713-627-3200
Regional Goods Movement Questionnaire
Project Information
| Agency Name | Southwest Houston Redevelopment Authority (TIRZ 20) |
| Project Title | Harwin Dr Reconstruction |
| Facility/Street/Highway | Harwin Dr |
| Limits | S Gessner Rd - Fondren Rd |
| Description | Replace all public infrastructure (road diet, utilities, traffic controls, pedestrian realm) |
| Timeframe | Short Term (0-5 Years) |
| Estimated Cost | $18,200,000.00 |
Investment Category-Focused Criteria
No
No
3.2%
3.2%
Yes
Yes
92,246 sqft
Regionally: The roadway has a 24-hour truck percentage of 3.2% per the TxDOT Planning Map. The corridor serves as an important east-west alternative to the Westpark Tollway and to IH-59/US-69 and supports regional travel time reliability. Sub-Regionally: The corridor is home to a number of significant wholesale / outlet distributors such as Aviva Wholesale & Retail, Heidelberg Materials & Concrete, and the Harwin Outlet Mall. The corridor also supports first and last mile goods movement via Beltway 8 to Chinatown, the Mahatma Gandhi District, Sharpstown, and Gulfton.
Yes
The Southwest Management District, the Southwest Houston Redevelopment Authority, and the Gulfton Management District have recently completed work on the Southwest Houston Redevelopment Plan, which includes recommendations related to economic development, parking, safety, and a variety of other areas. One key recommendation is the creation of a consolidated economic development council/organization to coordinate efforts related to business attraction, retention, community development, and economic development in the area. One aspect of this relates to freight parking and freight utilization. A recommendation of this plan is to coordinate with property owners to promote off-peak and overnight freight delivery to reduce congestion, and to eliminate multimodal safety issues due to freight traffic.
No
No
Yes
The corridor serves as an important east-west alternative to the Westpark Tollway and to IH-59/US-69 and supports regional travel time reliability. Harwin Drive intersects with Beltway 8 which is designated by FEMA as an evacuation route feeder.
Other Investment Category Focused Criteria
The project will eliminate a travel lane in each direction in exchange for providing a center turn lane and two 10-foot wide sidewalks. These improvements will improve travel time reliability through the provision of several crash mitigation factors such as: install continuous turn lane, improve traffic signals, install safety lighting, and install sidewalks. These improvements are estimated to mitigate 83% of the crashes that have occurred along this corridor between 2017 and 2021. This reduction will greatly improve travel time reliability along a corridor that is on the City of Houston's High Injury Network (HIN). Traffic modeling demonstrates that the proposed conditions are able to improve safety without negatively impacting traffic operations.
The project will improve travel time reliability, safety, access, and connectivity in a commercial, retail, and industrial area that is rapidly expanding. Per HCAD, there is approximately 100,000 SF of warehouse space within 1/4 mile of the project corridor. In the last 10 years, 579,000 SF, including over 100 commercial establishments, has been built within 1/4 mile of the project corridor. Per H-GAC ACE tool: within 1/2 mile of the corridor and through 2045: the population is projected to double from 33,932 to 63,376, jobs are projected to double from 10,747 to 21,167, and households are expected to double from 11,711 to 25,758. This growth is being encouraged and supported by area economic and redevelopment plans which call for an expanded focus on areas such as nearshoring, international food & beverage and soft/sewn goods. The strategy set forth in the plan leverages the populous newcomer population in the area and their potential to engage in entrepreneurship and high growth careers.
Currently, the corridor’s pedestrian infrastructure is not compliant with Texas Accessibility Standards (TAS), City of Houston Infrastructure Design Manual requirements, or TxDOT/PROWAG design standards. The existing sidewalks are only four feet wide. There are many large gaps in sidewalk coverage, non-compliant ramps and crossings, and utility and other barriers. Additionally, none of the bus stops in the project area have standard bus pads or landings. The project proposes to construct 10-ft wide sidewalks to reduce 34,900 VMT through trip conversion to pedestrian (8,900) and transit (26,000) uses, as calculated by TCRP Report and USDOT supported methodology. The improvements will enhance transit access to and from METRO's planned and adjacent Gulfton BRT as well as the University Line project. Finally, these improvements will connect to the Sharpstown Trail project (Houston Parks Board, just east of Harwin and Gessner) and other proposed alternative mode improvements along the Westpark Drive/Tollway Corridor by HCTRA.
The corridor features two interlined METRO routes - the 152 and 153 Harwin Express. The combined average daily weekday boardings for these lines are over 3,800 passengers. Both lines terminate at the Wheeler Transit Center in Midtown. Both routes operate on 30-minute headways, seven days a week, offset by 15 minutes. There are four pairs of stops in the project area, in addition to stops at the S Gessner Rd and Fondren Rd intersections. There are two other METRO routes adjacent to the project area. Route 46 runs on Gessner Rd from the West Little York Park and Ride to W Airport Blvd south of Sharpstown. Route 63 runs on Fondren Rd from Westheimer to the Missouri City Park and Ride. The Gessner Park and Ride, which is served by Route 151, is located just to the north of Harwin Dr. The project will also move bus stops at Allday Drive to the far side of the intersection to improve intersection level of service. The project will improve access, connectivity, and safety for the over 3,800 transit users who rely on these services every day.
This section of Harwin serves as a relief route for the Westpark Tollway and IH-69/US-59 when either of those freeways are damaged or disrupted by a major crash, fire, or other related incident.
Harwin Drive is a designated major thoroughfare on the City of Houston Major Thoroughfare & Freeway Plan (MTFP). As it has reached the end of its useful life, the impacts of traffic and environmental degradation are reaching a critical point. This segment of Harwin Drive is comprised of jointed concrete panels that are showing signs of subsidence and water infiltration. Poor pavement conditions occur along the gutter line, near drainage structures, or where adjacent panels have settled at different angles. At these locations, storm water has infiltrated the pavement and caused various cracking, spalling, and shattering of the concrete slabs. These defects have been observed across the 40-44 ft. width of the pavement. The existing 60 ft. right-of-way has seen heavy use and deterioration, as well. There are no building setbacks and the continuous breaks in the curb structure for driveways have led to many extreme changes of level and other barriers to accessibility. Other right-of-way features in various states of disrepair include the pavement markings, traffic control devices, and utility structures. The City of Houston rates the pavement as Satisfactory to Poor, though the design engineer determined current pavement condition index is less than 70, which is considered failing. The full-depth replacement of the pavement will improve safety, mobility, and economic development for this major thoroughfare. Land uses in the Project area are greatly varied and there are many destinations on or adjacent to the roadway that are difficult to reach other than by car due to the lack of multimodal infrastructure. This is due to both the necessity for a redesign of an obsolete roadway as well as the need for improvements in connectivity to nearby infrastructure. In addition to the pavement, the underground infrastructure on this corridor is reaching the end of its life cycle. The water, wastewater, and storm lines were installed or rehabilitated in the 1970s and their conditions and composition qualify them for rehabilitation at a minimum.
Planning Factors Criteria
5.39
5.39
From 2017 to 2021, there were a total of 278 crashes that occurred on Harwin Drive from Gessner to Fondren Rd, resulting in two fatalities and two severe injuries. One of the severe injuries resulted from a pedestrian crash that occurred in 2019 due to the driver failing to control their speed. To ensure the safety of all road users, the proposed reconstruction of Harwin Drive includes the following elements: • Reconstructing the entire concrete pavement structure • Upgrading the sidewalk to 10 feet wide to improve pedestrian safety • Installing a new traffic signal at the intersection of Allday and Harwin • Installing street lights along the roadway for visibility and public safety purposes The proposed improvements correspond to various work codes, each with its own associated crash reduction rate: •Work Code 518 Install Continuous Turn Lane with 50% crash reduction rate •Work Code 304 Safety Lighting with 49% crash reduction rate •Work Code 108 Improve Traffic Signals with 24% crash reduction rate
Resiliency
Low
High
The project corridor receives a criticality score of HIGH from the H-GAC Resiliency Tool. It is rated to have a moderate vulnerability to a 500-year storm event. This project features an offsite detention basin which will allow for compliance with Atlas 14 standards in a manner more cost effective than inline detention. The property for this basin was purchased several years ago and has been set aside for this project. A detention analysis by the design engineer indicates that the maximum volume of the detention pond is 25.9 ac-ft and approximately 17 ac-ft are required for this project to mitigate project impacts. As such, the project provides an additional detention benefit of approximately 8.9 ac-ft of volume.
Access/Connectivity
14235
12355
No
No
No
Environmental Justice
14235
12355
3945
707
543
4319
64.4
The project area has many needs related to poverty (25% of population), limited English proficiency (30%), elderly/zero car households (7.5%). This population is one that is reliant on pedestrian access and public transportation. This is challenging in relation to the Harwin Drive corridor due to its poor state of pedestrian access and its designation as part of the High Injury Network. One challenge which impacts both aspects is access management. This segment of Harwin Drive is composed of two travel lanes in each direction, separated by a double yellow center line, and a minimal pedestrian realm. There are three intersections between Gessner and Fondren. The connecting streets, Allday Dr, Osage Rd, and Drew St, are short, local streets that link to adjacent commercial establishments or residential neighborhoods. They each form a three-way, or T, junction at Harwin Drive, and Allday is the only signalized intersection. This area has a dense cluster of warehouse outlets and other businesses, and nearly each building has its own driveway onto Harwin Drive. The result is on average there is a driveway every 70 feet on both sides of the street. The closely spaced driveways create the conditions where the inside lane in each direction operates as a left turn lane, leaving the outside lane as the de facto through lane. Since FHWA rates roads handling less than 25,000 vehicles per day good candidates for lane reductions, this project proposes conversion to a three-lane section with a two-way left turn lane. It is assumed this change would not negatively impact the facility’s capacity yet would great improve safety as well as multimodal access. The project corridor currently features 4-ft wide sidewalks which are an impediment to multimodal safety and pedestrian-transit. This impediment particularly impacts vulnerable populations who rely on these services. The proposed build alternative will provide 8-ft wide sidewalks to improve pedestrian access and safety.
Bodily impairment, infirmity, illness, or death. Air, noise, or water pollution; soil contamination - the project has completed environmental site assessment work along with a desktop environmental review. The project does not present any concerns related to these potential adverse effects. Disruption or diminution of man-made or natural resources - the project corridor is already well developed; the proposed project will not impact any man-made or natural resources. Destruction or diminution of aesthetic values - the project will improve existing aesthetic considerations in the area. Impact upon the cohesion or economic vitality of a community. Impact to public or private facilities and services - the project is a component of a broader economic development strategy aimed at improving outcomes for newcomers and others who need it the most. Adverse impacts on employment - the project will create short term jobs through design and construction work. It is anticipated that the infrastructure improvements will create demand for private development which will lead to additional job creation. Displacement of persons, businesses, farms, or non-profit organizations - this project does not require any right-of-way acquisition. Increased traffic congestion, isolation, exclusion, or separation - this project is not anticipated to significantly impact traffic congestion and will not isolate or separate communities through transportation barriers. Denial of, reduction in, significant delay in receipt of benefits of transportation program - the project is in design, has acquired the right-of-way it needs, and can be implemented within three years or less; funding this project will expedite benefits of the regional transportation program.
Impacts on Natural and Cultural Resources
This project creates no negative impacts to natural and/or cultural resources. While the 100-year flood zone is within ¼ mile of the proposed project, the project itself is not located in the flood plain. The flood plain area is largely developed with commercial/industrial and utility uses. The proposed project is not anticipated to adversely impact flooding. There is one wetland within ¼ mile of the project running along Westpark Tollway. This wetland is approximately 775 feet away from the project alignment and will not be impacted. Another wetland runs adjacent to Harwin Drive from Osage Street to the eastern project limit. This wetland is a concrete lined ditch separated from the roadway by an existing sidewalk, grassy area, and fence. Project work is not anticipated to fill or dredge any wetland areas and adverse impacts are not expected. There are no historic resources within ¼ mile of the proposed project. Almost ¼ mile northeast of the proposed project is an area designated as “Surface Survey of Mounds Only; No Deep Reconnaissance Recommended” on the Texas Department of Transportation Potential Archeological Liability Map; project work will not extend to this area. The entire project alignment is in an area designated as “No Survey Needed.” No adverse impacts are anticipated.
H-GAC to calculate
Innovation
Yes
The project is utilizing the current state of transportation practice through its design objectives of improving safety, multimodal access, and making the best use of limited public right-of-way by removing a vehicular travel lane and providing a safer three-lane configuration alternative. The project is also utilizing innovation through the decision to proactively acquire right-of-way for project detention to provide benefits over and above what is required and to deliver the project in a manner which is more cost effective than providing underground inline detention.
No