Transportation Project Questionnaire

Major Projects Questionnaire

Project Information

Agency Name	TxDOT Houston District
Project Title	FM 529 Widening
Facility/Street/Highway	FM 529
Limits	From Katy Hockley Cutoff to SH 99
Description	Widen from 2-lanes to 6-lanes divided. The proposed improvements will include an urban roadway section with 6-travel lanes, 3 in each direction, with curb and gutter. The roadway would include an 18-foot median with openings and 10-foot shared-use paths for cyclists and pedestrians. The proposed new right-of-way width would be 150 feet, which is 30 feet wider than the existing right-of-way.
Timeframe	Short Term (0-5 Years)
Estimated Cost	$53,000,000.00

Regional Transportation Plan Goals

1. Please provide narrative describing how the proposed project supports all goals established in the Regional Transportation Plan (2045 RTP).

According to the H-GAC 2045 MTP, this project type falls under the Expand strategy. Because it will provide additional capacity to the roadway and reduce primary and secondary crashes caused by congestion. Projects falling under the Expand strategy directly support two of H-GAC’s goals: moving people and goods efficiently and strengthening regional economic competitiveness. Expand projects also indirectly advance H-GAC’s goals of improving safety, achieving a state of good repair, and protecting cultural and natural resources. [1] Improve Safety: This project will provide additional capacity to the roadway and reduce primary and secondary crashes caused by congestion. Improved active transportation infrastructure will allow pedestrians to safely use the facility and reduce points of conflicts with vehicles, thus improving the overall safety of the segment. The inclusion of medians reduces the quantity and severity of crashes at intersections and provides refuge to crossing pedestrians. As an access management strategy in corridors, medians reduce mid-block left turn related crashes. They enhance traffic flow and can be used as part of a traffic calming strategy to reduce speed. [2] Achieve & Maintain State of Good Repair: In a widening/reconstruction project, old pavement is removed and new pavement is constructed, thus increasing the state of good repair. This project will allow alternative modes of transportation to vehicle traffic, reducing wear and tear on nearby facilities. [3] Move People and Goods Reliably and Efficiently: This project will reduce congestion and reduce resulting crashes, increasing the reliability of the facility. [4] Strengthen Regional Economic Competitiveness: This project will reduce congestion and resulting crashes by adding capacity and allowing alternatives to vehicle traffic. This will increase the truck travel time reliability of the facility, boosting regional and economic competitiveness. [5] Conserve and Protect Natural and Cultural Resources: This project will include improved drainage, which will benefit the natural resources abutting the facility. This project will reduce emissions caused by idling and congestion.

Regional Significance

1. Is the project a Roadway Project or a Transit Project?

Roadway

1a. For Roadway projects, this project is located on a facility functionally classified as a:

Major Collector

Potential Crash Reductions

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

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

7.341

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 0, lower than the regional average (1.23), and the serious injury rate is 7.341, higher 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. The addition of the bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure will allow cyclists and pedestrians to use the facility and reduce points of conflict with vehicles, thus improving the overall safety of the segment. The roadway project will include the addition of medians and shoulders, the inclusion of medians reduces the quantity and severity of crashes at intersections and provides refuge to crossing pedestrians. As an access management strategy in corridors, medians reduce mid-block left turn-related crashes. They enhance traffic flow and can be used as part of a traffic calming strategy to reduce speed. Adding shoulders to the facility may reduce head-on, sideswipe, and pedestrian crashes, among others. Shoulders will allow vehicles to move off the roadway after collisions, reducing further crashes caused by congestion. The consolidated crash reduction factor for this project is 225%, as a result of installing sidewalks (WC 407), installing a median barrier (WC 201), constructing paved shoulders greater than 5 feet (WC 537), and converting a 2 lane facility to a 4 lane divided roadway (WC 538).

Potential Congestion Reductions

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 1.11, indicating that it takes 1.11 times as long to travel this corridor in the peak period than average, which is mildly congested.

2. Please provide a narrative explaining how the proposed project reduces congestion. Narrative must include specific improvements (work types) included in the project scope.

This project will add capacity. Adding capacity will relieve congestion on the facility by allowing for a reduced vehicle to capacity ratio. Further, it will allow more room for traffic to avoid crashes on the segment, reducing congestion caused by crashes. It will also add medians. As an access management strategy in corridors, medians reduce mid-block left turn related crashes. They enhance traffic flow and reduce the quantity and severity of crashes at intersections and resulting congestion. The segment will be brought up to TxDOT and FHWA safety design standards.

Connectivity to Jobs, Medical Facilities, and Activity Centers

1. Does the proposed project improve or provide new connectivity to jobs within a 1/4 mile buffer of the project location?

Yes

1a. Please provide the number of jobs located within 1/4 mile distance of the project.

2. Does the proposed project improve or provide new connectivity to a medical facility within a 1/4 mile buffer of the project location?

3. Does the proposed project improve or provide new connectivity to an activity center within a 1/4 mile buffer of the project location?

4. Provide narrative describing how proposed project improves or provides new connectivity to jobs, medical facilities, and activity centers.

This project segment is relieving congestion and located in a fast growing residential area with multiple subdivisions (Freeman Ranch, Winward, Elyson, Katy Lakes, and Sunterra to name a few) under construction building thousands of houses. There are new Katy ISD schools (Katy ISD High School #10, David & Terri Youngblood Elementary, and Katy ISD Elementary School #47) being built in the area too that employ hundreds of teachers/staff.

State of Good Repair

1. What is the age of the facility where proposed project is located?

56 years

2. What is the existing condition of the facility.

Fair

3. Please explain how the project improves state of good repair and extends the service life of the facility.

This segment has pavement in Fair condition, according to TxDOT and FHWA guidelines. This segment contains a bridge in Fair condition, according to FHWA guidelines. It was built in 1968. It is rated as being in Fair condition overall, with a superstructure condition score of 7, substructure condition score of 6, 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.

Biking and Walking Conditions

1. 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 new or improve existing bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure on project facility or in the vicinity of the project.

Sidewalks will be built on this project according to the schematic. The addition of sidewalks will create transportation alternatives and allow pedestrians greater access to services and improve quality of life.

Impacts to Vulnerable Populations

1. Please enter the Low-Income household population located within 1/4 buffer of the project location. H-GAC staff can assist in gathering the data.

5,149

2. Please enter the Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Minorities household population located within 1/4 buffer of the project location. H-GAC staff can assist in gathering the data.

17,898

3. Please enter the Household Population Under Poverty located within 1/4 buffer of the project location. H-GAC staff can assist in gathering the data.

3710

4. Please enter the Disabled Persons household population located within 1/4 buffer of the project location. H-GAC staff can assist in gathering the data.

966

5. Please enter the Elderly Persons household population located within 1/4 buffer of the project location. H-GAC staff can assist in gathering the data.

592

6. Please enter the Limited English Proficiency household population located within 1/4 buffer of the project location. H-GAC staff can assist in gathering the data.

1,376

7. What is the average Livable Center Need Index within 1/4 buffer of the project location? H-GAC staff can assist in gathering the data.

17.60

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

The area surrounding the project segment has a higher low-income population (14.22%) as compared to the regional average of 13.5%. The area surrounding the project segment has a higher minority population (68.62%) 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. The project will improve drainage to ATLAS-14 standards, which reduce flooding events and their impact on vulnerable populations. As a result of the improvement, vulnerable populations will have increased resilience and evacuation capacity in the event of hazards.

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

The area surrounding the project segment has a higher low-income population (14.22%) as compared to the regional average of 13.5%. The area surrounding the project segment has a higher minority population (68.62%) 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.