2018 Call for Projects Application List

Who is Completing the Application?

Please provide contact information for the person who will complete the online application for this project. The email address and password entered here will be used to complete and submit both Pre-Applications and Applications.

Primary Agency Information

Please provide contact information for the agency official who is representing the project sponsor. This individual will be considered the official applicant and must be authorized by their agency to submit this request for funding and make necessary assertations and representations on the agency’s behalf.

Additional Agency Information

1. Is this project being developed and/or implemented in partnership with another agency?

Project Information

1. Project Title

Alabonson Park Shared Use Paths Project

2. Project County

Harris County

3. Facility/Street Name

Alabonson Road and N. Houston Rosslyn Road

4. Project limits (from, to) or location (Address)

Alabonson Road from N. Houston Rosslyn Road to Sweetstage Lane on the south side, and from Milda Drive to Vera Jean Drive on the north side. N. Houston Rosslynn from W. Gulf Bank Road to roughly Woodsman Trail on the west side, and from W. Gulf Bank Road to Alabonson Road on the east side.

5. Describe the primary problems to be addressed by the project (Project Need).

Safe pedestrian and bicycle connectivity within the Near Northwest Management District (NNMD), a 16-square mile Special District in the City of Houston and unincorproated Harris County, is lacking. A 2015 Existing Conditions Inventory of the sidewalks along some of the major corridors in the District indicated that 25% of the sidewalks are in poor conditions, while another 30% is missing. These conditions make it very difficult for residents to walk and bicycle throughout the District, let alone enjoy parks and other recreational opportunities. Safe access to parks and community amenities is limited to those that can drive. However, 2012-2016 ACS Data indicates that the project area has a population that has a higher than regional number of households without an automobile. Among the corridors inventoried were N. Houston Rosslyn Rd. and Alabonson Rd., abutting Alabonson Park, a 50-acre park. The park, which is currently green space closed off to the community, recently underwent master planning by Harris County Precinct 4 and received Texas Parks and Wildlife Department grant funds for its development. The two roadways adjacent to the park are missing sidewalks on either side of the road, pedestrian lighting, ADA ramps, and bicycle facilities. Thus, safe access to and from residential areas and businesses to nearby neighborhood amenities such as the White Oak Bayou trail network and the soon-to-be developed 50-acre Alabonson Park is non-existent. In meetings with neighborhood leadership, lack of safe access was the major concern. The proposed project consisting of the construction of new 10-foot shared-use paths/trails on both sides of N. Houston Rosslyn and primarily on the south side of Alabonson Road is a NNMD initiative in partnership with Precinct 4 to provide pedestrian and bicyclist access to the park and other District amenities to numerous businesses and 3,676 households within walking distance (½ mile) of the proposed project. N. Houston Rosslyn Rd. is functionally classified as a major thoroughfare by the City of Houston and as another principal arterial by the Texas Department of Transportation. Alabonson Rd. is functionally classified as a minor collector by the City of Houston and as a major collector by the Texas Department of Transportation.

6. Describe the proposed improvement/activity (Description).

The project consists of the following improvements: • The construction of 10-feet wide shared-use paths along N. Houston Rosslyn from W. Gulf Bank Road to roughly Woodsman Trail on the west side, and from W. Gulf Bank Road to Alabonson Road on the east side. • The construction of 10-feet wide shared-use paths along Alabonson Road from N. Houston Rosslyn Road to Sweetstage Lane on the south side, and from Milda Drive to Vera Jean Drive on the north side. • The extension of sidewalks along Milda Drive to meet new construction of sidewalks along the north side of Alabonson Road. • Installation of a crosswalk and a potential stop-controlled intersection across Alabonson Road from Milda Drive to the shared-use path on the south side of road. • Installation of shared use path improvements which would span the railroad.

7. Describe the primary outcomes to be achieved by the project (Project Purpose)

The proposed project will provide safe, accessible shared-use paths or trails along N. Houston Rosslyn Road and Alabonson Road. The primary outcomes to be achieved by the project are multi-faceted: Improve connectivity, access, and mobility: The proposed multimodal facilities will facilitate safe connections and access to transit and the use of alternative/active modes of transportation. Pedestrian and bike improvements will facilitate connectivity among residences, businesses, schools, Alabonson Park, and the White Oak Bayou Hike & Bike trail. The improvements will provide safe multi-modal access to Ermel Elementary School, Eiland Elementary School, TNT Jujitsu, Super Kid’s Academy, Lazaro’s Pizza, El Ranchito Meat Market & Taqueria, and Chase Bank. The project will also provide bicycle access to a METRO 15-minute headway fixed-route line running along Antoine Drive, 1.25 miles away. Additionally, improvements to the corridor will improve connectivity, access, and mobility for a population that has higher than regional amounts of minorities, households below poverty, households without an automobile, limited educational attainment, and limited English proficiency. Facilitate economic development: Improving walkability and bikeability through the installation of multi-modal infrastructure can increase property values of residential and commercial properties. The resulting increase in property values yields an increase in tax revenue, which is considered a benefit. Facilitate biking: The installation of bike facilities will encourage and increase bike usage in the community. This project is anticipated to generate approximately 72 new daily pedestrian users and 243 new bicycle users in 2022. The implementation of this project will enable new users to choose active modes of transportation, rather than the automobile. Bikeways have several benefits for users, including health and recreation. Improve safety: The installation of dedicated bike/ped facilities will make it safer for these users to access the park via active transportation. Of the 94 crashes that took place along the project corridors from 2015 to 2017, one crash was severe, and one other involved a bike/ped user.

8. Have any MPOID numbers been assigned to this project?

No

9. Have any TxDOT Control-Section-Job (CSJ) numbers been assigned to this project?

No

10. What is the estimated total capital investment required for the project?

Less than $100 million

A. Investment Category & Strategy

Active Transportation

11. Please provide the federal funding amount requested.

2517928

12. Please upload the funding commitment letter or letters of support from the local government.

Alabonson Park Shared Use Paths Funding Commitment & Resolution.pdf

Project Development/Readiness

1. Please select the level of engineering completed.

Not Started

2. What is the completed or anticipated level of environmental documentation required for the proposed project?

Categorical Exclusion (CE)

A. What was/is the anticipated completion date of the environmental clearance?

12/02/2020

B. Type of Categorical Exclusion (CE)? (Optional)

(c)(2) Projects that acquire, construct, maintain, rehabilitate, and improve or expand stand-alone recreation, pedestrian, or bicycle facilities, such as: a multiuse pathway, lane, trail, or pedestrian bridge; and transit plaza amenities.

3. Will any of the following be required to implement the project? US Army Corps of Engineers Permits

No

US Coast Guard Permits

No

Railroad Agreements

Yes

None of the Above

No

4. Will the acquisition of Right of Way or an easement be required to implement the project?

No

5. Has utility coordination been initiated for the project?

No

6. Will the project improve or significantly affect infrastructure owned or operated by another agency?

Yes

A. If Yes, please provide appropriate documentation showing interagency consultation (e.g, interagency agreements, coordination documentation).

Near Northwest Management District_COH Concurrence.pdf

7. Please upload project development timeline. A sample of Best-Case Scenario project development timeline can be downloaded here for your review. (Optional)

03_Alabonson Park Shared Use Paths Project Timeline.xlsx

8. Please provide any additional project development/readiness information relevant to the proposed project. (6000 characters max) (Optional)

The proposed project is partially a recommendation from the Near Northwest Management District Livable Centers Study (NNMD-LCS). The study recommends a hike & bike trail along N. Houston Rosslyn from the White Oak Bayou hike & bike trail, past Alabonson Road (page 11 of NNMD-LCS). A three-day, charrette-style workshop was conducted April 26-28 in 2011 with more than 500 people attending. Improving Alabonson Park was also part of the 2015 Priority Implementation Plan. The planning effort involved a public outreach process that included the participation of Board members and community stakeholders and culminated in the presentation of the plan (and its various projects) to the Board of Directors and the public on April 13, 2015. Short after, projects were selected and prioritized into a Capital Improvement Program. The proposed project is part of the Near Northwest Management District’s Capital Improvement Program adopted by the Board of Directors back on May 19, 2015 and most recently updated on May 17, 2018. The project was recently discussed during the NNMD Economic and Business Development Subcommittee Meeting on May 13, 2018, which was open to the public. Input from neighborhood leaders as part of outreach related to the design for development of Alabonson Park led to this project having a higher priority and being selected for this request. The proposed project will greatly improve the back of curb conditions of a City of Houston street (west side of N. Houston Rosslyn) and two Harris County Precinct 4 streets (south side and north side of Alabonson Road and east side of N. Houston Rosslyn) currently missing sidewalks by providing 10-feet multi-use paths for bicyclists and pedestrians to access Alabonson Park from the White Oak Bayou Trail network, schools, nearby residences and commercial properties. Letters of support from the City of Houston and Harris County Precinct 4 are attached, as well as letters of support from nearby neighborhoods. Further coordination with the railroad will be established once the project moves into the PS&E phase. The District intends to implement this project through their FTA Program, avoiding the AFA process. This will also allow the District to utilize City of Houston design, rather than TxDOT, standards.

9. Additional Project Development/Readiness Attachment (Optional)

NNMD Alabonson TIP Readiness Materials.zip

Map/Location

1. Please provide a clear and concise GIS coverage or PDF map for the proposed project. (MPK ESRI Map Package file preferred)

NNW Alabonson Park MPK map.zip

Project Budget

1. Please attach a completed project budget worksheet. Templates are available on the 2018 Call for projects website.

04_Alabonson Park Shared Use Paths_Budget.xlsx

2. Are Transportation Development Credits (TDCs) being requested?

No

Benefit/Cost Analysis

1. Safety Benefits

NNW Alabonson_Transit-Active-Transportation-Safety-Benefits.zip

2. Delay Benefits

1031201893439AM.zip

3. Emissions Benefits

NNW Alabonson_Active-Transportation-Emissions-Benefits.zip

4. Additional BCA Documentation (Optional)

Alabanson Supporting files.zip

6. Please provide a brief narrative describing the methodology, input data and results. (Optional)

This project is a shared use path for bicyclists and pedestrians. There are different users and trip lengths for bicyclists and pedestrians; thus 2 sets of sheets are submitted for each category.

Planning Factors - Barrier Elimination (Active Transportation)

1. Does the proposed facility provide safe and convenient routes across barriers such as freeways, railroads, and waterways?

Yes

2. Does the proposed bicycle/pedestrian facility close a gap in the existing bicycle network that aligns with a regional bikeway?

Yes

Planning Factors - Emissions Reductions

1. Please provide the air quality improvements (estimated NOX tons/year) the proposed facility provides.

0.71 tons/year

2. Please provide the air quality improvements (estimated VOCs tons/year) the proposed facility provides.

0.16 tons/year

Planning Factors - Environmental Justice

1. Is the proposed project located in or is adjoining an environmental justice sensitive area (census block groups) identified by HGAC?

Yes

A. If Yes, Will the project incorporate measures that reduce, minimize or avoid adverse effects environmental justice sensitive areas (census block groups) identified by HGAC?

Yes

Planning Factors - Expands or Improves Bicycle & Pedestrian Connectivity to Employment/Schools/Medical Facilities/Transit Stops/Other Points of Interest

Does the facility directly connect to or within 1/4 mile of employment?

Yes

A. If yes, please indicate number of jobs the facility directly connects to or is within a 1/4 mile.

901 - 1000

2. Does the facility directly connect to or within 1/4 mile of a school or university?

Yes

3. Does the facility directly connect to or within 1/4 mile of medical facility?

No

4. Does the facility directly connect to or within 1/4 mile of Transit Center or Transit Stop?

No

5. Does the facility directly connect to or within 1/4 mile of other points of interest?

Yes

Planning Factors - Planning Coordination

1. Is the proposed project recommended in a regional/sub regional/or locally adopted plan including regional thoroughfare plans? Or Has the sponsor conducted interagency coordination with other local or state agency affected by the proposed project?

Yes

A. If yes, please provide the title of the regional/sub regional or local plan in which the proposed project is recommended.

Near Northwest Management District Livable Centers Plan, and the 2015 Priority Implementation Plan

B. If yes, please provide a link to the regional/sub regional or local plan in which the proposed project is recommended.

http://www.nnmd.org/images/downloads/Livable_Centers_Plan-final-2-22-12.pdf, See Readiness Materials for the 2015 Priority Implementation Plan or https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qe2cc0q34tu8id4/AAC6TD8ikFcwSCqAwCBh0Ywta?dl=0