Transportation Project Questionnaire

Major Projects Questionnaire

Project Information

Agency Name	TxDOT Houston District
Project Title	Hempstead Road DCs at IH 610 W
Facility/Street/Highway	Hempstead Road
Limits	From W of Mangum/18th St to S of Old Katy Rd on IH 610 W
Description	CONSTRUCT INTERCHANGE WITH MANAGED LANES AND 2 DIRECT CONNECTORS (EB - SB, WB - NB)
Timeframe	Medium Term (6-10 Years)
Estimated Cost	$352,140,000.00

Regional Transportation Plan Goals

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

This project will improve intersection design and operation by reducing points of conflict at the intersection. According to the 2045 RTP, this project falls under H-GAC’s Manage strategy, which directly supports all five of H-GAC’s goals of improving safety, achieving/maintaining a state of good repair, moving people and goods efficiently, strengthening regional economic competitiveness, and protecting cultural and natural resources. [1] Improve Safety: This project will provide improvements that reduce intersection-related crashes, improving the safety of the facility. [2] Achieve & Maintain State of Good Repair: This project will involve improvements to the roadway to being the facility to bring the condition into an improved state of repair. This project will reduce stop and go traffic, reducing wear and tear and extending the service life of the facility. Further, by separating the roadway and diverting vehicles, there will be a reduction in traffic on the existing roadway, extending the service life of the facility. [3] Move People and Goods Reliably and Efficiently: This project will reduce intersection-related congestion and crashes, increasing the reliability of the facility. [4] Strengthen Regional Economic Competitiveness: This project will reduce intersection-related congestion and crashes, increasing 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:

Principal Arterial or Higher Functional Class

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.

2.949

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.

50.138

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 2.949, higher than the regional average (1.23), and the serious injury rate is 50.138, higher than the regional average (6.18). The construction of the roadway will provide additional capacity to the roadway and reduce primary and secondary crashes caused by congestion. Managed lanes are vital for reducing congestion and offering drivers more reliable timeframes for getting to their destinations, adjusting lane strategies as needed to maximize roadway efficiency, and improving traffic flow on both the managed and general-purpose lanes. The addition of pedestrian infrastructure will allow cyclists and pedestrians to safely use the facility and reduce points of conflict with vehicles, thus improving the overall safety of the segment. This project will improve interchange design and operation, reducing intersection-related crashes. The consolidated crash reduction factor for this project is 130%, as a result of installing sidewalks (WC 407), and constructing an interchange (WC 515).

Potential Congestion Reductions

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

Yes

1a. If yes, please provide link to the list.

Rank #6, https://www.txdot.gov/apps/statewide_mapping/StatewidePlanningMap.html (Top 100 Layer)

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 construct an interchange (WC 515) that will improve intersection design and operation, facilitating more efficient traffic flow and reducing congestion caused by intersection-related crashes. The segment will be brought up to TxDOT and FHWA safety design standards. Transportation Alternatives could be provided as well in the form of sidewalks on the Hempstead Frontage Roads (WC 407).

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.

7,033

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?

Yes

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

This project will connect the Hempstead Road corridor directly to IH 610 W and IH 10 W. HISD offices are location nearby this corridor that provides hundreds if not thousands of jobs. There may also be a high speed train station built on the old Northwest Mall location, connecting to Bryan/College Station and Dallas/Fort Worth jobs.

State of Good Repair

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

19 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.

No HPMS condition data is currently available for this project. However, 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. The project segment contains one bridge in Fair condition. It was built in 2005. It is rated as being in Fair condition overall, with a superstructure condition score of 7, substructure condition score of 7, and a deck condition score of 6. The project includes reconstruction of the roadway which will lead to an improvement in the state of good repair and extend 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 may be constructed on new frontage roads as ROW allows. 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.

8,417

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.

11,341

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.

1,589

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.

973

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.

756

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.

1,544

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.

37.00

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 lower low-income population (11%) as compared to the regional average of 13.5%. The area surrounding the project segment has a lower minority population (55.35%) 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. The facility serves Houston METRO routes 26, 58, 66, 71, 86, 89, 214, 216, 217, and 219, as well as the Northwest Transit Center. The project will increase access to and reliability of transit services for vulnerable populations, who generally rely more on these services. The region in which this project sits is scored 37 out of 100, according to the H-GAC Livable Centers Index. The improvement will improve the area’s Livable Index score by contributing to creating an area easily accessible by multimodal transportation opportunities.

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 lower low-income population (11%) as compared to the regional average of 13.5%. The area surrounding the project segment has a lower minority population (55.35%) 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.

Hurricane Evacuation Route

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

1a. If no, is the proposed project located on a facility that functions as an alternative to an evacuation route?

Yes

1a-i. If yes, explain.

Hempstead Corridor Road area connects to BW8 and runs parallel to US 290, both of which are identified as evacuation routes. In addition, this segment includes a portion of IH 610 W, which connects to IH 10 W and is identified as an evacuation route.