Transportation Project Questionnaire

Major Projects Questionnaire

Project Information

Agency Name	TxDOT Houston District
Project Title	IH 45 NHHIP, Segment 1B
Facility/Street/Highway	IH 45 N
Limits	From Airline Dr to South of Shepherd Dr
Description	RECONSTRUCT MAIN LNS, CONSTRUCT 4 MANAGED LNS, AND RECONSTRUCT AND WIDEN FROM TWO 2-LN FRONTAGE RDS TO TWO 3-LN FRONTAGE RDS (NHHIP SEG 1B)
Timeframe	Long Term (More than 10 Years)
Estimated Cost	$393,500,000.00

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 2045 RTP, this project falls under H-GAC’s Manage, Maintain, and Expand strategies, which collectively directly support 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 additional capacity to the roadway and reduce primary and secondary crashes caused by congestion. [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. [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, 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.

1.187

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.

3.562

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 1.187, lower than the regional average (1.23), and the serious injury rate is 3.562, 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. The addition of bicycle infrastructure and 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. The consolidated crash reduction factor for this project is 93%, as a result of providing additional travel lanes (WC 517) and providing bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure (WC 407).

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 #22, 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 RECONSTRUCT MAIN LNS, CONSTRUCT 4 MANAGED LNS, AND RECONSTRUCT AND WIDEN FROM TWO 2-LN FRONTAGE RDS TO TWO 3-LN FRONTAGE RDS (NHHIP SEG 1B) to address traffic congestion and air quality. The segment will be brought up to TxDOT and FHWA safety design standards. The managed lanes will be elevated (WC 514) and barrier separated (WC 201) in a few places. Sidewalks (WC 407) will be re/constructed on the frontage roads.

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.

10,053

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

Yes

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 improve mobility in the region by constructing managed lanes and improve access to businesses by widening frontage roads. There are several medical facilities along this project, North Houston Medical Plaza and Houston Pediatric Clinic. Activity centers include Houston Community College - Acres Homes Campus, Northline Campus, and their Automotive Technology Training Center Campus which prepares people for jobs. The Mickey Leland Courthouse is nearby this project as well. UPS has a logistics center nearby this project corridor on W Canino Road.

State of Good Repair

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

65 years

2. What is the existing condition of the facility.

Poor

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

Segments of the project have 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 1959 and last rehabilitated in 1980. It is rated as being in Fair condition overall, with a superstructure condition score of 6, substructure condition score of 6, and a deck condition score of 5. 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 the frontage roads. 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.

33,486

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.

29,120

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.

9,542

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.

2,868

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.

1,557

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.

6,209

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.

72.30

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 (30.91%) as compared to the regional average of 13.5%. The area surrounding the project segment has a higher minority population (94.33%) 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. IH 45 is an evacuation route. 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 high criticality for accessing key facilities. The project will improve drainage to ATLAS-14 standards, which reduce flooding events and their impact on vulnerable populations. The facility serves Houston METRO routes 40, 102, 108, 202, 204, 209, 212, 283, and 291. It also serves three Woodlands Transit Park and Rides. 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 72.3 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 higher low-income population (30.91%) as compared to the regional average of 13.5%. The area surrounding the project segment has a higher minority population (94.33%) as compared to the regional average of 65% minority. TxDOT’s NEPA 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. A noise analysis will be conducted on a project such as this to determine if sound walls are needed, if found to be necessary sound walls will be constructed with this project.