Transportation Project Questionnaire

Major Projects Questionnaire

Project Information

Agency Name	TxDOT Houston District
Project Title	IH 610 S Reconstruction and Widening
Facility/Street/Highway	IH 610 S
Limits	From SH 35 (SS 5 /Mykawa) to FM 521
Description	RECONSTRUCT AND WIDEN FROM 8 TO 12 LANE (ADD 4 MANAGED LANES)
Timeframe	Medium Term (6-10 Years)
Estimated Cost	$180,100,000.00

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 meets all of the goals established in HGAC's RTP. This project type falls under the Expand strategy because it provides additional capacity to the roadway, which will reduce primary and secondary crashes caused by congestion. The project falls under the Expand strategy as well and directly supports two of H-GAC’s goals including moving people and goods efficiently and strengthening regional economic competitiveness. In addition, the project will improve safety, enhance state of good repair, while simultaneously 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.

0.452

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.

4.896

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 0.452, lower than the regional average (1.23), and the serious injury rate is 4.896, lower than the regional average (6.18). The reconstruction and widening of the roadway from an existing eight-lane to a twelve-lane roadway will provide additional capacity to the roadway and reduce primary and secondary crashes caused by congestion. The consolidated crash reduction factor for this project is 93%, as a result of installing sidewalks, and providing additional travel lanes. The existing I-610S mainlanes have maximum vertical grades exceeding 4% and several ramps in the corridor are steep with grades exceeding 6%. The proposed design would improve the vertical alignment (Work Code 505) to meet 3% maximum grades for the mainlanes and longer ramps with less steep grades for safer entry and exit to/from the freeway. This improvement would provide a crash reduction factor (CRF) of 50%. Intersection crash rates were calculated for the period from 2018 to 2022. The analysis was based on crashes occurring within 250-ft of the intersection and the amount of traffic entering the intersection. There are 7 high crash intersections with crash rates ranging from 1 to 2.9 crashes per million entering vehicles (MEV). Intersections with a high number of fatal and serious injury crashes include: Scott St. (10), Martin Luther King Blvd. (6), Cullen Blvd. (4), Crestmont St. (4). As part of reconstruction of I-610S, specific improvements that would be considered to improve safety at these intersections include construction of turnarounds (Work Code 510), which has a 40% crash reduction factor (CRF); addition of right and left turn lanes (Work Codes 519 and 521), which have 25% CRFs; and lengthening of existing left turn lanes (Work Code 520), which has a 40% CRF. The corridor also has discontinuous sidewalks. The project would install new sidewalks (Work Code 407) at these locations, providing a CRF of 65%, and upgrade existing sidewalks to meet ADA and accommodate bicyclists as well as pedestrians.

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 #37 and #23, 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.

Based on the Estimated Delay Reductions Table, addition of managed lanes would provide an estimated delay reduction of 22%. As part of the overall improvements, ramps would also be reconfigured to improve operations, providing an estimated delay reduction of 10%. 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.

9,986

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.

The Project will improve mobility and access to the Texas Medical Center (FM 521/Almeda Road connection) and the project is nearby the NRG Stadium area (activity center) as well as numerous other businesses and medical services.

State of Good Repair

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

60 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.

The worst pavement on this facility is in Poor condition according to TxDOT and FHWA guidelines. 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. The segment contains many bridges in Fair condition, with a condition score of 5 or 6. The worst bridge on this project segment was built in 1964 and last rehabilitated in 2009. It is rated as being in Poor condition overall, with a superstructure condition score of 6, substructure condition score of 4, 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 exist already in some areas of the IH 610 S. Sidewalks could be constructed along frontage roads in other areas. IH 610 Schematic & ENV (S&E) Study could recommend more. 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. The existing sidewalks in the corridor do not meet ADA requirements, are discontinuous, and there is a lack of bicycle facilities. As part of reconstruction of the facility, shared use paths would be provided along the frontage roads to accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists. Frontage road intersections would be designed to be bike/ped friendly and provide connectivity from one side of the freeway to the other.

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.

21,808

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.

31,800

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.

10,356

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.

2,876

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.

1,610

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.

3,124

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.

68.50

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 (30.47%) as compared to the regional average of 13.5%. The area surrounding the project segment has a higher minority population (93.57%) 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. According to HGAC’s Regional Resilience Tool, the project segment sits on a facility that is ranked as high criticality for accessing key facilities. 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 87, 297, and 360. 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 68.5 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 (30.47%) as compared to the regional average of 13.5%. The area surrounding the project segment has a higher minority population (93.57%) 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.