Transportation Project Questionnaire

Regional Goods Movement Questionnaire

Project Information

Agency Name	TxDOT Houston District
Project Title	FM 270 Widening
Facility/Street/Highway	FM 270
Limits	From FM 518 to FM 646
Description	Reconstruct and widen from 2-lane to 4-lane roadway and implement access management treatments including raised median and bike/ped facilities.
Timeframe	Medium Term (6-10 Years)
Estimated Cost	$40,800,000.00

Investment Category-Focused Criteria

1. Is the proposed project recommended in a statewide, regional, or local freight plan?

2. Is the proposed project located on a Critical Urban/Rural Freight corridor (CUFC/CRFC)?

3. What is the estimated percentage of daily truck volume on the existing project facility? H-GAC staff can provide assistance in gathering the truck data from our website.

3.0%

4. What is the estimated percentage of daily truck volume on the project facility after the proposed project implementation?

3.8%

5. Does the project facility provide new or improved connectivity to a port/airport?

6. Does the project facility provide new or improved connectivity to other freight generators?

7. Please provide a narrative explaining how the project improves regional goods movement within and through the region. In the narrative, please mention if the project scope includes grade separations at at-grade railroad crossings or implementation of ITS technologies.

Description: The project consists of reconstructing and widening FM 270 in a high growth area of Galveston County. It includes widening from 2 to 4 lanes and implementing access management treatments, including a raised median and bicycle and pedestrian facilities, spanning from FM 518 to FM 646. The Project segment intersects the Texas State Freight Network. In addition to reconstructing and widening the roadway, adding a median, and adding bicycle and pedestrian facilities, the project will include improvements in safety and drainage. The project is part of the H-GAC RTP and is included in the list of RTP projects twice (MPOID 36 & 18507). It connects to other projects in the area that will increase capacity and safety and improve intersections. It also runs parallel to I-45, a key hurricane evacuation route for the region. The H-GAC Resilience Tool classifies the project segment with Moderate criticality score and High Vulnerability, 100-year flooding, and 500-year flooding scores. Drainage improvements will be implemented on this project to mitigate the exiting flooding issues along the corridor. Need: According to TTI’s 2022 100 Most Congested Roadways in Texas Report, the annual total delay per mile on the project segment was 27,603 person-hours per mile, and truck delay was 840 person-hours. The current daily volume of traffic on the segment is roughly 18,913. The forecasted volume is expected to increase by 20% by 2041. FM 270 also has no facilities for bicycles and pedestrians, leading to dangerous conditions for users. The crash rate on the segment is 382.03 crashes per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, which is higher than the statewide average of 240.02 for similar types of roadways. The fatality rate is 1.37 and the serious injury rate is 8.88, which is higher than the statewide average (5.95). Purpose and Contribution: The purpose of this project is to increase safety and reduce crashes, increase capacity, reduce delay and congestion, and improve accessibility and connectivity. This improvement, in conjunction with the other adjacent proposed improvements, will improve freight access to many major freight generators including the region’s seaports, airports, manufacturing facilities and many freight warehouses. The added capacity will improve regional connectivity for all modes while also improving safety by reducing primary and secondary crashes due to congestion and by bringing the segment up to TxDOT and FHWA safety standards. The enhanced drainage system that results from the reconstruction will improve regional resilience by reducing the risk of flooding on this critical link.

8. Is the project sponsor’s jurisdiction considering strategies to promote off-peak and overnight freight delivery?

9. Is the proposed project located on a State designated hurricane evacuation route?

9a. If no, is the proposed project located on a facility identified as a hurricane evacuation route in any regional or local plans?

9b. If no, is the proposed project located on a facility that functions as an alternate to a hurricane evacuation route?

Other Investment Category Focused Criteria

1. Please provide a narrative explaining how the proposed project improves traffic operations. Within the narrative, please include if the proposed project includes construction of truck only lanes or managed truck only lanes, construction of an interchange, or intersection improvements.

According to TTI’s 2022 100 Most Congested Roadways in Texas, the annual total delay per mile on the project segment was 27,603 person-hours per mile, and truck delay was 840 person-hours. The current daily volume of traffic on the segment is roughly 27,005 vehicles per day, of which 3% were trucks. The forecasted volume is expected to increase by 20 percent by 2041. The added capacity will improve regional connectivity for all modes while also reducing congestion and improving safety by reducing primary and secondary crashes due to congestion and by bringing the segment of up to TxDOT and FHWA safety standards.

2. Please provide a narrative explaining how the proposed project benefits high growth areas. Within the narrative, please explain if the proposed project improves or provides access to new residential developments, retail stores, other land uses, or if the proposed project alleviates future congestion due to potential economic development activity such as expansion of warehouses or other freight generators.

The project is in a high growth area of Galveston County. Recently constructed residential apartments have increased traffic on this route. Large Retailers (Kroger and CVS) are on the route receiving freight truck traffic from nearby logistic centers in the region.

3. Please provide a narrative explaining how the proposed project improves walking and biking conditions. Within the narrative, please explain if the proposed project scope includes construction of a new or improved existing bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure on a project facility or in the vicinity of the project.

As required by state design guidelines, the capacity increase will also be balanced with improvements to improvements to the pedestrian and bicycle facilities in the corridor. The project includes constructing new bicycle and pedestrian facilities along the route.

4. Please provide a narrative explaining how the proposed project improves traffic conditions for transit services (local, express, signature, or commuter).

There are no transit services currently operating on FM 270 but future service could use the main lanes (and/or frontage roads) in the future.

5. Please provide a narrative explaining how the proposed project will reduce inoperability for significant periods due to infrastructure damaged by a collision with vehicles such as trucks, ships, and barges.

The project will add lanes and improve the shoulders to allow more space to move disabled vehicles and to better maintain flow on the facility vehicle collisions.

6. Please provide a narrative explaining how the proposed project will improve state of good repair and extend the service life of the project facility.

The project will bring the roadway to FHWA and TxDOT standards. This will lead to an improvement in the state of good repair and extend the service life of the facility.

Planning Factors Criteria

1. What is the existing fatality crash rate at the project location? Regional crash data is available online on the crash data viewer. H-GAC staff will provide assistance in calculating the crash rates upon request.

4.44

2. What is the existing serious injury crash rate at the project location? Regional crash data is available online on the crash data viewer. H-GAC staff will provide assistance in calculating the crash rates upon request.

8.88

3. Please provide a narrative explaining how the proposed project reduces expected fatality and serious injury crashes. Narrative must include specific improvements (work types) included in the project scope. Crash reduction factors associated with specific work types can be found in the safety benefits calculation template. H-GAC staff can provide assistance in gathering the crash reduction factors upon request.

The crash rate on the segment is 382.03 crashes per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, which is higher than the statewide average of 240.02 for similar types of roadways. The fatality rate is 1.37 and the serious injury rate is 8.88, which is higher than the statewide average (5.95). The added capacity will improve regional connectivity for all modes while also improving safety by reducing primary and secondary crashes due to congestion, while also applying various access management techniques (e.g., raised roadway medians treatments, openings, intersection, and driveway improvements) reducing dangerous left turns.

Resiliency

1. Please select the vulnerability to flooding score at the project location based on the Regional Resiliency tool. H-GAC staff can provide assistance with the regional resiliency tool upon request.

Medium

2. Please select the criticality score at the project location based on the Regional Resiliency tool. H-GAC staff can provide assistance with the regional resiliency tool up on request.

Low

3. Please provide a narrative explaining how the proposed project reduces vulnerability to flooding. The narrative must include specific improvements such as drainage improvements that are included in the scope.

The enhanced drainage system that results from the reconstruction will improve regional resilience by reducing the risk of flooding on this critical link. All current projects are being designed to meet and/or exceed ATLAS-14 drainage standards.

Access/Connectivity

Please enter the household population located within a quarter mile buffer of the project location: 1a. Low-Income

2,476

1b. Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Minorities

6,030

2. Does the proposed project improve or provide new connectivity to a medical facility within a quarter mile buffer of the project location?

3. Does the proposed project improve or provide new connectivity to a school/college/university within a quarter mile buffer of the project location?

Yes

4. Does the proposed project improve or provide new connectivity to a social services facility within a quarter buffer of the project location?

Environmental Justice

Please enter household population located within quarter mile buffer of the project location. H-GAC staff can assist in gathering the data. 1a. Low-Income

2,476

1b. Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Minorities

6,030

1c. Household Population Under Poverty

917

1d. Disabled Persons

1167

1e. Elderly Persons

976

1f. Limited English Proficiency

354

2. What is the average Livable Center Need Index within quarter mile buffer of the project location? H-GAC staff can assist in gathering the data.

19.90

3. Please provide a narrative explaining how the proposed project provides benefits to vulnerable populations. Benefits include safety improvements, construction of or improvements to ped/bike facilities, or improvements to transit stops.

Because of its central location in the regional network, the project will also produce improvements in mobility and connectivity for vulnerable populations as well as connectivity to schools, medical facilities, and social services for the regional population. The raised medians will provide the opportunity for another agency to plant/maintain landscaping in the median to mitigate air pollution and improve aesthetic values.

4. Please provide a narrative explaining how the proposed project avoids or mitigates adverse effects to vulnerable populations. A list of adverse effects was provided in detailed criteria document.

All current projects are being designed to meet and/or exceed ATLAS-14 drainage standards (reduce flooding). This project is incorporating three detention basins to mitigate flooding along the corridor. Any sound walls that are identified prior during the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process will be constructed on this project, otherwise the corridor is mostly urban area and mostly residential and some commercial land uses that front the corridor’s ROW.

Impacts on Natural and Cultural Resources

1. Please provide a narrative explaining how the proposed project avoids or mitigates impacts to natural (flood plains, wetlands) and cultural (historic and archeological sites) resources. H-GAC staff can provide assistance in identifying natural and cultural resources located within a quarter mile buffer of the project location.

No Cultural or Natural resources that could be impacted have been identified on this segment at this time.

2. Please provide Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) reductions provided by the project. H-GAC staff can provide assistance in calculating NOx and VOC reductions.

H-GAC Staff, Please calculate Emissions reductions for us per email instructions 4/26/23

Innovation

1. Does the project propose to implement new infrastructure technologies to enhance accessibility, mobility, multimodalism, resiliency, reliability, or traffic operations?

Yes

1a. If yes, please explain.

The project will implement new infrastructure and autonomous/ connected technologies to enhance accessibility, mobility, multimodalism, resiliency, reliability, and traffic operations and will implement new autonomous/ connected vehicle technology. Brand new Signal Phasing and timing (SpAT) signals will be installed on this segment of the project (Related to CSJ 0912-00-701 that will install 1,100+ of these signals on all traffic lights on TxDOT HOU district roads). This simply broadcasts red, green, and yellow times ahead of signalized intersections to connected vehicles (model year 2021 or newer) or if you have the apps (Traffic Safely and ConnectSmart) downloaded on your cell phone for older vehicles. This provides ample time for you to slow down before intersections because of the timing and also to adequately adjust with flow of traffic- platooning. The advantages are improved safety because of a reduction of red-light-running crashes and carbon emission reductions resulting from better traffic platooning.

2. Does the project propose to implement new autonomous/connected vehicle technology?

Yes

2a. If yes, please explain.