signal going into all-red flash during a power outage, which requires a manual reset. The addition of communications links will allow maintenance and operations staff to monitor the system remotely, thus proactively preventing malfunctions. ;