Transportation Project Questionnaire

Major Projects Questionnaire

Project Information

Agency Name	TxDOT Houston District
Project Title	SH 6 Resiliency at Addicks Reservoir
Facility/Street/Highway	SH 6
Limits	From IH 10 W to Clay Road
Description	Raise roadway to eliminate flooding from Addicks Reservoir.
Timeframe	Long Term (More than 10 Years)
Estimated Cost	$250,000,000.00

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 and Maintain strategies, which 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 reduce flooding that is a hazard on the roadway and reduce weather-related crashes. [2] Achieve & Maintain State of Good Repair: This project will prevent flood damage to the facility, extending the state of good repair of the facility. [3] Move People and Goods Reliably and Efficiently: This project will reduce weather-related congestion and resulting crashes, increasing the reliability of the facility. [4] Strengthen Regional Economic Competitiveness: This project will reduce weather-related 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 reduce emissions caused by weather-related 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.

4.271

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.

9.763

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 4.271, higher than the statewide average (1.23), and the serious injury rate is 9.763, higher than the statewide average, (6.18). This project is designed to elevate the roadway, effectively reducing the risk of flooding and subsequent weather-related crashes. The widening, expanding from 6 to 8 lanes, coupled with the elevation of the roadway to mitigate flooding from Addicks Reservoir, aims to enhance safety by reducing primary and secondary crashes caused by adverse weather conditions or congestion. Adding shoulders to the facility may reduce head-on, sideswipe, and pedestrian crashes, among others. Shoulders will allow vehicles to move off the roadway after collisions, reducing further crashes caused by congestion. The addition of bicycle infrastructure will allow cyclists 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 118%, as a result of installing shared-use shoulders (WC 504), installing sidewalks (WC 407) and providing additional travel lanes (WC 517).

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.

1.0 – 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 1.13, indicating that it takes 1.13 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 facility will be reconstructed and raised out of the floodplain of the reservoir, this will contribute to an improved traffic operation. 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.

7,433

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

No

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 improves resiliency by raising the bridge higher than the reservoir and relieves congestion by adding capacity. This project connects the Energy Corridor (Activity Center and many jobs) to residential neighborhoods to the north. The MD Anderson Cancer Center West Houston is nearby this project. There is a Harris County Public Health Bear Creek WIC office next to this project corridor too.

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.

This segment contains pavement in Good condition according to TxDOT and FHWA guidelines. This facility will be reconstructed and raised out of the floodplain of the reservoir, which will contribute to a state of good repair and improve 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.

Shared Use Shoulders could be constructed on this new bridge over the reservoir as possible. Wide shoulders will provide room for cyclists and pedestrians to utilize the facility and maintain a safe distance from vehicle traffic.

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.

7,492

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.

12,485

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.

3,382

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.

1,030

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.

525

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.

1,573

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.

37.60

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 (20.52%) as compared to the regional average of 13.5%. The area surrounding the project segment has a higher minority population (75.75%) 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 and is ranked as moderate criticality for accessing key facilities. 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 higher low-income population (20.52%) as compared to the regional average of 13.5%. The area surrounding the project segment has a higher minority population (75.75%) 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.

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 6 connects directly to IH 10 W which is identified as an evacuation route.

Additional Documents