Transportation Project Questionnaire

Major Projects Questionnaire

Project Information

Agency Name	TxDOT Houston District
Project Title	SH 146 DC Ramps to Barbours Cut Port Terminal
Facility/Street/Highway	SH 146
Limits	AT BARBOURS CUT BLVD
Description	CONSTRUCT 3 DCs (SB-EB, WB-NB [SH 146], WB-NB [SH 225])
Timeframe	Short Term (0-5 Years)
Estimated Cost	$50,000,000.00

Regional Transportation Plan Goals

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

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.

1.759

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.

5.864

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 1.759, higher than the statewide average (1.23), and the serious injury rate is 5.864, lower than the statewide average, (6.18). Moreover, the construction of ramps will enhance the safe utilization of the facility, minimizing potential conflicts with vehicles and consequently bolstering the overall safety of the segment. The addition of pedestrian 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 consolidated crash reduction factor for this project is 65% as a result of constructing DC ramps (WC 515).

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 1.05, indicating that it takes 1.05 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 reconstruct an interchange (WC 515) at SH 225 and at Barbours Cut Blvd intersections that will improve intersection design and operation, facilitating more efficient traffic flow and reducing congestion caused by intersection-related crashes. Multiple Grade separations (WC 514) over railroads and intersections on Barbours Cut Blvd will be constructed as well. The related auxiliary lanes (WC 521/522) will be added to this project as well. 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.

2,910

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 location connects the many refineries and plants to Port of Houston Barbours Cut Terminal and to the cities of Baytown and La Porte. Many thousands of jobs are along this corridor, most outside 1/4th mile radius (over 8,000 jobs in a 1 mile radius).

State of Good Repair

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

Less than 30 years

2. What is the existing condition of the facility.

Good

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

The pavement on this segment is in Good condition, according to TxDOT and FHWA guidelines. The project segment contains one bridge in Good condition. It was built in 1996. In a reconstruction project like this, 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 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.

1,179

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.

1,279

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.

214

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.

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.

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.

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.

45.00

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 (13.36%) as compared to the regional average of 13.5%. The area surrounding the project segment has a higher minority population (79.84%) 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 rated as having high vulnerability to flooding. SH 146 is an evacuation route. The project will improve drainage to ATLAS-14 standards, which reduce flooding events and their impact on vulnerable populations. The project will increase access to and reliability of transit services for vulnerable populations, who generally rely more on these services.

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 (13.36%) as compared to the regional average of 13.5%. The area surrounding the project segment has a higher minority population (79.84%) 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/interchange improvements to vulnerable populations. A noise analysis will be conducted on a project such as this to determine if sound walls will be needed, if found to be necessary, they will be constructed with this project.