Transportation Project Questionnaire

Major Projects Questionnaire

Project Information

Agency Name	TxDOT Houston District
Project Title	SH 288 Widening
Facility/Street/Highway	SH 288
Limits	From FM 1462 to SH 35
Description	Reconstruct and widen from 4-lanes to 6-lanes. The proposed project will widen to the inside, adding two additional lanes (one in each direction), along with turn lanes at select locations. It will provide drainage for stormwater to accommodate the additional pavement. Frontage roads are not included in this project.
Timeframe	Medium Term (6-10 Years)
Estimated Cost	$351,100,000.00

Regional Transportation Plan Goals

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

The project consists of reconstructing and widening SH 288 from 4-lanes to 6-lanes from FM 1462 to SH 35 in a critical and high growth area in Brazoria County. The proposed project helps connect two urbanized areas and is a critical evacuation route for the southern region and coastal areas. The proposed project will widen to the inside, adding two additional lanes (one in each direction), along with turn lanes at select locations to accommodate future growth in the area. 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 (from 4 to 6 lanes) 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 for current and new subdivisions and retail areas to be built in the vicinity of SH 288, deemed a critical and high growth area in Brazoria County. [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. This section of SH 288 connects the Port of Freeport to all points west. New, and continuing to emerge, subdivisions and retail areas built along the vicinity of SH 288 between Pearland and Lake Jackson will also be served and connected. This new land uses are generating new traffic and necessitating added capacity. [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.

0.929

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.

3.406

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 reported per 100 million VMT. The fatality rate is 0.929, lower than the regional average (1.23), and the serious injury rate is 3.406, 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. Drainage improvements will reduce potential flooding and subsequent weather-related crashes. The inclusion of turn lanes protects turning drivers and can reduce conflicts from through traffic. The consolidated crash reduction factor for this project is 103%, as a result of providing additional travel lanes (WC 517), adding turn lanes (WC 519/521), and improving drainage conditions (WC 209). The additional lane would mitigate current unsafe behaviors including following too closely and changing lanes when unsafe, among others, hence reducing primary and secondary crashes. Additionally, it would allow for a safe passing lane for drivers to change lanes, when one of the lanes is impeded due to traffic, crashes, stalled vehicles, or routine maintenance. Frontage roads will be constructed in some segments of the project according to the current ultimate schematic.

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.

Current TTI for the project area is 1.00, indicating that it takes 1.00 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 proposes to add capacity to meet demand from numerous new subdivisions and retail areas being built along the vicinity of SH 288. Adding capacity will help relieve congestion on the facility by reducing the vehicle to capacity ratio. Further, it will allow more room for safe maneuvering around traffic, avoiding crashes on the segment, and reducing congestion caused by crashes. This project includes adding left turn lanes, which remove turning vehicles from the flow of traffic and reduce slowdowns and congestion. They also have the potential to reduce rear end crashes as well as a variety of other left turn conflicts, further reducing congestion caused by resulting crashes. The additional capacity will also relieve congestion due to frequent extended partial-lane closures (only 1 through lane) due to routine maintenance to maintain the facility in state of good repair, resulting in heavy congestion for the segment. Overall, 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.

689

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.

SH 288 provides access to a cluster of seven (7) medical facilities along SH 288 in Pearland, known as the Brazoria County's Medical Center. Besides providing critical health services, this cluster is also a main employment center for the county. In addition, there are a growing number of life science companies, currently at least nine (9) for which SH 288 provides employment access for commuters for people living in Rosharon, Angleton, Lake Jackson, Brazoria, Richwood, and Freeport communities among others. This project also provides connectivity to the new Town Center Commercial 273-acre retail development in Manvel, as well as other commercial activity, education, and recreation destinations that are included in the new developments along SH 288 and are publicly available. This project is still considered rural and residential however it also serves by providing improved connectivity to the region by connecting Downtown Angleton to Houston and Lake Jackson. The project could also have suburban developments that could easily mirror Pearland or Manvel to the north of this corridor in the near future as residential subdivisions are currently under development along this project, e.g., Pradera Oaks subdivision where hundreds of homes are being built. The MSR Houston race track in proximity to the project, drawing spectators for events and providing jobs for the region. This corridor is also a major freight corridor for the Port of Freeport that supports 15,000 local jobs and 150,651 jobs in the State of Texas. In 2019, Port Freeport generated $149B in economic activity for the State of Texas per TTI.

State of Good Repair

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

38 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 section is in Poor condition, according to TxDOT and FHWA guidelines. The project segment contains 2 bridges in Fair condition. The worst bridge on this project segment was built in 1986. It is rated as being in Fair condition overall, with a superstructure condition score of 5, substructure condition score of 7, 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.

This project proposes to build main lanes, with the minimal enhancements to existing frontage roads and future opportunities to design continuous frontage roads. No sidewalks nor shared-used side paths improvements will be completed as part of this project, however it is TxDOT’s policy to balance out roadway projects and promote bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure improvements in the region where appropriate. TxDOT is committed to working with partners to enhance bike and pedestrian connectivity for cross streets, improving overall connectivity including improved connectivity between trails and recreation facilities in the project’s vicinity.

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.

8404

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.

14623

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.

1421

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.

1966

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.

1417

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.

1582

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.

30.40

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 (6.32%) as compared to the regional average of 13.5%. The area surrounding the project segment has a higher minority population (65.08%) as compared to the regional average of 65% minority. However, this area is projected to experience significant growth soon which could bring change to these numbers. 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. This segment also provides an evacuation route to minority, zero vehicle households, female head of household, and elderly populations south of the project and close to the coast. SH 288 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 rated as having high vulnerability to storm surge and moderate vulnerability to flooding. The project will improve drainage to ATLAS-14 standards, which reduce flooding events and their impact on vulnerable populations. The enhanced drainage system resulting from the reconstruction will improve regional resilience by reducing the risk of flooding on this critical freeway link. All current projects are being designed to meet and/or exceed ATLAS-14 drainage standards. This project is on a state’s hurricane evacuation route. As a result of the improvement, vulnerable populations will have increased resilience and evacuation capacity in the event of hazards.

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 (6.32%) as compared to the regional average of 13.5%. The area surrounding the project segment has a higher minority population (65.08%) 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. Any sound walls that are identified prior or during the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process will be constructed on this project, otherwise currently the corridor is mostly in a rural area and vacant land uses with a few residential developments emerging along the current segment. In addition, the project will improve drainage to ATLAS-14 standards, which will mitigate impacts from added capacity to vulnerable populations.