Transportation Project Questionnaire

Major Projects Questionnaire

Project Information

Agency Name	TxDOT Houston District
Project Title	US 290 Widening
Facility/Street/Highway	US 290
Limits	From SH 6 to Harris County Line
Description	Reconstruct and wide from 4 to 6 lanes. This project will widen the existing highway to the middle adding a third lane in each direction.
Timeframe	Short Term (0-5 Years)
Estimated Cost	$133,790,000.00

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 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 will meet or exceed ATLAS-14 standards, 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.

0.612

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.

2.937

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 0.612, lower than the regional average (1.23), and the serious injury rate is 2.937, lower than the regional average (6.18). The reconstruction and widening of the roadway from an existing four-lane to a six-lane freeway will provide additional capacity to the roadway and reduce primary and secondary crashes caused by congestion. The widening 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. The consolidated crash reduction factor for this project is 28% as a result of 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?

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 1.01, indicating that it takes 1.01 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 and widen from 4 to 6 lanes. This project will widen the existing highway to the middle adding a third lane in each direction. Frontage roads with sidewalks could be added to the project as well but that discussion is still on-going. 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.

715

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 provides connectivity to Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View (right outside of the 1/4 mile buffer) and other cities along the corridor (Hempstead and Waller). There is also a RCR Hempstead Rail Logistics Park under developement near this project as well. Many use this corridor to travel to Bryan/College Station from Houston (especially on gameday saturdays). Downtown Hempstead (another activity center) is right outside the 1/4 mile buffer on this corridor as well.

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.

Poor

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

Segments of the project have pavement in Poor condition, according to FHWA guidelines. This segment contains bridges in Fair condition, according to FHWA guidelines. The worst bridge on this project segment was built in 1996. It is rated as being in fair condition overall, with a superstructure condition score of 7, substructure condition score of 5, and a deck condition score of 6. 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 ultimate plan for this corridor is to replace all overhead bridges above US 290 and flip them to under US 290, creating new bridges and increasing the state of good repair to brand new.

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.

Widening will be done in the median, no frontage roads (sidewalks/shared use paths) will be involved on this particular project ID but the ultimate schematic for this corridor will have frontage roads and sidewalks. 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.

6,587

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.

9,951

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.

3,070

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.

897

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.

616

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.

424

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.

38.90

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 (20.57%) as compared to the regional average of 13.5%. The area surrounding the project segment has a higher minority population (66.68%) as compared to the regional average of 65% minority. Because of its location in the regional network, the project will produce improvements in mobility and connectivity for vulnerable populations as well as connectivity to schools (Prairie View A&M University for example), medical facilities, and social services for the regional population. The facility is designated as a hurricane evacuation route. 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 could reduce flooding events and their impact on vulnerable populations. 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 higher low-income population (20.57%) as compared to the regional average of 13.5%. The area surrounding the project segment has a higher minority population (66.68%) 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. A noise analysis will be conducted as part of the NEPA process on this widening to see whether certain areas of the corridor will need sound walls or not as well.