713-627-3200
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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.
Megan Campbell
Planner
713-802-5325
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.
Texas Department of Transportation - Houston
Quincy Allen
District Engineer
713-802-5000
7600 Washington Avenue
Houston
TX
77007
Additional Agency Information
Project Information
La Marque Pedestrian Access Improvements
Galveston County
FM1765 & FM519
FM1765: I-45 to Westward Avenue (south side of street); FM519 from Bayou Road to SH3 (north and south sides of street)
Sidewalks are needed on FM519, a minor arterial with two lanes in each direction with a center turn lane, and FM1765, a principal arterial with three lanes in each direction and a center turn lane. Currently, there are no pedestrian facilities along the entirety of the FM519 project corridor, from Bayou Road to SH3. There are no pedestrian facilities on either side of the FM1765 corridor, from the I-45 Frontage Road to Westward Avenue, except for on the north side of the roadway between Westward Avenue and Vauthier Street. The project would have several benefits, most notably, safety. From 2015-2017, there were a total of 99 crashes on this corridor, 4 of which were pedestrian and bicyclist related. On each corridor, there was one fatality in the last three years. On FM1765, there was a fatal pedestrian accident in 2016 at the intersection of Duroux Road/South Brown Street. On FM519, there was a fatal accident involving a bicyclist in 2016. These sidewalks would also result in pedestrian connectivity to activity centers and improved connectivity to transit; both corridors are served by the La Marque route of the Connect Transit system.
The project would add pedestrian facilities along two major thoroughfares in La Marque: FM1765 and FM519. The project would add a six-foot concrete sidewalk on the south side of FM1765 from I-45 to Westward Avenue. The sidewalk would begin at the Chevron gas station off the I-45 frontage road, on the south side of FM1765 and extend to Westward Avenue. The length of this corridor is 5,860 linear feet. On FM519, the proposed project would add a six-foot concrete sidewalk on the north and south sides of FM519 from Bayou Road to SH3. The proposed improvement would truncate at the railroad tracks between SH3 and S. Oak Street/3rd Avenue. This is 13,640 linear feet of sidewalk. Connect Transit’s La Marque route serves both corridors. There are several unmarked stops along the corridor, including at FM1765 and Duroux Road. Along FM519, the stops at 10th Avenue and Laurel Street each contain a lone bench with signage. This sidewalk construction project will allow for the opportunity to create additional marked transit stops with signs and upgraded amenities for both corridors: 6 bus shelters are proposed as part of this project.
Sidewalks would provide a safe travel mode for non-motorized users and improve connectivity throughout La Marque. Building sidewalks on the project corridors would increase access to various activity centers directly along the corridors, such as La Marque High School. Both corridors contain residential and commercial establishments. FM1765 contains convenience stores such as CVS and Family Dollar adjacent to the proposed sidewalk improvement. The sidewalks would allow for safer and increased access to the transit stops along the corridor. There are currently “phantom” ADA ramps along the corridors that were built by TxDOT that can be connected with sidewalks. It is estimated that this project will create 412 new daily pedestrian users in the project’s year of implementation. Per H-GAC’s criteria, the project area is located in an environmental justice community, with 6 of the 8 EJ criteria exceeding regional averages. The area has a higher than regional average of minority population, low income households, senior population, disabled population, zero auto households, and female heads of households. The new sidewalks would increase mobility options for people without cars and who rely on public transportation to get around. The project would greatly improve safety for non-motorized users. These corridors have high volumes of traffic with no amenities or facilities for pedestrians or bicyclists. This is a dangerous problem, as from 2015-2017, there were 4 accidents involving pedestrians and bicyclists. Out of these 4 crashes, 2 people were killed, and one person was severely injured. These benefits have been quantified via traditional HSIP guidelines and using actual corridor crash data, which provide a much higher benefit than what is yielded by the H-GAC county-wide average approach. Studies have shown that the increase of pedestrian access and amenities increases property values adjacent to the corridor. The incremental value of the property value is a benefit to the agency that collects taxes; based on the tax rates in La Marque, the proposed improvement would result in an additional tax revenue of $813,000 from 2021 to 2040 (not discounted), which is $352,000 at a 7% discount rate. This is included as a supplemental benefit documentation.
No
No
Less than $100 million
Active Transportation
2102789
Project Development/Readiness
Not Started
Categorical Exclusion (CE)
06/30/2021
(C)2 - Acquisition, construction, maintenance, rehabilitation, and improvement or limited expansion of stand-alone recreation, pedestrian, or bicycle facilities, such as: a multiuse pathway, lane, trail, or pedestrian bridge; and transit plaza amenities.
No
No
No
Yes
No
Yes
30%
Yes
12/31/2021
06_La Marque Pedestrian Access Improvements_TNMP Franchise Agreement Ordinance 2015008.pdf
Yes
La Marque - Letter of Commitment.pdf
PDR_Q7_La Marque Pedestrian Access Improvements - Project Timeline.pdf
This project stems from a planning process undertaken by the City of La Marque to help develop mobility and infrastructure projects and determine local priorities. This effort has been ongoing over the last year with key city staff members. As part of this effort, there were 13 mobility projects identified to help improve transportation and infrastructure in the City of La Marque. These projects were prioritized based on benefit-cost assessments and other planning factors. The sidewalk projects on FM1765 and FM519 were identified through this planning process and ranked toward the top of the project list. Given the immense safety and connectivity benefits these projects will provide, these sidewalks are important local priorities for LaMarque. The projects were discussed at a number of meetings at which community members and the general public were present. A presentation was given at the LaMarque Rotary Club meeting on April 26, 2018. While this meeting was not technically open to the public, many community members were in attendance. These projects were also presented at the La Marque City Council meetings on May 14, 2018 and June 11, 2018. Any member of the public is welcome to attend City Council meetings. The project limits for FM519 were considered to cross the railroad tracks on the north side and truncate at Oak Street, about 150 feet past the proposed limit. However, given the complexity and coordination required with the railroad, the decision was made to truncate the project limits at SH3.
Map/Location
Benefit/Cost Analysis
LMQ Sidewalks_Transit-Active-Transportation-Safety-Benefits.xlsx
Planning Factors - Barrier Elimination (Active Transportation)
No
No
Planning Factors - Emissions Reductions
0.26 tons/year
0.06 tons/year
Planning Factors - Environmental Justice
Yes
Yes
Planning Factors - Expands or Improves Bicycle & Pedestrian Connectivity to Employment/Schools/Medical Facilities/Transit Stops/Other Points of Interest
Yes
901 - 1000
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Planning Factors - Planning Coordination
Yes
This project stems from a planning process undertaken by the City of La Marque to help develop mobility and infrastructure projects and determine local priorities. This effort has been ongoing over the last year with key city staff members. As part of this effort, there were 13 mobility projects identified to help improve transportation and infrastructure in the City of La Marque. These projects were prioritized based on benefit-cost assessments and other planning factors. The sidewalk projects on FM1765 and FM519 were identified through this planning process and ranked toward the top of the project list. Given the immense safety and connectivity benefits these projects will provide, these sidewalks are important local priorities for La Marque. This planning process is still underway. Documentation of the process is evidenced by the presentations submitted with the application. A meeting was held with TxDOT on September 24, 2018 to discuss submittal of this project by TxDOT. Present at the meeting were Joel Clarke, Assistant Area Engineer and Ana Huerta, Ped-Bike Coordinator.
Presentations regarding the analyses are included in the Readiness Documents; the La Marque Economic Development and Infrastructure Improvement Strategy plan is under development.