SH 146 Widening
Texas Department of Transportation
1/12/2015 4:50:39 PM
Project Narrative
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 conditions:
• Demand exceeds or approaches capacity for both a.m. & p.m. daily commute periods.
• Hurricane and emergency evacuation options are a documented concern.
• Congestion due to competing uses (i.e. local traffic use and through traffic use).
• Roadway design deficiencies.
• Predicted increases in truck traffic due to growth of nearby port facilities, which will further degrade the pavement condition.
Currently, SH 146 is a multi-lane divided highway that transitions between four, 12-foot main lanes (two each direction) and six, 12-foot main lanes (three each direction). SH 146 is on the national highway system and is functionally classified as 2: US highway. It carried 11% truck traffic in 2013 and is a designated evacuation route. It runs parallel to IH 45 and provides key access and connection to the Port of Houston, one of the world’s largest port facilities and a key economic generator for the Houston region.
The purpose of the proposed project is to improve mobility and safety by reducing crashes, reduce traffic congestion and increasing reliability, improving safety by providing a better hurricane evacuation route, and creating a facility consistent with thoroughfare and transit plans, and to provide travel options while minimizing adverse environmental effects. The project will improve the existing transportation facility to a state of good repair.
The proposed improvements will widen SH 146 to six lanes from FM 518 to FM 1764.
The SH 146 MIS was completed in 2003. This project was developed based on an analysis of the existing traffic conditions, forecasts of future travel demand, and projected population growth in this largely industrial/residential area. 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 preferred alternative consists of widening SH 146 to a six-lane divided facility: three lanes each direction and constructing two, two-lane frontage roads. It also included elevated direct connectors at the SH 146/Port Road interchange, which have already been constructed.
The phasing of this project is outlined in the budget. It will follow the segments north of FM 518.
Environmental Assessment (EA)
Please Select
No
11/01/2011
Yes
0
01/01/2020
Yes
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 are typically done by the provider, with TxDOT reimbursement if eligible.
No
Two Public Meetings – 12/2004
Public Hearing – 1/2012
Environmental clearance is at 30 percent, schematics are at 30 percent, and right-of-way mapping is at 30 percent. Number of ROW parcels to be determined when ROW mapping is complete.
Due to the facility’s limited capacity, residents (generally located south of the project area), responding to warnings of approaching hurricanes, have experienced significant delays using the SH 146 Corridor as a main evacuation route. Existing north-south roadways serving the project area consist exclusively of SH 146. Evacuation from Galveston Island and the lower mainland is a concern during pre-storm conditions and emergency evacuations. Due to lowered elevation levels, emergency conditions are enhanced in the project area due to flooding and congestion during weather of approaching storms. This is most noticeable at peak traffic conditions such as recreational and special event parking, intersection congestion, and when incidents obstruct the Clear Creek Bridge. Other roadways such as SH 3 and IH 45 provide limited relief to this primary route, which is designated as a hurricane evacuation route for the surrounding communities.
The SH 146 project located in a largely industrial/residential. Residential development consisting of both single- and multi-family housing is keeping pace with the increased employment in the project area and along the east/west roadways connecting to SH 146 and the Galveston Bay communities, such as Shoreacres and Bacliff. With the high growth in both population and employment that the City of Houston and surrounding areas are experiencing, travel demand along the SH 146 Corridor is exceeding its capacity causing severe congestion and bottlenecks along the proposed project especially during peak hour time periods. Factors contributing to increased traffic congestion and deficiencies along the project corridor are provided in the following sections from the MIS that was completed in 2003. ADT has grown ~ three percent per year since 2011.
Traffic Volumes: Relatively high population and employment levels for a primarily suburban corridor are reflected by the estimated trip characteristics observed within the project vicinity. In year 2005, the average daily traffic (ADT) on SH 146 was approximately 41,700 vehicles per day (vpd). By 2035, ADT is expected to grow to approximately 73,200 vpd. This represents an increase in traffic of almost 76 percent over the next 20 years.
During the peak hour in 2005, the approximate mix of vehicles on the highway (4,550 vehicles) consisted of automobiles (58 percent), medium trucks (27 percent), and heavy trucks (15 percent). By 2035, automobiles would represent only 36 percent of the traffic. However, peak hour truck traffic in the project vicinity is expected to increase to 2,719 vehicles (from 682 heavy trucks in 2005), which represents a 22 percent increase in heavy trucks. Peak hour traffic for medium trucks is also expected to increase (from 1,228 to 1,984 medium trucks) but would continue to represent 27 percent of the traffic.
The 2005 traffic volume on SH 146 was approximately 41,700 vpd. The existing facility currently operates at LOS F; and is projected to operate at LOS C in 2035 with an ADT of 73,200 vpd. The determination of existing and projected traffic volumes levels indicate that widening SH 146 from Fairmont Parkway to Red Bluff would result in substantially improved travel speeds and LOS for the design year 2025.
• Truck Percentages: It is anticipated that future truck traffic would be significantly impacted by the development of container terminals along Galveston Bay (Gunda 2005). With the Houston Port Authority’s plan to expand the Bayport Ship Channel Container/Cruise Terminal near La Porte as well as the Shoal Point Container Terminal in Texas City, it is estimated that 85 percent of the truck traffic from the two terminals would utilize the SH 146 Corridor to the north of their proposed locations. Therefore, it is anticipated that truck volumes from the Bayport Terminal added to trucks from the Shoal Point Terminal, which generally use SH 146 from south of the project area (near FM 519) to Fairmont Parkway, would increase truck percentages along SH 146 from Red Bluff to Fairmont Parkway.
• Growth Trends: According to the SH 146 Corridor Major Investment Study (MIS), this growth suggests that communities within the project vicinity are reaching build-out and the next ring of sub-urbanization is rapidly occurring south of the project area (TxDOT 2003). This new ring of growth affects travel patterns within the project area and further contributes to the increasing congestion levels observed along the SH 146 Corridor.
Travel Patterns: According to the SH 146 Corridor MIS, in 2000, weekday trips remaining within the SH 146 Corridor represented approximately 65 percent of the total trips generated by the corridor (TxDOT 2003). Only 35 percent of the total daily trips either left the corridor or entered the corridor from outside the project area. However, this does not hold true for weekends and holidays, when tourist attractions bring in a larger percentage of trips from outside the project vicinity. These travel patterns are expected to be maintained, suggesting that the regional travel facilities, such as SH 146, would continue to be used for shorter intra-corridor type trips as well as regional ones.
The existing pavement is old, but still serviceable. Even though the pavement conditions vary from very good to very poor according to the 2014 condition scores, the increasing volume of truck traffic will continue to degrade this pavement.
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.
The shipping industry has made substantial investments to existing and new container port facilities for the Bayport Ship Channel Container/Cruise Terminal near La Porte and Shoal Point Terminal in Texas City. Tourism and recreational activities are highly visible in the Cities of Seabrook and Kemah with the recent commercial development and sailboat/yacht facilities associated with Clear Lake and Galveston Bay.
Upgrading the current pavement as well as widening will help to support this continued growth and development.
The Department’s modus operandi related to natural and cultural resources is: avoid, minimize, mitigate. This project/preferred alternative is not anticipated to result in:
Significant soils affected,
Substantial interruption in utility services,
Reduced community cohesion,
Isolation of distinct areas or ethnic groups and all individual minority and low-income populations will be equally affected,
Displaced businesses,
Loss of jobs and a minimal amount of land will be removed from the tax base,
Impacts to historical structures,
Impacts to parks, recreation areas, refuges, etc.
The No Build scenario will, however, have a negative impact on the community as traffic will increase, causing congestion, and a general deterioration of mobility and pavement conditions.
713-627-3200
