Transportation Project Questionnaire

Operational Improvements and Congestion Management Questionnaire

Project Information

Agency Name	TxDOT Houston District
Project Title	SH 96 Widening and Grade separation at SH 3
Facility/Street/Highway	SH 96
Limits	From IH 45 S to Hometown Heroes Dr/ Tuscan Village Dr
Description	Widen the freeway from 4 to 6 lanes and provide a grade separation at SH 3 to relieve congestion.
Timeframe	Long Term (More than 10 Years)
Estimated Cost	$50,000,000.00

Investment Category-Focused Criteria

1. Is the project located on a facility listed on Texas 100 most congested roads list?

1b. If no, please provide the existing peak period travel time index (TTI) of the facility where proposed project is located.

1.0 – 1.25

1b-i. Provide a narrative describing the existing congestion where proposed project is located and describe narrative to explain methodology to calculate existing TTI.

Travel Time Index (TTI) is a ratio that compares peak period travel times along a corridor to average travel times, thus estimating a relative level of rush hour congestion. Current TTI for the project area is 1.20, indicating that it takes 1.20 times as long to travel this corridor in the peak period than average, which is mildly congested.

2. What is the estimated TTI after project is implemented?

1.0 – 1.25

2a. Provide a narrative describing the existing congestion where proposed project is located. Within the narrative explain the methodology and data used to calculate existing Travel Time Index (TTI).

3. Please provide a narrative to describe congestion management strategies and improvements (work types) proposed to reduce congestion on facility where the proposed project is located.

The project includes the following Congestion Management Strategies: Added Capacity and Grade Separation. Adding capacity will relieve congestion on the facility by allowing for a reduced vehicle to capacity ratio and will allow more room for traffic to avoid crashes on the segment, reducing congestion caused by crashes. Creating a grade separation will allow for continuous flow of traffic. Further, it will reduce points of conflict, reducing congestion caused by those crashes.

4. Is the proposed project located on a facility identified as a hurricane evacuation route in any regional or local plans?

4a. If no, is the proposed project located on a facility that functions as an alternative to an evacuation route?

Yes

4a-i. If yes, explain.

SH 96 connects directly to IH 45 S which is identified as an evacuation route.

Other Investment Category Focused Criteria

1. Was the project scored under Regional Goods Movement Category?

1a. If no, please provide a narrative explaining how the proposed project improves regional goods movement. Within the narrative, please include if the proposed project is designated as a critical freight corridor or a local/regional/state truck route.

The project is not located on a Critical Urban Freight Corridor. The project is located on the TxDOT Freight Network. The project improves regional goods movement by adding capacity which will relieve congestion, as well as grade separation which will allow for continuous flow of traffic and reduction in conflict points.

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 located in a high growth area. The population is projected to grow by 16.0% and jobs are projected to increase by 16.5%. Some residential land use changes announced or modeled.

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.

Sidewalks already exist in some areas of this project but sidewalks or shared use paths will most likely be built on one side or both sides of this project. Shared use paths provide a low-stress experience for active transportation users, increasing user safety and health while improving regional connectivity. The addition of sidewalks will create transportation alternatives and allow pedestrians greater access to services and improve quality of life.

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

ConnectTransit: Victory Lakes Park & Ride uses the main lanes on IH 45 S but there is no transit service provided on this project facility.

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 widen lanes to allow more space to move disabled vehicles and to better maintain flow on the facility after 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.

Pavement Score: Poor Worst bridge score: Fair This segment contains pavement in Poor condition, according to TxDOT and FHWA guidelines. This segment contains bridges in Fair condition, according to FHWA guidelines. The worst bridge on this project segment was built in 2002. It is rated as being in Fair condition overall, with a superstructure condition score of 6, substructure condition score of 7, and a deck condition score of 7. In a widening/reconstruction project like this project, pavement is removed and new pavement is constructed, thus increasing the state of good repair and extending 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.

1.662

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.

5.819

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.

Crash rates for this segment are per 100 million VMT. The fatality rate is 1.662, higher than the regional average (1.23), and the serious injury rate is 5.819, lower than the regional average (6.18). The widening of the roadway will provide additional capacity to the roadway and reduce primary and secondary crashes caused by congestion. Creating a grade separation will reduce points of conflict between vehicles, improving the overall safety of the segment. Furthermore, allowing traffic to flow without stopping will reduce primary and secondary crashes caused by congestion. The addition of pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure will allow cyclists to safely use the facility and reduce points of conflicts with vehicles, thus improving the overall safety of the segment. The consolidated crash reduction factor is 173% for adding through lanes (WC 517), grade separation (514), and adding pedestrian infrastructure (WC 407).

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.

Low

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.

Medium

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.

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

3,323

1b. Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Minorities

8,264

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

3,323

1b. Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Minorities

8,264

1c. Household Population Under Poverty

555

1d. Disabled Persons

1,022

1e. Elderly Persons

792

1f. Limited English Proficiency

469

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.

7.40

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.

The area surrounding the project segment has a lower low-income population (2.96%) as compared to the regional average of 13.5%. The area surrounding the project segment has a lower minority population (44.14%) as compared to the regional average of 65% minority. Because of its central location in the regional network, the project will produce improvements in mobility and connectivity for vulnerable populations as well as connectivity to schools, medical facilities, and social services for the regional population. As a result of the improvement, vulnerable populations will have increased resilience and evacuation capacity in the event of hazards. According to HGAC’s Regional Resilience Tool, the project segment sits on a facility that is ranked as moderate criticality for accessing key facilities.

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.

The area surrounding the project segment has a lower low-income population (2.96%) as compared to the regional average of 13.5%. The area surrounding the project segment has a lower minority population (44.14%) as compared to the regional average of 65% minority. TxDOT’s Environmental Process is designed to ensure compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Executive Order on Environmental Justice. Standard practice is to implement projects that provide user safety and operational efficiency while taking into account environmental quality and impacts to surrounding communities. In practice this means identifying and assessing potential project impacts, then proposing measures to avoid, minimize and/or mitigate disproportionately high and adverse effects to Environmental Justice Populations. For example, the project will improve drainage to ATLAS-14 standards, which will mitigate impacts from added capacity to vulnerable populations.

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.

This project is in conceptual development. If required, the appropriate Environmental Document (Categorical Exclusion, Environmental Assessment, or Environmental Impact Statement) will be conducted to identify, avoid, and mitigate potential impacts to the natural or human environment.

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.
(Optional)

NOx: -0.3 ; VOC: -1.19

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.

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)

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

Yes

2a. If yes, please explain.