Transportation Project Questionnaire

Major Projects Questionnaire

Project Information

Agency Name	City of Houston
Project Title	Waugh Dr. - Package 2 - 4
Facility/Street/Highway	Waugh Dr.
Limits	From Washington St. on the north through the cloverleaf intersection to Allen Parkway
Description	Project includes replacement of cloverleaf interchange with SPUI at Memorial Dr., Realignment & rebuild of Bat Bridge over Buffalo Bayou, Realignment and rebuild of Allen Parkway bridge, rebuild of roadway from Washington to Allen Parkway including Waugh & S. Heights, drainage improvements & detention, water line improvements, regional trail connectivity, enhancements of Spotts park & remedial landscape enhancements.
Timeframe	Medium Term (6-10 Years)
Estimated Cost	$120,780,000.00

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 Waugh Drive corridor is a key north-south corridor within the inner West Loop area. The corridor connects the Heights neighborhood north of IH-10 to Montrose, providing a key connection between two of the densest active urban centers of Houston. Waugh Drive is one of only three thoroughfares that cross Buffalo Bayou within the five-mile stretch between downtown and IH-610, along with Montrose Boulevard and Shepherd Drive. The corridor connects to and travels through Buffalo Bayou Park and Spotts Park. This project provides an opportunity to transform the corridor to support adjacent development including the AIG American General office complex and the soon to be expanded Buffalo Heights Development. The defining element of the corridor is the Waugh Drive at Memorial Drive cloverleaf interchange. The interchange was constructed in 1955 and is a remnant of the historical Houston Freeway Plan. Cloverleaf interchanges are efficient intersections for connecting two high volume roadways, however they require a substantial amount of land and are not supportive of urban development. Having a not-to-standard, rural freeway interchange in the heart of Houston has created safety, mobility, and quality of life challenges in the area. Traversing the Waugh corridor from Allen Parkway to Washington Avenue as a person walking or bicycling is incredibly challenging; there is latent demand for people making these connections, as the public expressed desire for improvement to the cooridor in the 2017 Houston Bike Plan. In addition, the interchange has a footprint of over 22 acres, much of which is underutilized land with potential to become a more active resource for the community. The transformation of the Waugh Drive interchange, along with improved connections to Buffalo Bayou Park and over Buffalo Bayou, builds on a series of efforts to address these challenges with a solution that is safer for all roadway users, better reflects the context of the surrounding park and land uses, and unlocks potential development opportunities limited by the interchange. Repurposing the right-of-way made available by the rebuild of Waugh is a once in a lifetime opportunity to add almost 16 acres of public park space in the heart of Houston. In addition, coordination between the roadway project and park enhancements allows for cooperation for the required 3.30 acre-feet of detention, planned to be located within Spotts Park. The realignment of the Waugh Drive from Washington Avenue to West Dallas Street to enhance safety, connectivity, and opportunity requires the reconstruction of the full corridor, including six existing vehicular bridges. North of the cloverleaf, Heights Boulevard and Waugh Drive will be rebuilt to improve safety and multimodal access. This includes closing off Feagan Street between Waugh Drive and Heights Boulevard to reduce conflicts at high crash locations on the City’s High Injury Network and make connecting into Spotts Park easier. It also realigns and signalizes the intersection of Waugh Drive at South Heights Boulevard so that Waugh Drive (proposed for conversion from one-way to two-way travel north of South Heights Boulevard) intersects South Heights Boulevard at a right-angle and travel speeds are more appropriate to the area context. These proposed project components present vast improvements to the more than 41,000 motor vehicle, bicycle, pedestrian, and transit rider trips every day along the corridor. Reduced delays and increased people throughput capacity will result in increased economic productivity of land, capital, and labor. A higher-comfort and safer pedestrian and bicyclist experience will improve overall wellbeing and reduce financial burdens for people who travel without a motor vehicle. The improvements will provide opportunities to improve health, safety, and quality of life, which in turn creates a more productive workforce.

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:

Minor Arterial

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.

0.00 per million VMT

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.

0.110 per million VMT

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.

CRIS data from 2018–2022 reveals elevated crash rates on the Project Corridor, including: 5 serious injury crashes, 9 crashes involving a pedestrian, & 2 crashes involving a bicyclist. These elevated crash rates are reflected in the inclusion of the corridor on Houston’s High Injury Network. This section presents the existing safety issues and planned improvements; TxDOT Work Codes (WC) are included. Improving the Waugh Drive at Memorial Drive interchange represents an opportunity to improve safety for all. Immediately north of the bridge over Memorial Drive, a difficult merge of Waugh Drive and South Heights Boulevard creates high-speed conflicts between drivers. Additionally, all study corridor vehicular bridges have narrow sidewalks and no bicycle facilities, presenting safety issues for pedestrians and bicyclists who are exposed to high-speed vehicles with minimal to no physical separation. The lack of safe bicycle and pedestrian facilities is in sharp contrast to the high levels of pedestrian and bicyclist activity from nearby Buffalo Bayou Park. The Waugh interchange dates from the mid-1950s and was implemented with a cloverleaf design and limited consideration of users crossing the bridge in any manner other than driving. The design standards of the 1950s result in short weaving distances happening at high speeds. The limited weaving distances are complicated by the fact that the entrance and exit ramps from Waugh are closely spaced and Waugh is curving through the interchange. This close spacing of ramps without a continuous auxiliary lane fails to meet AASHTO standards. The existing cloverleaf interchange will be reconstructed as a Single-point Urban Interchange (SPUI) with shared-use paths on each side. SPUIs present a safer crossing experience for pedestrians and bicyclists compared to cloverleaf interchanges due to signalization of crossings along with channelization of turning movements (WC 107, 407, 509). Rebuilding and realigning the bridges over Memorial Drive and Buffalo Bayou provide an opportunity to reduce horizontal alignment, improve vertical alignment, and minimize the impact of superelevation due to less curve along the corridor (WC 505, 506, 507). Existing bridges do not meet current design standards for back of curb space. Through this project, pedestrian and bikeway infrastructure will be brought to standards by widening bridges (WC 218). All transit stops will meet METRO Universal Accessibility goals. North of the interchange, additional improvements are proposed for Waugh Drive and South Heights Boulevard to enhance safety through signalization, improved roadway geometry, and accommodations for vulnerable road users. An expanded pedestrian realm is proposed along Waugh and Heights. Additionally, a new signal (WC 107) at the intersection of Waugh and Feagan Street with an accompanying pedestrian median refuge island is proposed to mitigate historically high crash rates and provide safer pedestrian crossings. A second new signal (WC 107) is proposed at the intersection of Waugh and Heights to accompany conversion of the intersection from the existing high-speed merge to a right-angle intersection (WC 508). High visibility crosswalks are proposed at intersections throughout the corridor (WC 403). A signal is proposed at the intersection of Heights and Willia Street to mitigate crash risk (WC 107). Willia is proposed to be realigned to intersect Heights orthogonally, and the segment of Feagan between Waugh and Heights will be reclaimed as park space. South of the interchange, Waugh Drive from Allen Parkway to D’Amico Street is proposed to be reconstructed with shared-use paths on both sides of the street. Left-turn lanes will be constructed at Allen (both directions) and at northbound D’Amico to allow previously permitted movements (WC 519). Page 15 within Appendix H of the attached Design Concept Report includes a summary of FHWA Proven Safety Countermeasures included within this project.

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.

The Travel Time Index (TTI) was calculated using the Congestion Management Process Assessment Tools (COMPAT). The TTI for Waugh Drive between Washington Avenue and W Dallas Street is 1.17. The TTI for S Heights Boulevard between Washington Avenue and Waugh Drive is 1.14. These values due not instigate a significant amount of peak hour congestion, and that is likely due to the fact that cloverleaf interchanges are efficient intersections for connecting two high volume roadways. Intersection delay varies along the corridor. Waugh Drive at Washington Avenue experiences LOS E with 57.3 seconds/vehicles of delay in the AM peak hour and LOS C with 24.5 seconds/vehicles of delay in the PM Peak Hour. The intersection of S Heights Boulevard at Washington Avenue experiences LOS D with 39 seconds/vehicle of delay in the AM Peak hour and LOS D with 39.4 second/vehicle of delay in PM peak hour. At the diamond interchange of Waugh Drive at Allen Parkway, westbound Allen Parkway is LOS B with 12.1 seconds/vehicle of delay in the AM peak and LOS B with 15.5 second/vehicle delay in the PM peak hour. Eastbound Allen Parkway at Waugh Drive is LOS B with 11.5 seconds/vehicle delay in the AM peak hour and LOS B with 10.5 seconds/vehicle of delay in PM peak. Waugh Drive at D’Amico Street operates at LOS B with 14.7 seconds/vehicle of delay in the AM peak and LOS C with 28.7 seconds/vehicle of delay in the PM peak hour. Improvements to Waugh Drive at W Dallas Street have recently been completed to convert the segment west of the intersection to a three-lane segment with buffered bicycle lanes. Capacity analysis with these new existing conditions have not been conducted.

2. Please provide a narrative explaining how the proposed project reduces congestion. Narrative must include specific improvements (work types) included in the project scope.

A SPUI will accommodates the proposed traffic movements in a more compact and space efficient manner aligning with the surrounding urban development and Buffalo Bayou Park context. The SPUI would be designed as compactly as possible to maximize the ability to recapture land currently used for the cloverleaf. This reconstruction will realign and straighten the corridor to better align and reduce skews with north and south segments of Waugh Drive and reclaim up to 16-acres of space that can be re-purposed into park expansion, drainage, and/or redevelopment. The existing cloverleaf interchange may be efficient in maintaining low congestion along the corridor but it requires a substantial amount of land (over 22 acres) and is not supportive of a modern urban development context. Short weaving distances at high-speed merge points along a curving roadway do not meet modern safety design standards. Traversing the Waugh Drive cloverleaf as a person walking or bicycling is extremely challenging. The existing sidewalks are sub-standard, with some segments missing. Sidewalk widths on the bridges are four feet wide next to high-speed vehicular traffic typically traveling over 40mph. Crossing the merge points by bicycle or by foot is difficult and puts people in a very vulnerable position. In addition, the existing merge point of S Heights Boulevard and Waugh Drive is poorly marked for bicyclists and often, people bicycling find themselves at a highspeed merge point with no notice. Rebuilding the cloverleaf interchange as a SPUI, along with an expanded pedestrian realm and high-comfort bicycle facilities from Washington Avenue to W Dallas Street, provides an opportunity for transportation mode shift along the corridor. With infrastructure that is safer and more comfortable for people walking, bicycling, and riding transit fewer trips in the area will require the use of personal vehicles, reducing vehicular congestion and increasing the share of trips completed by people walking, bicycling, taking transit. This can result in reduced travel times, reduced delay at intersections, and fewer vehicle miles. The project includes the conversion of Waugh Drive between Washington Avenue and South Heights Boulevard from a one-way street to a two-way street which will improve access to adjacent business and residences. Converting Waugh Drive to two-way improves roadway connectivity and reduces demand on South Heights Boulevard, specifically at the intersection of South Heights Boulevard and Washington Avenue. In addition, Waugh Drive north of Washington Avenue is one of few underpasses of the Union Pacific Terminal Sub; the crossing is at-grade at South Heights Boulevard. Allowing for two-way travel along Waugh Drive improves connectivity north, reducing congestion, when there is a train along the railroad.

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.

11,605

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 Waugh Drive corridor is a key access point to the AIG American General Center office complex that includes a 43-floor high-rise office tower and four additional office buildings. This office complex is a key job center and activity center within West Houston. The candidate project improves access to the site by improving roadway safety with the removal of the sub-standard cloverleaf interchange, improved pedestrian, bicycle and transit connections, and the expansion of connections through Buffalo Bayou Park. However, the largest impact is due to the proposed southbound left-turn from Waugh Drive to Allen Parkway. This movement is currently prohibited due to the corridors' skewed alignment and the current bridge deck width. Realigning the corridor and rebuilding the bridge over Allen Parkway provided the opportunity to add a much-desired turning movement. Often, drivers make this turning movement illegally creating unsafe condition for all roadway users. There are multiple urgent care and emergency rooms near the study corridor that will benefit from the design improvements to the Waugh Drive corridor. In addition, the Waugh Drive corridor is a north-south corridor that connects south to Montrose Boulevard and continues to Texas Medical Center via Main Street. There are plans to expand the Buffalo Heights development along S Heights Boulevard north of Feagan Street and Willia Street. Currently, the development included an HEB and multi-family residential. However, there are plans to expand the development to create an approximately 35-acre high-density, mixed-use development with multi-family residential, office, and commercial. Buffalo Bayou Park is a regionally significant park attracting visitors from across the city. Repurposing the right-of-way made available by the realignment of Waugh Drive, which is a once in a lifetime opportunity, continues to densify, additional green space which is of great importance. The project expands park space that will provide the opportunity to add approximately 16 acres of public park space in the heart of Houston. This is essential because this area of Houston increases opportunities to connect more people with the outdoors. The project includes expanding the trail network through the park to improve connections to and through Buffalo Bayou Park, Spotts Park, and Cleveland Park. It also includes funding for expanded amenities and landscaping across a critical green corridor and hub of activity. Buffalo Bayou Park attracts visitors for a variety of reasons, however one of the key attractions within the park is the Waugh Drive Bridge Bat Colony. Buffalo Bayou Park is also home to one of the largest urban communities of Mexican free-tailed bats, with nearly 300,000 bats roosting within the Waugh Drive bridge over Buffalo Bayou. The Waugh Bat Bridge is an established urban environmental landmark that attracts crowds of Houstonians and tourists alike when the bats emerge from underneath the bridge at sunset. Mexican free-tailed bats are particularly vulnerable to habitat destruction due to their tendency to roost in huge numbers in few locations. Proper planning will ensure that this environmental landmark is preserved and that its potential will expand.

State of Good Repair

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

There are six bridges included within the Study Area: Waugh Drive over Memorial Drive: 69 years (Built 1955); Waugh Dr over Buffalo Bayou (Northbound and Southbound bridges): 30 years (Built 1994); Waugh Dr over Allen Pkwy: 52 years (Built 1968); Waugh Dr East U-Turn over Allen Pkwy: 52 years (Built 1968); Waugh Dr. West U-Turn over Allen Pkwy: 8 years (Built 2016)

2. What is the existing condition of the facility.

Fair

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

While the existing bridges in the project area have generally been determined to be in Fair condition, they are approaching 70 years old (constructed in the mid-1950s). They require regular review and pavement improvements to address joints and cracks. Roadway and pedestrian scale lighting is either substandard or lacking. Bridge railings are not to current best practice standards, especially if there is an increase in walking and biking across the bridge. The roadway surface is in poor shape in some locations, especially at joints where numerous patched have been implemented on the approaches to the bridges to reduce cracking and gaps. Construction of new bridges and roadway approaches would reduce maintenance needs for the road surface. The bridges have experienced numerous flood events and sit in the floodway for Buffalo Bayou. This project will assess how to ensure the bridges are in a state good repair and align with current best practices for bridge design in a floodway. This assessment will also support overall drainage and detention goals for the area. Designing the bridges and surrounding roadway approaches to the new reality of more intense storms, brought by climate change, will make them more resilient and limit the future need to maintain the bridges. This project will explore opportunities to reduce maintenance costs of the roadway and bridges. In addition, the project provides more greenspace as a whole, supporting drainage and lowering heat impacts due to less pavement. The City of Houston’s Capital Projects & Assets Management sections within Public Works are responsible for capital projects and the accounting of all fixed assets for the department. The Asset Management Section is responsible for the accounting of all constructed and purchased fixed assets for the department, more than $16 billion in asset value. The section annually provides detailed information and schedules to the City’s Risk Management Group for insurance purposes. Annual inventory is a key component the safeguarding of the City’s assets. The City of Houston is well positioned to incorporate all future construction projects into the asset management process and inventory to ensure that capital expenditures are maintained and accounted for appropriately.

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.

The Waugh Drive corridor study is a critical project to improve walking and bicycling conditions within the City of Houston. The area surrounding the Waugh interchange is dense in destinations such as large employment centers, a growing number of dense apartment buildings and residential towers, retail and dining, and public parks. This density supports the viability of residents, visitors, and employees accessing destinations in the area without the use of a personal vehicle and the associated negative impacts on the climate. The neighborhoods north and south of the Waugh interchange (Houston Heights and Montrose, respectively), are some of the densest, most walkable and bikeable neighborhoods; lack of safe multimodal connectivity is the main factor limiting more inter-neighborhood trips by non-vehicle modes. During the development of the Houston Bike Plan (https://houstonbikeplan.org/), one of the community’s top requests was to improve the connection between the Houston Heights neighborhood and Montrose through Buffalo Bayou Park via the Waugh corridor. There is significant demand for north-south access as both Waugh Drive and Heights Boulevard have programmed bike lanes that terminate as they approach the interchange area. Sidewalks are narrow and not separated from high-speed traffic, and sidewalk crossings of the various quadrants of the cloverleaf require people walking to navigate and find gaps in high-speed traffic. The proposed reconstructed Waugh Drive bridge over Memorial Drive stands to improve pedestrian and bicyclist mobility with new 10-foot wide shared-use paths on both sides of the street. Houston Metro’s 44 Heights Boulevard transit route runs north-south over the interchange bridges, though with narrow bridges and sidewalks, there is limited space to provide high quality, ADA-compliant bus stops to easily access the park or area destinations. South Heights Boulevard from Washington Avenue to Waugh Drive is proposed for reconstruction with new METRO bus stops and a wider pedestrian realm that people can utilize to walk, bike, or access transit. The intersection of South Heights Boulevard and Washington Avenue is proposed for a shared bicycle and pedestrian north-south crossing for improved mobility across Washington Avenue. The proposed reconstruction of Waugh Drive, from Allen Parkway, to West Dallas Street would expand the pedestrian realm with 12-foot shared-use paths. Additionally, north-south bike pavement markings across D’Amico Street are proposed to facilitate the transition to the southbound 6-foot dedicated on-street bike lane with 2-foot buffers south of D’Amico Street to West Dallas Street. In addition, the project includes the construction of over 1.5 miles of new trails to enhance connectivity within and to Buffalo Bayou Park, Spotts Park, and Clevland Park. These trail connections along with expanded program features not only support the Waugh corridor rebuild, but also the Waugh Drive Package 1 project to be submitted for TIP funding separately. This project also includes expanded program features for Spotts Park that align with the 2019 Spotts Park Master Plan as well as upgraded landscape enhancements. This project would transform the corridor, providing people options to make these connections gives them freedom to not have to drive and park.

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.

3,769

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.

8,955

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.

1,413

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.

862

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.

280

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.

181

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.

5.3

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.

This project provides multiple benefits to vulnerable populations. The reconstruction and realignment of the Waugh Drive cloverleaf into a safer SPUI interchange, that will support the context of the surrounding community, is a regionally significant project that will have immense positive impact for the community. The reconstructed corridor includes high-comfort facilities for people walking and bicycling, improved bus stops aligned with METRO standards, an expanded park trail system improving connections from Buffalo Bayou Park, Spotts Park, and Cleveland Park. By replacing automobile-focused bridges with infrastructure that is safer and more comfortable for people walking, bicycling, and riding transit fewer trips in the area will require the use of personal vehicles. This will result in fewer vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The study area will be updated to be ADA accessible, safer, and provide a much-needed safe and comfortable connection over Buffalo Bayou, Memorial Drive, and Allen Parkway in a location where there are not many opportunities to cross by bike, foot, or wheelchair. There is strong community support to improve the connection between the Houston Heights neighborhood and Montrose through Buffalo Bayou Park via the Waugh corridor. In addition, the project provides regional benefits supporting multiple community-related locations in the vicinity that provide value to all ages, incomes, and backgrounds such as: Buffalo Bayou Park, the Buffalo Heights HEB grocery store, the Council on Recovery (a social service for people with substance abuse needs), the West End Multi-Service Center, Spotts Park, multiple Urgent Care Centers, and more. Reconstruction of the Waugh Drive bridges also presents an opportunity to restore and enhance land that is prone to flooding. The construction of the cloverleaf disrupted the path of waterways through the area, which can be undone through thoughtful design. Additional stormwater detention would be possible by reallocating some of the land that currently comprises the cloverleaf. Improved channel flow and expanded stormwater detention would also allow this piece of Buffalo Bayou and the surrounding park space to serve a vital role in mitigating deadly natural disasters caused by flooding and improve local and regional resiliency. These regionally significant improvements will serve EJ populations coming to or going through this area to access public amenities for anyone walking, biking, driving, or riding transit. This project proactively addresses equity and barriers to opportunity in several ways. The project expands park space to increase opportunities to connect more people with the outdoors. Additionally, the project creates safer connections to neighborhoods for people, regardless of how they travel. This is important for people who may not be able or want to purchase a vehicle. In nearby Historically Disadvantaged Communities such as Historic Fourth Ward, access would be expanded to park and retail development.

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 Waugh Drive corridor project is a critical safety project for all modes of transportation. The existing cloverleaf interchange is high-speed with sub-standard merge distances creating an unsafe and unpredictable environment for drivers. There is no high-comfort accommodations for people walking or bicycling. The recommended project improves safety and reduces the likelihood of bodily impairment or death for all roadway users. In addition, the project provides the opportunity for expanding the useable park space of Buffalo Bayou Park by 16 acres while also providing an opportunity to build additional flood detention enhancing natural resources and aesthetic values. Expanded park space, new park facilities, and the reduction of the roadway corridor’s footprint provides an opportunity for less “soil contamination”, and the reduction of “air, noise, and water pollution”. The project includes increased detention within the park space, an expanded trail network, and the opportunity for additional park amenities and an expansion of the programming at Spotts Park. Throughout the design process, consideration will be given to the types of materials used to minimize impacts on the environment. Sustainable materials like low-carbon pavement and other construction materials will be considered for all roadway and park improvements. There are not anticipated impacts from the project that would displace persons or businesses as the right-of-way impacts are minimal. There is even an opportunity to increase the number of persons, businesses, or nonprofits organizations along the corridor if the city considers the opportunity to convert part of the 16 acres of reallocated park space to a viable parcel for development. The opportunity to covert park space into a developable parcel is discussed within the attached Design Concept Report within Chapter 4. The project is located in one of the denser areas of Houston where there is a higher percentage of persons who use active modes of transportation, especially as a means to access Buffalo Bayou Park. While continuing to expand the bicycle network within the inner west loop area and provide a vital north-south connection, this project will support the opportunity for transportation mode shift, resulting in more people walking or bicycling and less vehicles traveling along the corridor. As with any construction project, there is concern that the construction will impact business in the near vicinity. The proposal to realign Waugh Drive allows for the existing corridor to stay open and operations as the realigned roadway and new bridges are constructed, minimizing the impact to existing travel patterns and reducing the complexity of the traffic control plans for the construction periods. In addition, maintaining the existing Waugh Drive bat bridge and ensuring the new Waugh Drive bridge over Buffalo Bayou is constructed in a manner to be hospitable to the existing bat colony, the project will emphasize the preservation and potential expansion of a natural landmark within the city. The ultimate design for the bridges will be mindful of existing sensitive ecological considerations such as Buffalo Bayou, the bat colony, mature oak trees, and other natural features."