COMMUNITY IMPACT MITIGATION: THINKING OUT OF THE BOX ON THE NHHIP PROJECT

2020 Short Course Presentation Sue Theiss TxDOT Director of Project Development

October 14, 2020 NHHIP PROJECT OVERVIEW PURPOSE AND NEED

. Purpose of NHHIP – Apply current design standards to enhance safety – Mitigate congestion by improving mobility and operational efficiency – Expand transit and carpool capacity with 2-way, 24/7 operations 12 – Maintain safe and effective evacuation routes

. Need for NHHIP 11 – Existing congestion 17 – Projected increases in population and employment 18 13 – Projected growth in traffic

1 6 4 – Outdated design elements – Aging infrastructure 3 19 . NHHIP has 9 of the Top 40 Most Congested Roadways in Texas

3 HISTORY OF THE I-45 NORTH CORRIDOR

. 2003: North-Hardy Corridor Study initiated between METRO, TxDOT, and H-GAC – Studied transit and highway alternatives between BW8 and Downtown – Decision to move forward transit alternatives analysis prior to starting highway alternatives

. 2004: North-Hardy Corridor Study Alternatives Analysis (Transit Component) – Identified need for direct links between transit bus service network and transit rail network – Recommended high capacity transit alternatives in the form of light rail and/or commuter rail from UH Downtown to Bush Intercontinental Airport

. 2005: North-Hardy Corridor Study Alternatives Analysis (Highway Component) – Analyzed alternatives to replace existing 2-lane reversible HOV lane – Study recommendation: convert existing HOV to 4-lane, 2-way managed lanes

. 2005-2011: METRO continues development of METRORail light rail line – METRO continues development of METRORail light rail line – TxDOT continues studying highway component alternatives

. 2011: Official start of Highway Component NHHIP EIS (3 Analysis Segments)

. 2013: METRO opens Transit Component (METRORail Red Line Light Rail)

. 2017: NHHIP DRAFT EIS posted a Proposed Recommended Alternative for each Analysis Segment

. Sept 2020: NHHIP FINAL EIS Posted

4 SEGMENT 1: PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE ELEMENTS

Segment 1 Segment 2 Segment 3 . Transit, Safety and Capacity Improvements – Add four (4) non-tolled managed lanes, 2 lanes in each direction, 24/7 operations (HOV + Transit + Future Innovations) – Add one (1) frontage road lane in each direction – Add full-width shoulders – Add bike/pedestrian features along frontage roads

. Right-of-Way (ROW) – Additional ROW needed primarily on the west side

Segment 1 Beltway 8 to I-610

9 mi

PRELIMINARY-SUBJECT TO CHANGE 5 SEGMENT 1: EXISTING vs PROPOSED

Segment 1 Segment 2 Segment 3

6 SEGMENT 2: PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE ELEMENTS

Segment 1 Segment 2 Segment 3 . Reconstruct I-45/I-610 Interchange – Shift left-side connections between interstates to right-side – Lower mainlanes and managed lanes to improve sight distances . Transit, Safety and Capacity Improvements (same as Segment 1) – Add four (4) non-tolled Managed Lanes, 2 lanes in each direction, 24/7 operations (HOV + Transit + Future Innovations) – Add full-width shoulders – Add bike/pedestrian features along frontage roads . Constrained Right-of-Way Required Engineering Innovations – Little White Oak Bayou – Hollywood Cemetery Segment 2 – Germantown Historic District I-610 to I-10 – Woodland Park 3 mi

PRELIMINARY-SUBJECT TO CHANGE 7 SEGMENT 2: EXISTING VS PROPOSED

Segment 1 Segment 2 Segment 3

Constrained ROW required freeway cap to add MaX lanes

NEAR PATTON ST. LOOKING SOUTH (TOWARD DOWNTOWN) 8 SEGMENT 3 (DOWNTOWN): “THE BIG FIX”

“UNTANGLING THE DOWNTOWN FREEWAY SYSTEM”

9 SEGMENT 3 (DOWNTOWN): “THE BIG FIX”

Segment 1 Segment 2 Segment 3

. Separate through-traffic from Downtown- destined traffic . Connect with Segment 2 MaX Lanes . Reconstruct four 1950s-era interchanges to remove bottlenecks . Flatten horizontal curves and remove reverse curves . Improve and remove weaving conditions . Reconstruct all 44 cross streets over/under NHHIP to incorporate City of Houston Bike Plan elements Segment 3 Downtown Loop System 12 mi

PRELIMINARY-SUBJECT TO CHANGE 10 BENEFITS OF “THE BIG FIX”

Segment 1 Segment 2 Segment 3

. CONGESTION RELIEF – Increases free flow speed by 20 mph around Downtown (Year 2040 AM Peak) – Reduces user delays by 50% during peak hour (Year 2040 AM Peak) – Reduces systemwide delay and increases systemwide average travel speeds

. SAFETY – Reduces fatal and injury crash rates between 20% and 28% compared to No Build Year 2040 – Increases sight distances – Improves bridge vertical clearances to Texas Highway Freight Network standards (18.5 ft)

PRELIMINARY-SUBJECT TO CHANGE 11 OPEN SPACE OPPORTUNITY

Segment 1 Segment 2 Segment 3

PRELIMINARY-SUBJECT TO CHANGE 12 PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT ENHANCED PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT (2011-2019)

Public Engagement 12 Public Meetings (2011-2017) 10 Public Hearings (2017) 2 Stakeholder Engagement 252 Local, State, & Federal Officials 22 Agencies (Cities, County, METRO) 53 Management Districts & Chambers of Commerce 55 Super Neighborhoods, Neighborhood Associations & Civic Clubs 18 TIRZ & Redevelopment Authorities 12 Organizations & Associations 24 Corporations (Houston Sports Teams, Railroads) 17 Developers 13 Individual Businesses & Property Owners 40

PRELIMINARY-SUBJECT TO CHANGE 14 PUBLIC & AGENCY ENTITY COORDINATION

. City of Houston . Houston Independent School District . Mayor’s NHHIP Facilitation Team . Aldine Independent School District . NHHIP Traffic Steering Committee . Mayor’s Complete Communities . Houston Housing Authority . Harris County . HCFCD: NHHIP Drainage studies underway across all applicable bayou watersheds . HCTRA: Hardy Toll Road Extension . Public Infrastructure: NHHIP Traffic Steering Committee . METRO . METRONext Implementation relating to NHHIP . Light rail and bus network design, construction and operational considerations . University of Houston – Downtown Campus . Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC)

15 COMMUNITY OUTREACH

. Community Meetings (Post Public Hearing) – Series of geographically-based community meetings along the 24-mile corridor – Combination open house / presentation with open Q&A • Project Overview • Review of Residential & Community Impacts • Discuss Potential Concerns & Remedies – Led by District leadership

. City of Houston Planning Department / Mayor’s Facilitation Team Attended

16 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE (EJ) MITIGATION HOUSING AND COMMUNITY-BASED INITIATIVES COMMUNITY / ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE (EJ)

Total Displacements (Project) Unit Type Displacements Single Family Units 160 Multi-Family Units 919 Total 1,079

Low-Income Housing (Segment 3) Housing Development Total Units Habitable Units Units Impacted Clayton Homes 296 184 296 Kelly Village 270 270 50

18 FREEWAY REALIGNMENT OPPORTUNITY

Segment 1 Segment 2 Segment 3 Current I-69 Alignment with Reverse Curves

Houston Housing (Clayton Homes)

Houston Housing (Kelly Village)

Realigned I-69 and Portion of Kelly Village Rerouted I-45 in same Impacted by Footprint without Reconstructed Reverse Curves Interchange

PRELIMINARY-SUBJECT TO CHANGE 19 CLAYTON HOMES RELOCATION (LOW INCOME HOUSING) . Property Description – Constructed 1952; renovated 2007 – Residential 2-story structures – 296 Units (254,488 SF gross building area) – 21.3 acres . 112 of 296 units uninhabitable due to repeated flooding . Early acquisition to advance replacement housing and relocation – TxDOT acquiring all 296 units in two phases for $90 million; replacing with 1000 units – 80% of the new units within two miles of the current location – Phase I closed in January 2020, Phase II closing late 2020

20 HOUSING & COMMUNITIES BASED INITIATIVES

. Two Primary Tracks – ROW Acquisitions & Enhanced Relocation Assistance Program – Affordable Housing Grant Program

. Housing & Communities Focus Group – Explore and Define Best Practices – Identify Effective Impact Mitigation Strategies – Uncover Opportunities to Leverage Existing Efforts, Programs and Resource – Deploy Strategies to achieve Win/Win Solutions in Project Implementation

21 EJ MITIGATION COMMITMENTS

. Enhanced Relocation Services (support and counseling for displacees) . Relocation Supplement to address affordability (opportunity for displacee to stay in neighborhood) . Air conditioning and weatherproofing for qualifying adjacent residents . Aesthetic walls for non-qualifying sound barrier homes . Improved pedestrian/bike access/safety on cross streets (15-17 feet of buffered protection) . Site-specific mitigation for schools . Electric buses for Houston ISD

22 ENHANCED RELOCATION SERVICES - DISPLACEMENTS

. TxDOT is contracting with professional relocation housing services to work individually with affected residents and business-owners

. Relocation counselors will work with individuals and families from notification through moving day

23 AFFORDABLE HOUSING FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

. TxDOT will provide direct financial assistance to neighborhoods to support specific affordable housing initiatives. – Construction of affordable single-family or multi- family housing, and supporting programs that provide assistance and outreach related to affordable housing – Program is budgeted for $27 million and will be coordinated with local partners to administer these funds – Assistance will be directed towards neighborhoods most impacted by the NHHIP

24 NHHIP PATH FORWARD

. August 2020: FEIS signed . October 2020: NOA posted to Federal Register . End of 2020: ROD anticipated . 2021-2022: Segment 3 Design Build procurement . Early 2023: Anticipated start of construction

25 HOUSTON DISTRICT RESOURCES

Eliza Paul, P.E. TxDOT Houston District Engineer (DE) 713-802-5001 / [email protected]

Varuna Singh, P.E. TxDOT Houston Deputy DE 713-802-5011 / [email protected]

Raquelle Lewis TxDOT Houston District PIO 713-802-5071 / [email protected]

26