Transportation Project Questionnaire

Major Projects Questionnaire

Project Information

Agency Name	TxDOT Houston District
Project Title	SH 249 Widening
Facility/Street/Highway	SH 249
Limits	From BW 8 to IH 45
Description	Reconstruct and widen from 6 to 8 lanes. Remove existing flush median, replace with raised median to increase safety, provide bike and ped accommodation, interconnect signals, provide for METRO boost bus stops and improve drainage to reduce flooding.
Timeframe	Medium Term (6-10 Years)
Estimated Cost	$150,000,000.00

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 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 add capacity to 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 that meets or exceeds ATLAS 14 standards (Detention Ponds are being considered on this project), 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.

3.852

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.

7.33

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 3.852, lower than the regional average (1.23), and the serious injury rate is 7.33, lower than the regional average (6.18). The reconstruction and widening of the roadway will provide additional capacity to the roadway and reduce primary and secondary crashes caused by congestion. This project will also improve intersection design and operation, including cyclist and pedestrian infrastructure, to reduce intersection-related crashes. 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. Drainage improvements will reduce potential flooding and subsequent weather-related crashes. The consolidated crash reduction factor for this project is 168%, as a result of the inclusion of medians(WC 203), installing sidewalks (WC 407), drainage improvements (WC 209), and providing additional travel lanes(WC 517). This project will also provide for METRO Boost corridor bus stops related improvements.

Potential Congestion Reductions

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

No

1b. If no, please provide the existing peak period travel time index (TTI) of the facility where proposed project is located.

1.25 – 1.50

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 1.34, indicating that it takes 1.34 times as long to travel this corridor in the peak period than average, which is moderately 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 (WC 517) 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 raised medians (WC 203). 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. An improved bridge (WC 218) will be built over Halls Bayou on the eastern segment of this project corridor.

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.

10,342

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 location will improve connectivity to jobs, at the north end of this project limit there is a Beltway Lakes Business Park that provides jobs. There are also warehouses and distribution centers nearby this corridor in the Beltway Crossing Business Park. The majority of the corridor is retail or commercial, providing thousands of jobs. There is also a METRO Park & Ride lot (Seton Lake) nearby this project corridor that will benefit from this project (BOOST Corridor improvements) that connects nearby residents to jobs out in further areas of the region. A Klein ISD Tom Ricker South Transportation Center which provides jobs is located on SH 249, these buses help students get to school. There is an Aldine ISD Bamberg Professional Development and Resource Center nearby this project corridor that helps people find work.

State of Good Repair

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

35 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.

No HPMS condition data is currently available for this project, but the improvement will include bringing all pavement to Good condition, according to TxDOT and FHWA standards. This segment contains a bridge in Good condition according to FHWA guidelines. It was built in 1989. It has a superstructure condition score of 7, substructure condition score of 7, 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. The bridge will be improved over Halls Bayou.

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.

10 Ft Shared Use Paths are being constructed on both sides of the entire length of this project. 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.

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.

30,190

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.

48,997

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.

12,841

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.

5,094

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.

1,903

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.

10,413

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.

61.00

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 higher low-income population (21.61%) as compared to the regional average of 13.5%. The area surrounding the project segment has a higher minority population (94.74%) 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. The project will improve drainage to ATLAS-14 standards, which reduce flooding events and their impact on vulnerable populations. The facility the project sits on serves Houston METRO routes 30, 44, 45, 64, 85, and 212. 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 61 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 (21.61%) as compared to the regional average of 13.5%. The area surrounding the project segment has a higher minority population (94.74%) 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. Sound Walls are being considered and potential locations are shown and will be constructed per the current schematic.

Hurricane Evacuation Route

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

No

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.

SH 249 connects directly to BW 8 and IH 45 N which are both identified as evacuation routes.

Additional Documents

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