Transportation Project Questionnaire

Resiliency and State of Good Repair Questionnaire

Project Information

Agency Name	TxDOT Houston District
Project Title	IH 69 S Frontage Road replacement (Local Connection to Brazos River Park)
Facility/Street/Highway	IH 69 S
Limits	From East University Drive to IH 69 S
Description	Provide for a new east-west road through the U of H Sugarland campus to provide connectivity to the University and to Brazos River Park. Compensates for removal of U turn on IH 69 S which has been destroyed by erosion.
Timeframe	Short Term (0-5 Years)
Estimated Cost	$20,000,000.00

Investment Category-Focused Criteria

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:

None of the Above

2. Please provide a narrative explaining how proposed project reduces inoperability for significant periods of time due to damaged infrastructure.

In 2019, TxDOT permanently closed the Brazos River Turnaround due to river erosion. Since then, traffic wanting to access the City’s Brazos River Park or Crown Festival Park have had to travel 4 miles out of their way to make a U-turn at the next available intersection at IH 69 S and SH 99. This already heavily congested intersection is impacted by the additional traffic and growth in the area, and will be further burdened by the imminent expansion of the university campus. The extension of Festival Blvd. will help mitigate these issues now and in the future. This project will construct a new road which will act as an alternative if IH 69 S main lanes are shut down. This will allow more space to move disabled vehicles and to better maintain flow on the facility after vehicle collisions.

3. Please provide total estimated daily users served by the proposed project. AADT for roadway project (total users=AADT*vehicle occupancy) or daily total ridership for transit project.

The traffic study by Kimley Horn in 2022 estimates a total of 21,291 trips per day, based on the final build out by the University of Houston – Sugar Land campus. There are an additional approximated 10,000 vehicles for events at the Crown Festival site.

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

The existing Festival Blvd. opened approximately 7 years ago. (2017).

4a. What is the existing condition of the facility.

Good

5. Does the project sponsor maintain an approved and regularly updated asset management plan?

Yes

5a. If yes, please provide a link to the existing asset management plan.

The City of Sugar Land uses a pavement predictive model which is updated every 4-5 years. The assessment tool covers all non-TxDOT roadways in the City. The model is not available to the public (it is internal), so link is not available, but a spreadsheet can be provided if needed.

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

6a. If no, is the proposed project located on a facility that functions as an alternative to an evacuation route?

Yes

6a-i. If yes, explain.

This project connects to IH 69 S which is a hurricane evacuation route.

Other Investment Category Focused Criteria

1. Was the project scored under Regional Goods Movement Category?

1a. If no, please provide a narrative explaining how the proposed project improves regional goods movement. Within the narrative, please include if the proposed project is designated as a critical freight corridor or a local/regional/state truck route.

The project is not located on a Critical Urban Freight Corridor. The project is not located on the TxDOT or FHWA Freight Networks. The project improves regional goods movement by adding capacity which will relieve congestion.

2. Please provide a narrative explaining how the proposed project benefits high growth areas. Within the narrative, please explain if the proposed project improves or provides access to new residential developments, retail stores, other land uses, or if the proposed project alleviates future congestion due to potential economic development activity such as expansion of warehouses or other freight generators.

The project is not located in a high growth area. The population is projected to grow by 83.7% and jobs are projected to increase by 85.2%. Some commercial and residential land use changes announced or modeled.

3. Please provide a narrative explaining how the proposed project improves traffic operations. Within the narrative, please include if the proposed project includes construction of truck only lanes or managed truck only lanes, construction of an interchange, or intersection improvements.

This section of IH 69 S is congested. In the 2022 report 100 Most Congested Roadways in Texas by the Texas Transportation Institute, the annual total delay per mile on the segment is 544 person hours. The current daily volume of traffic on the segment is roughly 308, of which 3.2 percent are trucks. By 2041 daily traffic volume is not expected to increase. The purpose of the project is to improve capacity, connectivity, level of service, and safety of the project segment. The added capacity will improve regional connectivity for all modes while also reducing congestion and improving safety by reducing primary and secondary crashes due to congestion and by bringing the segment of IH 69 S up to TxDOT and FHWA safety standards.

4. 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 a new or improved existing bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure on a project facility or in the vicinity of the project.

Frontage roads at IH 69 S should have sidewalks/shared use paths on them and this new road. 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.

5. Please provide a narrative explaining how the proposed project improves traffic conditions for transit services (local, express, signature, or commuter).

Fort Bend County Transit (Texas Medical Center, Greenway Plaza, and the Galleria Routes) has a nearby Park and Ride Lot at UH Sugarland Campus that could benefit from this new road which could be used as a backup route to access the P&R Lot if University Blvd is closed.

Planning Factors Criteria

1. What is the existing fatality crash rate at the project location? Regional crash data is available online on the crash data viewer. H-GAC staff will provide assistance in calculating the crash rates upon request.

2. What is the existing serious injury crash rate at the project location? Regional crash data is available online on the crash data viewer. H-GAC staff will provide assistance in calculating the crash rates upon request.

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, lower than the regional average (1.23), and the serious injury rate is 0, lower than the regional average, (6.18). This project will construct a new roadway which will act as an alternative if main lanes are shut down on other facilities, reducing primary and secondary crashes caused by congestion. The addition of pedestrian infrastructure will allow pedestrians to safely use the facility and reduce points of conflicts with vehicles, thus improving the overall safety of the segment. The consolidated crash reduction factor for this project is 93%, as a result of installing sidewalks (WC 407), and providing additional travel lanes (WC 517).

Resiliency

1. Please select the vulnerability to flooding score at the project location based on the Regional Resiliency tool. H-GAC staff can provide assistance with the regional resiliency tool upon request.

Low

2. Please select the criticality score at the project location based on the Regional Resiliency tool. H-GAC staff can provide assistance with the regional resiliency tool up on request.

Low

3. Please provide a narrative explaining how the proposed project reduces vulnerability to flooding. The narrative must include specific improvements such as drainage improvements that are included in the scope.

All current projects are being designed to meet and/or exceed ATLAS-14 drainage standards.

Access/Connectivity

Please enter the household population located within a quarter mile buffer of the project location: 1a. Low-Income

1b. Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Minorities

1,114

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

3. Does the proposed project improve or provide new connectivity to a school/college/university within a quarter mile buffer of the project location?

Yes

4. Does the proposed project improve or provide new connectivity to a social services facility within a quarter buffer of the project location?

Yes

Environmental Justice

Please enter household population located within quarter mile buffer of the project location. H-GAC staff can assist in gathering the data. 1a. Low-Income

1b. Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Minorities

1,114

1c. Household Population Under Poverty

1d. Disabled Persons

1e. Elderly Persons

1f. Limited English Proficiency

2. What is the average Livable Center Need Index within quarter mile buffer of the project location? H-GAC staff can assist in gathering the data.

7.10

3. Please provide a narrative explaining how the proposed project provides benefits to vulnerable populations. Benefits include safety improvements, construction of or improvements to ped/bike facilities, or improvements to transit stops.

The area surrounding the project segment has a higher minority population (95.21%) 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. Project provides new access to Brazos River Park that was cut off by the frontage road being closed due to erosion from the Brazos River.

4. Please provide a narrative explaining how the proposed project avoids or mitigates adverse effects to vulnerable populations. A list of adverse effects was provided in detailed criteria document.

The area surrounding the project segment has a higher minority population (95.21%) 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.

Impacts on Natural and Cultural Resources

1. Please provide a narrative explaining how the proposed project avoids or mitigates impacts to natural (flood plains, wetlands) and cultural (historic and archeological sites) resources. H-GAC staff can provide assistance in identifying natural and cultural resources located within a quarter mile buffer of the project location.

This project is in conceptual development. If required, the appropriate Environmental Document (Categorical Exclusion, Environmental Assessment, or Environmental Impact Statement) will be conducted to identify, avoid or mitigate potential impacts to the natural or human environment.

2. Please provide Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) reductions provided by the project. H-GAC staff can provide assistance in calculating NOx and VOC reductions.
(Optional)

NOx: 0; VOC:0

Innovation

1. Does the project propose to implement new infrastructure technologies to enhance accessibility, mobility, multimodalism, resiliency, reliability, or traffic operations?

2. Does the project propose to implement new autonomous/connected vehicle technology?