Transportation Project Questionnaire

Resiliency and State of Good Repair Questionnaire

Project Information

Agency Name	Near Northwest Management District
Project Title	Alabonson Rd Reconstruction
Facility/Street/Highway	Alabonson Rd
Limits	Gum Grove Lane to N Houston Rosslyn
Description	Reconstruct roadway to include additional capacity for turning movements, full depth rehabilitation of roadway, and provision of shared use path, pavement markings, and ADA-compliant ramps.
Timeframe	Short Term (0-5 Years)
Estimated Cost	$16,100,000.00

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:

Major Collector

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

The project is a total reconstruction of Alabonson Road from W Little York Road/Victory Drive to N Houston Rosslyn Road. The project will replace and upgrade roadway, multimodal and public utility infrastructure within the existing public right-of-way. Alabonson Road currently has two narrow travel lanes, deep ditches, and no sidewalks for the majority of the corridor's length. The corridor includes a bridge and a railroad crossing with no pedestrian facility. The pavement condition and striping along the corridor is in poor condition. Insufficient street lighting, crosswalks, lack of a pedestrian facility, and lack of accessible ramps forces pedestrians to share the street with vehicles, including heavy trucks, thereby endangering pedestrians and causing delays and congestion in the event of a collision. The reconstructed Alabonson Road will have improved pavement condition, safer conditions, and more efficient traffic flow, thereby reducing the potential for crash incidence, particularly at the intersection of W Little York Road and N Houston Rosslyn Road. The addition of an off-street bike and pedestrian facility along the corridor will increase overall road user safety, systemic travel-time reliability, and lower the risk of infrastructure damage as a result of intermodal crashes. Furthermore, it can act as a north-south relief route between W Little York Road and N Houston Rosslyn Road for people traveling in the area. Additionally, the project will design curb and gutters to control the flow of water by directing it towards designated drainage areas. This will prevent water from pooling on streets and sidewalks, reducing the risk of accidents and infrastructure damage. Alabonson Road connects various major thoroughfares and provides parallel connectivity to roads such as Antoine Drive. When reconstructed, the roadway can provide an alternate connection for those traveling in the area and will be able to function as a more effective relief route in the event of an emergency event, major traffic disruption or evacuation scenario on any of those roadways.

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.

10,986 (6578 AADT * 1.67 vehicle occupancy factor)

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

40+ years old

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

Poor

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.

Maintenance for this project will be provided across three different jurisdictions: • Near Northwest Management District – will maintain items above COH/Harris County standard. This will include colored concrete segments on certain sidewalks and accent banding. The District has an asset management / maintenance agreement with the COH for these items. https://nnmd.org/images/downloads/NNMD-Service-Plan.pdf • Harris County – will maintain the facility within Harris County limits. Harris County maintains a road log which is used as an asset management document/plan. • City of Houston – will maintain the facility within City of Houston limits. The City of Houston has a pavement management system and maintains asset conditions in a GIS dataset. https://geohub.houstontx.gov/

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?

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.

Alabonson Road is not designated as a freight corridor and has a truck traffic of 3.5% along the corridor. Truck volume is higher in adjacent corridors, including West Little York, Antoine Drive, and North Houston Rosslyn Road, and it is 6.5%, 6.8%, and 5.1%, respectively. To relieve truck traffic on these adjacent routes, Alabonson Road can be used as an alternative. Signal phasing at North Houston Rosslyn Road and at the intersection of West Little York Road coupled with lane reconfiguration will keep the traffic flowing through the area. By expanding access to METRO Route 3, the multimodal corridor will encourage users to consider alternative modes to vehicles. Reconstruction of this corridor will encourage multimodal usage, reduce conflicts, improve traffic operations, travel times and connectivity for the region, reduce bottlenecks, and enhance the safety of all road users. The industrial land uses and commercial establishments in the area will benefit directly from the improvements. Through landscaping improvements and optimized traffic operations, the project will further mitigate any truck-related impacts on these communities, including noise, safety, and emissions.

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 Alabonson Road project provides access to several important activity centers and will provide improved access to a variety of institutional, residential and commercial land uses. The project corridor provides access to Ermel Elementary School, As We Grow Learning Center, Hoffman Middle School, Smith Elementary School, Alabonson Park, White Oak Bayou Trail, and multiple retail and industrial businesses along and within a quarter-mile distance. The project will also provide access to Harmony School of Endeavor within a half-mile radius. The project will reconstruct the failing pavement and create a well-lit, seamless, safe, and accessible pedestrian/bicyclists’ path for the residents, connecting the new Alabonson Park, recreational facilities, commercial areas, METRO bus routes, and local schools. Per the H-GAC Regional Land Use Information System, an adjacent ~11 acre property (Parcel ID: 1352840010001) has been built for a distribution warehouse. The warehouse includes 153,188 square feet of distribution facility with 48 docking stations. Utilizing H-GAC's Activity-Connectivity Explorer (ACE) Tool, an analysis of the population and job growth for TAZs 4697, 989, 1041, 949, 977,991 and 1040 (all within ¼ mile of Alabonson Road and W Little York Rd), the area will see an increase of 3,643 residents and 436 jobs between 2018 and 2045. This translates to a population growth of 38.9% and jobs increase of 28.6% between 2018 and 2045.

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.

The purpose of this project is to improve mobility, traffic operations, and safety for the adjacent community. Alabonson Road is a two-lane narrow facility with deep ditches and no pedestrian facilities along the corridor. The corridor is insufficiently lit and the lack of multimodal accommodations forces autos, trucks, bicycles, and pedestrians to all utilize the travel lanes. The project will replace existing failing asphalt pavement with concrete pavement, deep ditches on either side of existing roadway with curb and gutter and install new sidewalks and shared use paths. In addition to these improvements, the project will include intersection improvements, safe crossings, and upgrading an existing span wire traffic light with high visibility mast arm at the intersection of N Houston Rosslyn Road. The signal phasing will be modified at the intersections of N Houston Rosslyn Road and Alabonson Road for optimized traffic flow. The project will add a right-turn lane for traffic heading to N Houston Rosslyn Road from Alabonson Road (north end limits of project). The average traffic delay in the no-build scenario at this intersection would improve from 23.4 to 18.05 (s/veh) as a result of the proposed improvements. On the W Little York Road east bound (EB) approach, the shared right turn and thru lane will be converted to a thru only lane. Therefore, the right turn bypass lane will have a dedicated lane. This lane configuration change will improve traffic safety and congestion. In addition, lane markings will be drawn to indicate that the right lane will be the storage lane (pocket lane). To encourage drivers to make safe turns within a set amount of time, the signal timing on W Little York Road and Victory Drive traffic lights will be adjusted to include a protected left turn phasing (a green arrow for traffic turning left). The average traffic delay in the no-build scenario at this intersection would improve from 65.16 to 50.7 (s/veh) as a result of the proposed improvements. The project's new bike and pedestrian facilities will provide multimodal opportunities to access recreational opportunities, schools, businesses, and transit. The project will also install new streetlights, pavement markings, and signage. These improvements combined with operational improvements for intersection will reduce conflict points and optimize traffic flow along the corridor.

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.

The project corridor has a high need for improved walking and biking infrastructure. Currently, there is only a short section of narrow sidewalk in poor condition and there are no bicycle facilities, resulting in unsafe conditions for pedestrians attempting to access parks, commercial establishments, etc. by non-automobile modes. The proposed project is a total reconstruction of Alabonson Road from W Little York Road/Victory Drive to N Houston Rosslyn Road and widening of sidewalks on W Little York Road between Gum Grove Lane and BNSF railroad on W Little York Road along with intersection improvements including median reconfigurations to optimize traffic flow and enhance pedestrian safety. The Project will replace and upgrade Alabonson Road with multimodal transportation options within existing public right-of-way. The COH bike plan recommends Alabonson Road to have an on-street high comfort bike lane. However, due to right-of-way (ROW) constraints, the proposed cross section includes an 8-ft wide shared use path on the west & south side and 6-ft wide dedicated sidewalks on east & north side of Alabonson Road with 4-ft wide safety buffer from travel lanes. Sidewalks along W Little York Road are in a poor state of repair and are inconsistent with the current COH IDM standards. These sidewalks will be replaced with 6-ft wide sidewalks, American Disability Act (ADA) compliant ramps, median refuges at intersections, and will include a 4-ft wide safety buffer from travel lanes. These proposed improvements will provide a safe, contiguous, accessible, dedicated multimodal realm. Improvements along the project corridor will provide a direct, safe connection to the Alabonson Park and to the White Oak Bayou Greenway Trail, which is a dedicated, off-street, 10-foot-wide concrete trail connecting residents to nearby parks, community resources and transit. This trail also includes a hike-and-bike bridge over White Oak Bayou parallel to Alabonson Road. The project will eliminate barriers for pedestrians and bicyclists crossing the BNSF railroad on Alabonson Road near the intersection of N Houston Rosslyn Road that separates Alabonson Park from nearby residential neighborhoods. Sidewalk improvements along W Little York will provide seamless access to Hoffman Middle School, YES Prep Hoffman and Smith Elementary School and METRO Route 3 on W Little York Road/Victory Drive. Improvements along this corridor will create a contiguous, cohesive corridor making smooth, multimodal connections for residents and visitors for increased access to the economic and social destinations in and around the area.

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

The project's south terminus connects to METRO Route 3 (Langley-Little York) transit stop that is located on Victory Drive, 350-ft east of the intersection of Alabonson Road and W Little York Road/Victory Drive. Antoine Drive, which is located a quarter-mile distance the intersection of Alabonson Road & W Little York Rd/Victory Drive is served by METRO Route 85. These two routes connect residential, employment, and commercial centers in the Spring Branch East, Washington Avenue Coalition/Memorial Park, Heights, Acres Homes, Northside, Houston Gardens, and Downtown areas. Intersection improvements including median and lane reconfiguration with traffic signal phasing at W Little York/Victory Drive will improve operational efficiency by decreasing travel time delays for buses. METRO Route 3, which loops around at Hollister to the west, will provide improved access to employment and retail. Overall, the enhancements at W Little York Road intersection will result in better transit time reliability.

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.

8.25

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.

8.25

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.

Over the 5-year period between 2018 and 2022, a total of 205 crashes occurred along the project corridor, including two fatal crashes and two serious injury crashes. One of the fatal crashes was a pedestrian crash that occurred in 2019. The other fatal crash that occurred in 2022 was caused by failing to drive in a single lane. Both of the serious injury crashes occurred in 2020 due to failing to control speed and failing to drive in a single lane separately. To address the safety concerns of this roadway, a set of improvements has been proposed: Alabonson from West Little York Rd (WLY) / Victory Dr to N Houston Rosslyn Rd: • Reconstruct Alabonson Road from WLY / Victory Dr to N Houston Rosslyn Rd with new concrete pavement and curb and gutter • Install a new sidewalk and a shared use path (SUP) along Alabonson Road from WLY / Victory Dr to N Houston Rosslyn Rd • Upgrade traffic signal from span wire to mast arm at the intersection of Alabonson Rd and N Houston Rosslyn Rd • Install a new WB right turn lane at the intersection of Alabonson and N Houston Rosslyn • Improve or install crosswalks, pavement markings, and ADA ramps as needed along the entire corridor WLY / Victory Dr & Alabonson Rd Intersection: • On the West Little York Road Eastbound approach, the shared lane (right turn and through) is converted to a through-only lane. Therefore, the right turn bypass lane will have a dedicated lane. • Add one through lane on the WLY northbound approach (with space taken from the existing raised median) • Improve signal timing at the intersection of WLY/Victory Dr &Alabonson Rd • Widen sidewalk on both sides of streets from the railroad track to Gum Grove Ln along WLY Rd, and from the intersection to Tall Pine Rd along Victory Dr • Improve crosswalks and pavement markings along the corridor The proposed improvements correspond to various work codes, each with its own associated crash reduction rate: Alabonson from N Houston Rosslyn to Gum Grove Lane 305, 407 Safety Lighting at Intersection, Install Sidewalks 53% 303, 401 Resurfacing, Install Pavement Markings 50% 304, 407 Safety Lighting, Install Sidewalks 46% 108, 521 Improve Traffic Signals, Add Right Turn Lane 34% Alabonson from N Houston Rosslyn to Vinewood Drive 403, 407 Install Pedestrian Crosswalk, Install Sidewalks 74% Intersection of Alabonson and N Houston Rosslyn 108, 305 Improve Traffic Signals, Safety Lighting at Intersection 33% 108, 401, 403 Improve Traffic Signals, Install Pavement Markings, Install Pedestrian Crosswalk 30% WLY / Victory/Alabonson Intersection 110, 403 Install Pedestrian Signal, Install Pedestrian Crosswalk 36% 108, 401, 403 Improve Traffic Signals, Install Pavement Markings, Install Pedestrian Crosswalk 30% 517 Add Through Lane 28%

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.

Medium

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.

Medium

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.

Currently, Alabonson Road is drained entirely by open ditches on both sides of the roadway. There are two major outfalls at White Oak Bayou (E100-00-00) and at an upstream tributary of White Oak Bayou (E140-00-00). These open ditches have been poorly maintained and are often overgrown with weeds and collect trash. The proposed improvements include installation of a curb and gutter cross section which will improve stormwater drainage conditions within and around the project corridor. These stormwater drainage improvements will include curb inlets, grate inlets, and reinforced concrete pipes. This combination drainage infrastructure will ensure the roadway will have the necessary drainage capacity to exceed local design requirements and provide improved drainage over the existing conditions. By placing the stormwater drainage facilities underground, it will be possible to introduce the bicycle and pedestrian facilities on the corridor. Additionally, the underground drainage facilities will reduce costly maintenance expenses including mowing, trash/debris collection, and periodic retrenching associated with open ditches. Inwood Forest Stormwater Detention Basin, in the vicinity of Alabonson Road encompasses a total of 12 interconnected stormwater detention basins. The stormwater detention basins are being built by the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) on the former golf course property to provide flood damage reduction benefits during heavy storms and to mitigate impacts of future public City of Houston drainage projects as appropriate. A part of the proposed project corridor falls within the Inwood Forest drainage basin and will benefit from the detention basin project.

Access/Connectivity

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

11321

1b. Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Minorities

15955

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?

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

11321

1b. Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Minorities

15955

1c. Household Population Under Poverty

4198

1d. Disabled Persons

1551

1e. Elderly Persons

810

1f. Limited English Proficiency

2014

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.

52.9

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.

At least 4.5 out of 10 households living on either side of Alabonson Road are defined as low to moderate income households by HUD. The American Community Survey (ACS) for 2022 reports that 18% of the households in the corridor do not own a car. Children make up 29.6% of the population along the corridor, and 15.7% of the population is disabled. The residents surrounding the project area are in great need of safer bicycle and pedestrian facilities, which do not currently exist on this corridor. On the corridor, the project will build either a 6-ft wide sidewalk or an 8-ft wide shared use path with a 4-ft wide safety buffer between it and the travel lane. The bike and pedestrian facility will facilitate easier access to transit stops located on Victory Drive and Antoine Drive, parks and trails, commercial establishments, and schools in the area. Additionally, the number of streetlights along the corridor will be greatly increased, resulting in a much safer and accessible conditions for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists throughout the day and night. Other safety enhancements will be included in the project at the intersections such as high visibility crosswalks, pedestrian/bicycle phase signaling, and pedestrian median refuges as needed.

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.

This project has no adverse effects to vulnerable populations. The list of adverse effects from the detailed criteria and comments are listed below: - Body impairment, infirmity, illness, or death: This project will improve safety for all users, particularly multimodal users through its transportation safety countermeasures. - Air, noise, or water pollution; soil contamination: This project will reduce air pollution through conversion of trips from automobiles to multimodal modes; a soil and groundwater management plan will be implemented during construction. - Disruption or diminution of manmade or natural resources: This project will not affect manmade or natural resources. - Destruction or diminution of aesthetic values: This project will improve aesthetic values through landscaping and additional landscaping planted along the corridor. - Impact upon the cohesion or economic vitality of a community: This project will increase economic vitality and cohesion of the community through improved access, connectivity, and safety. - Impact to public or private facilities and services: This project will have a positive impact to public and private facilities or services by improving access and connectivity. - Adverse impacts on employment: This project will create short-term jobs through construction. The improvements will provide access to businesses and other uses along the corridor, which will encourage economic growth. - Displacement of persons, businesses, farms, or non-profit organizations: No additional right of way is required and there will be no displacement. - Increased traffic congestion, exclusion or separation: The improvements will decrease traffic congestion, improve travel time reliability and reduce delay. - Detail or, reduction in, significant delay in receipt of benefits of transportation program: This project is in alignment with local, regional, state and federal goals. The project, if funded, will advance the receipt of benefits of the regional transportation program.

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.

The southern portion of the project is within the 100- or 500-year flood plain associated with White Oak Bayou. The area is largely developed with residential uses. The project is primarily reconstruction of an existing roadway within the same footprint; the addition of a shared-use path is not anticipated to adversely impact flooding. Coordination will be done with the appropriate flood control agencies as needed. The proposed project crosses White Oak Bayou and an associated drainage ditch south of Greenway Forest Lane and is adjacent to several other designated wetlands; the bayou crossing is on an elevated bridge and the ditch crossing is at grade. Project work is not anticipated to fill or dredge any wetlands and adverse impacts are not expected. There are no designated historic resources within ¼ mile of the proposed project. The entirety of the project alignment is in an area designated as “No Survey Recommended” for archeological resources. The northern end of the alignment is adjacent to an area designated as “Surface Survey Recommended, No Deep Reconnaissance Recommended.” This area has limited development, therefore increasing the potential for archeological resources to be present. If project work extends into this adjacent area, a surface archeological survey may be required.

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)

Over a 20-year planning horizon from 2026-2045, the project will reduce 0.46 metric tons of NOx and 0.58 metric tons of VOCs.

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?