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

Sims Bayou Bridge

2. Project County

Harris County

3. Facility/Street Name

Galveston Rd

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

TXDOT Bridge over Sims Bayou

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

State Highway 3 (SH 3) is a major north/south principal arterial roadway that traverses Harris and Galveston counties. Along this segment of SH 3 there is an average daily traffic count of 13,514 vehicles and a posted speed limit ranging from 55 miles per hour. It does not have a designated bicycle facility. The need for the proposed project is demonstrated by the following conditions: •Sims Bayou transverses east/west SH 3 (Galveston Rd), the bridge currently has a 5 foot sidewalk. • The Sims Bayou trail currently has a 10 shared use path lane in places along the road, but the shared use path is completely absent over the bridge. • Many cyclists and high school students ride along the Sims Bayou Bridge at SH 3 to cross Sims Bayou without any designated bicycle route across the bridge, to connect the north and south trails of Sims Bayou. • Sims Bayou is a major waterway barrier; there is no bicycle route that connects the north and south side Sims Bayou. • There is a gap in the existing Sims Bayou Shared Use Path. The Houston Parks Board (HPB) is currently constructing greenways and 10’ wide concrete trails on both sides of this bridge to make connections from nearby parks, schools and neighborhoods. HPB has finished construction of the greenway trail on the south side of Sims Bayou and will finish construction Spring 2019 of the second half of the trail which is on the north side. Many more pedestrians and cyclists will be traveling on this bridge including lots of school-aged kids commuting to/from school.

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

The proposed bike facility is located on SH 3 and spans over Sims Bayou. The project includes bridge widening, installing a physical barrier and the 48” bridge railing and signage. This project does not require additional acquisition of right-of-way. Sims Bayou Greenways Trail is a regionally significant east-west bikeway facility, as indicated by HPB, in its totality the trail begins in southwest Houston and flows east near Hobby Airport toward the Houston Ship Channel.

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

The purpose of the proposed project is to provide a safe and continuous bicycle facility along the SH 3 Bridge across the bridge span over Sims Bayou, the facility will be separate from vehicular traffic by a physical barrier creating a safe and hospitable bicycle route, improving connectivity for alternative modes of transportation to and from schools (bicycle), and encourage mode shifts from driving to cycling for non-work trips. The project will address a gap along the Sims Bayou Greenway Trail.

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.

503857

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

HOU_88_SIMS - Letter of Support.pdf

Project Development/Readiness

1. Please select the level of engineering completed.

Schematic

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?

06/01/2023

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

(c)(3) Construction of bicycle and pedestrian lanes, paths, and facilities

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

Yes

US Coast Guard Permits

No

Railroad Agreements

No

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).

HOU_88_SIMS - Interagency Coordination.docx

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

HOU_88_SIMS - Timeline.pdf

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

Advanced Funding Agreement (AFA) will be needed for this project since the Houston Parks Board (HPB) will provide the 20% match required. No permits from the railroad are expected to be required before the project can be constructed. No documentation is needed from the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). TxDOT’s Houston District Environmental Section has reviewed the project and indicated that the criteria for FHWA Categorical Exclusion Action (c)(3) Construction of bicycle and pedestrian lanes, paths, and facilities would be appropriate for this project, a United States Coast Guard (USCG) Permit will be needed as the ped/bike bridge will cross SIMS Bayou. This project does not require additional acquisition of right-of-way (ROW), no ROW acquisition and/or easements is needed. ROW is owned by City of Houston, which is a project partner. The existing load bearing capacity for the SH3/Galveston Bridge NBI No. 12-102-B261-05-003 will share with the proposed widened substructure the additional concrete dead load. Bridge design consideration: 10ft shared use path w/ 1% roadway slope and 2% sidewalk slope. 14 ft total width. 3% combined slope. 60 ft proposed bridge width 298 ft existing bridge length TxDOT’S Bridge Section provided the preliminary typical section for the proposed shared use path bridge and a detailed construction budget. This project leverages the HPB Sims Bayou Greenway improvements that connect the share use path to an existing sidewalk along Galveston Rd. Scoping meeting conducted by TxDOT TxDOT held several internal meeting to discuss the project. • 8/30/2018 - Meeting with TxDOT Directors: Director of Consultant Contracts, Director TP&D, Senior Planner on behalf of Dir. of Adv. Transportation Planning, Dir. of Project Development, Director of Design. o Directors meeting to discuss improvements with TxDOT Management and get feedback on any preliminary design concerns. • 5/9/18 & 10/15/18 - Meeting with Houston Parks Board o Meeting to discuss improvements, as well as request letters of support. • 7/25/208 - TxDOT – City of Houston meeting o Meeting to discuss improvements, get preliminary feedback, and discuss possibility of City of Houston Public Works and Engineering Department willingness to serve as a project sponsor, if needed.

9. Additional Project Development/Readiness Attachment (Optional)

HOU_88_SIMS - Project Readiness.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)

HOU_88_SIMS- Location Map.pdf

Project Budget

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

HOU_88_HGAC_Template.xlsx

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

No

Benefit/Cost Analysis

1. Safety Benefits

TxDOT - Bike Ped Safety Benefits - SIMS Bridge.zip

2. Delay Benefits

10302018111453PM.zip

3. Emissions Benefits

TxDOT - Bike Ped Emissions Benefits - SIMS Bridge.zip

4. Additional BCA Documentation (Optional)

HOU_88_SIMS_Additional_Information.zip

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

Sims Bayou Bridge Daily User Methodology Generation Methodology A Bicycle and Pedestrian Demand Sketch methodology (Greg Griffin) was utilized to generate daily bicycle and pedestrian volumes for the Sims Bayou Bridge Facility. This methodology utilizes American Community Survey commuting mode share data (Subject Table “S0801 Commuting Characteristics by Sex”) to estimate mode shares along the facility for both bicycle and pedestrians. A multiplier was generated to account for additional bike and pedestrian travel outside of the commuting periods. To develop the most accurate estimate of mode share for each project, buffers were utilized to account for surrounding land uses and area types. A 1.5-mile buffer was utilized for pedestrian projects and a 5-mile buffer for bike projects. ACS data within these buffers was averaged to generate a likely mode share for both bike and pedestrian modes. This data was then applied to traffic volumes generated from the regional travel demand model to estimate daily user bike and pedestrian trips. The specific process utilized to develop daily user estimates is outlined below: Assemble mode share and roadway network data • ACS data collection for city/county/MPO bike and pedestrian commute share • Pull ADT information from regional model for appropriate network links parallel or nearby project facilities • Load data into GIS • Identify ACS Block Groups within buffer range to generate ACS mode share estimates Apply local count bicycle rate to roadway segments • The SH 3 Access Management Study was utilized to pull local bike count data as the study limits were in proximity to the Sims Bayou Bridge Facility. The bike count was used to extrapolate a reasonable bicycle mode share for the project. This bike mode share was applied as a proportion of current and/or projected vehicular volumes along specific roadway segment to develop estimated daily users. Apply pedestrian rates to roadway segments • The direct ACS pedestrian mode share was applied to the Sims Bayou Bridge project as a proportion of current and/or projected vehicular volumes along specific roadway segment to develop estimated daily users. Transit ridership estimates were utilized to determine that this method was more feasible than applying the sketch planning multiplier. Reasonableness Check • A reasonable check was conducted by reviewing local information and transit ridership information to assess the reasonableness of user estimates generated in the previous steps. The initial methodology resulted in unreasonable reasonable estimates of potential bicycle and pedestrian users in the year open to traffic based on local knowledge of the area. Thus, a local count study was utilized to better adapt the methodology. When the new bicycle mode share rate was applied, the counts were found to be reasonable. Interpolate to Estimate Build Year Daily Users • The HGAC Model Years are 2018, 2025, and 2045. To estimate the “build year” daily users, an interpolation was applied to develop estimates for 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.

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.

0.67 tons/year NOX

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

0.18 tons/year VOCs

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?

Yes

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.

Interagency coordination: City of Houston, Houton Parks Board, TxDOT

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

http://houstonparksboard.org/bayou-greenways-2020/