BU 90-U Widening
Texas Department of Transportation
1/12/2015 12:42:36 PM
Project Narrative
Existing BU 90-U is an undivided four-lane asphalt roadway (44 feet wide) with 6-foot unpaved shoulders on each side and open roadside ditches in a largely industrial area sitting adjacent to two large railroad switching yards. The existing right-of-way (ROW) width varies from 100 to 108 feet (50 feet on the west and 50 to 58 feet on the east). Currently, no continuous center turn-lane exists on BU 90-U. As a result, vehicles wishing to make a left turn off of BU 90-U at any point between traffic lights are forced to block traffic while waiting for a sufficient break in oncoming traffic. Since congestion can be high, and there are only two lanes in either direction, it may take a while for a vehicle attempting to turn left to complete the turn, especially for large trucks, which account for 10% of the total traffic. Congestion is greatly increased by these turning vehicles, which also increase the risk of accidents. These restrictions to traffic flow are also a detriment to trade and economic commerce, as they slow freight and increase liability due to potential crashes. BU 90-U is on the National Highway System and is functionally classified as 2: US Highway.
The need for the proposed project is demonstrated by the following congestion, safety, operations/state of good repair, and economic problems with the current facility:
• Demand is exceeding or approaching capacity
• Current design does not address turning movements creating a safety and congestion problem
• Truck traffic is increasing
• Freight flow is impeded
The proposed project involves widening the existing four-lane undivided roadway on BU 90-U from IH 610 to approximately 100 feet east of Mesa Road to a six-lane divided curb-and-gutter concrete roadway with a 16-foot continuous center left-turn lane, a noted access management treatment. Bike accommodations will be provided.
The purposes of the project are:
• to improve traffic flow and circulation within the corridor,
• to reduce the number of traffic hazards resulting from an existing four-lane roadway without adequate clear zone,
• to reduce the number of traffic accidents occurring, and
• to improve sight distances to bring the roadway into conformance with current safety standards.
Not only would this benefit freight movement, but incident response time would also be greatly improved.
The project consists of widening BU 90-U from IH 610 Northeast to East of Mesa Road (Old FM 527). The length is approximately 1.2 miles. The proposed project involves widening the existing four-lane undivided roadway to a six-lane divided curb-and-gutter concrete roadway with a 16-foot continuous two-way left-turn lane, an acceptable access management treatment.
The proposed project, as the preferred alternative, would meet the public’s need for congestion reduction and long-range management of future traffic needs and bikes will be accommodated
Several conceptual alternatives were considered, including a no build alternative, using a systematic, interdisciplinary approach, which included input from the public, as well as federal, state, and local agencies. The improvements outlined in this application represent the preferred alternative.
The No-Build Alternative would not improve the BU 90-U roadway. Only routine maintenance would occur within this area. Additional travel lanes and a continuous left turn lane would not be added, therefore, congestion would continue and safety problems may increase.
Build Alternative 1 (preferred alternative) would build along both sides (east and west) of BU 90-U and maintain the existing centerline. Approximately 2.21 acres of additional ROW would be required, affecting eighty-eight parcels with two potential displacements. Public comment favored this alternative.
Build Alternative 2 would build along the east side of BU 90-U and shift the proposed alignment east of the existing centerline by ROW acquisition only on the east side of the roadway. Approximately 2.11 acres of additional ROW would be required, affecting thirty-eight parcels with three potential displacements.
Alternative 3 would build along the west side of BU 90-U and shift the proposed alignment west of the existing centerline by ROW acquisition only on the west side of the roadway. Approximately 2.39 acres of additional ROW would be required, affecting fifty parcels with five potential displacements.
The EA examined the direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of the project, which identified potential impacts of special concern to include: (a) land use impacts, (b) protection of threatened and endangered species, and (c) hazardous materials sites. The EA concluded that Build Alternative 1 is the recommended Preferred Alternative for the BU 90-U project
This project is relatively short. There is not a major street crossing, which would provide a logical termini that would justify constructing the project in separate segments.
Environmental Assessment (EA)
Please Select
No
10/01/2010
Yes
50
01/01/2017
Yes
No railroad agreement is needed; however utilities have been identified in the corridor that will need to be adjusted. At this time, there are no significant problems or anticipated impacts to the project schedule with respect to utility adjustment and the onset of construction for this project. Utility adjustments will occur according to standard TxDOT procedures, i.e. adjustments to be made by providers, with TxDOT reimbursement if eligible.
No
Appropriate public involvement was conducted as part of the Environmental Assessment.
Public Meeting - December 5, 2006.
Notice Affording the Opportunity for a Public Hearing (NAOPH) was published twice in the Houston Chronicle and twice in Spanish in La Voz.
All publications occurred in November 2010. In addition, copies of the NAOPH, in English and Spanish, were mailed to adjacent property owners and federal, state, county and city elected officials. One request for a hearing was received. The TxDOT Houston District met with the requestor and was able to satisfy their concerns. The request for the Public Hearing was subsequently withdrawn.
The PS&E is 90% complete. The Environmental Document (EA) is 90% complete. A Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is pending inclusion of the project in a current STIP. No USACE permit will be required. There is no known controversy. The ROW process is 30% complete; the project has been mapped, and 88 parcels will be required. It will take approximately 18 months to acquire the right-of-way, therefore, the project could be ready to let as early as 2017 if funding becomes available.
Currently, sight distances on the project limits are restricted. The proposed project would reduce the number of traffic hazards resulting from an existing four-lane undivided roadway without adequate clear zone, and would bring the roadway into conformance with current safety standards.
The number of accidents recorded in the project area in 2001, the last available year of data, was 34, including two fatalities. Overall trends suggest that as the traffic increases, the number of accidents occurring along the existing BU 90-U facility would also increase if the proposed improvements were not constructed, especially since truck traffic along this roadway is currently about 10% of traffic. The inclusion of the divided roadway and 16-foot continuous center left-turn lane would remove turning traffic from the path of through traffic, thus reducing the number of conflicting movements.
Currently, BU-90-U is a four-lane undivided roadway. As a result, vehicles wishing to make a left turn off of BU 90-U at any point between traffic lights in either direction are forced to block through traffic while waiting for a sufficient break in oncoming traffic. Since congestion can be high, it may take a while for vehicles attempting to turn left to complete the turn, especially for large trucks. Congestion is greatly increased by these turning vehicles, which also increase the risk of accidents. Since projected traffic volumes are higher, the congestion is expected to increase as traffic increases. These restrictions to traffic flow are a impediment to trade, as congestion slows commerce and increases financial liability due to accidents. They also have an adverse effect upon air quality, especially due to the higher than average volume of large truck traffic. Traffic modeling indicates that the proposed improvements would provide a facility that would meet estimated traffic volumes beyond the design year of 2025. Not only would this benefit freight movement, but incident response time would also be greatly improved.
Existing BU 90-U is an undivided four-lane concrete and asphalt roadway with 6-foot unpaved shoulders on each side and open roadside ditches. It was constructed in 1958, and is past the end of its normal service life. The heavy truck traffic on the roadway results in the need for continual maintenance. Also, currently, no continuous center turn-lane exists on BU 90-U. The proposed project involves widening the existing roadway to a six-lane divided curb-and-gutter concrete roadway with a 16-foot continuous center left-turn lane. Furthermore, the improvement from concrete and asphalt to strictly concrete will increase the expected life span of the facility (state of good repair). It will also result in a better riding surface, thus reducing maintenance costs for both the roadway and for the industrial, commercial and personal vehicle owners. The replacement of open roadside ditches with curb-and-gutter will improve safety and drainage on the project.
The proposed project lies in the vicinity of IH 610, the innermost loop around the City of Houston, in a highly industrialized area. The route is also connected to the Houston Ship Channel, and a main business route for freight movement. There are numerous warehouses with rail connections located adjacent to the roads including two rail switching yards immediately adjacent to the roadways (Settegest and Englewood). Rail freight is unloaded at these warehouses and transferred to trucks. The roadway is the main access from the warehouses to adjacent freeways on IH 610 and IH 10. The type of infrastructure improvement proposed by this project would enhance the movement of freight and hence regional economic competiveness.
According to HGAC’s 2040 RTP, the freeway/highway system accounts for 12 percent of the total miles, but 41 percent of the vehicle miles traveled. The highway network carries not only vehicular traffic but also carries the majority of freight in the region.
Nowhere in the region is this more important than the area in/around the Port of Houston. According to the Houston Ship Channel’s website, in 2012 the Port of Houston and the associated businesses contribute 1,026,820 jobs throughout Texas, up from 785,000 jobs cited in 2007. This activity has helped to generate more than $178.5B in economic impact. Additionally, more than $4.5B in state and local tax revenues are generated by business activities related to the Port. Exports in 2013 grew 5.4 percent over 2012 to $280B.
Traffic modeling indicates that the proposed improvements would provide for a facility that would meet estimated traffic volumes beyond the design year of 2025.
The proposed project, as the preferred alternative, would meet the public’s need for congestion reduction and long-range management of future traffic needs. Area-wide mobility and accessibility improvement would be achieved with no direct displacement of residences or businesses and no impacts to forested areas, threatened or endangered species, cultural resources or wetlands within the 2.21 acres of additional ROW. The reduction in congestion would provide for improved air quality, especially as much of the congestion is truck traffic.
Wherever feasible, existing trees will be trimmed and not removed. There will be no impact on any wildlife or waterfowl refuges, publicly-owned parklands, recreational areas, or National Register of Historic Places (NHRP) eligible historic properties, nor with there be any impact on areas of unique scenic beauty or other lands of national, state, or local importance. Landscaping will be limited to seeding and replanting the ROW with native species of grasses, shrubs, or trees where applicable. Soil disturbances will be minimized to limit the potential of invasive species from establishing within the ROW. To avoid affects to migratory birds and their habitat, the clearing of the existing ROW will be done outside of migratory bird nesting season. If clearing cannot be avoided during the nesting season, measures will be taken to prevent birds from nesting in existing structures and environmental personnel will perform a cursory nest survey prior to clearing.
Since the proposed project is within five miles upstream of a threatened or impaired water segment, coordination with the TCEQ is required. Since the project discharges to a Phase II Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4), a copy of the NOI will be sent to the City of Houston.
Under the Preferred Alternative, no encroachment onto the 100-year floodplain will occur at any location along BU 90-U. The Preferred Alternative will not increase the base flood elevation to a level that will violate applicable floodplain regulations and ordinances.
An investigation of land use activity in areas adjacent to the proposed project indicated there are no noise abatement measures that will be both feasible and reasonable for any commercial receivers that may be impacted by highway traffic noise. There are no residential receivers along the Preferred Alternative.
Four sites in the project area are recorded as having Leaking Underground Storage Tanks. Universal precautions will be taken during construction and the contractor will take appropriate measures to prevent, minimize, and control the spill of hazardous materials in the construction staging area. The use of construction equipment within sensitive areas will be minimized or eliminated entirely.
Cultural Resources
Archeological Resources
The cultural resources survey conducted of selected areas of the proposed widening of BU 90-U revealed no prehistoric or historic cultural materials. Because much of the project area is uplands and no cultural materials were encountered in any subsurface tests, construction of those parts of the project is not anticipated to affect any potential archeological sites eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) or designation as a State Archeological Landmark.
Historic Resources
A site visit conducted by TxDOT personnel revealed that there are eight historic-age resources 50 years or older (Pre-1964) in the proposed project area. TxDOT Historians determined the eight identified historic-age resources to be not eligible for inclusion into the NRHP.
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