Mobility Investment Priorities Project Houston US 59/IH 69 US 59/IH 69 (SOUTHWEST FWY) Between IH 610 W (West Loop) & Beltway 8 (Sam Houston Tollway)

Current Conditions US 59 Southwest Freeway between IH 610 (West Loop) and Beltway 8 (Sam Houston Tollway) is an 11- to 13-lane freeway with five or six general purpose lanes in each direction and a one-lane reversible high occupancy toll (HOT) lane in the middle. The Westpark Tollway runs roughly parallel to US 59 until it crosses at the Westpark Curve. Traffic on US 59 firmly follows a traditional inbound/morning and outbound/evening congestion pattern, though both directions experience slowdowns during the evening peak period. . Segment Length: 7.8 miles. . Road Type: 11- to 13-lane divided freeway. 2010 Rank: 20 2013 Rank: 24 . Annual Hours of Delay: 2,424,000. Annual Hrs of Delay/Mile: 310,000 . Texas Congestion Index: 1.44. Congestion Time: 5 Hours . Commuter Stress Index: 1.67. Annual Cost of Delay: $51.6 Million Average Daily Traffic: 230,000 Vehicles Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) infrastructure along this corridor includes: Miles Per Hour . Travel time monitoring system covering the entire segment. . Eight CCTV cameras to aid incident management. . Two dynamic message signs. . Eight flow signals. Possible Congestion Causes US 59 between IH 610 West Loop and Beltway 8 (Sam Houston Tollway) serves as a major route to many suburban communities including the City of Sugar Land which has grown from a small re-designated to IH 69 and will serve as a major community to a large urban master planned NAFTA trade route from Mexico to the Midwest. community with all available amenities including Some causes for congestion in this segment shopping, restaurants, schools, and residential include: areas. This freeway segment also serves pass- . High travel demand (traffic volumes), through traffic for motorists traveling north which extends beyond typical peak hours. towards downtown Houston and south to . Proximity to several other highly Victoria and beyond. This freeway has been congested segments. . Potential increase in truck traffic.

H-49 . Three major interchanges (Sam Houston hold TxDOT liable for damage to products that Tollway, Westpark Tollway, and IH 610) are removed from the roadway in such an event. . Horizontal and vertical geometrics at the Houston’s TranStar traffic and emergency Westpark Curve cause slowdowns both management center is the coordination hub for inbound and outbound. all incidents. Traffic incidents are detected, . Lack of auxiliary lanes between the verified, and the public is notified through its’ Westpark Curve and the IH 610 ITS system. Dispatch and response is sent via interchange. coordination of the various agencies. Projects in Progress or Completed Travel Options US 59 Expansion The Houston-Galveston Area Council’s (H-GAC) The US 59 Southwest Freeway was completed in Commute Solutions program funds, promotes, July 1961. In 1992, major reconstruction and and provides administrative support to various expansion was completed from Shepherd to commute alternative projects. The program Beltway 8 to include eight lanes and one provides public education to commuters and reversible HOV lane from the Westpark Curve to employers about available commuting options in Beltway 8. Widening to ten lanes began in 1997 the region and on the benefits of using and was completed in 2003. alternative transportation modes. The Commute HOV/HOT Lanes Solutions program also provides literature and The Southwest Freeway HOV lane was converted public outreach on carpooling, vanpools, transit, to a High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lane by METRO guaranteed ride home, teleworking, alternate in spring 2012. work schedules, and parking management. Incident Clearance Shared Commuting SAFEClear, the City of Houston’s rapid clearance NuRide is an online rideshare marketing program, provides quick response and towing of program that provides ride matches and crashed and disabled vehicles reducing rewards users for recording their alternative secondary crashes and congestion. More than 60 commute trips (i.e., ridesharing, bus, rail, private contractor tow trucks rapidly respond to telecommute, walk, bike, and compressed work all incidents (approximately two-thirds of week). The H-GAC NuRide program is the incidents were detected by the roving tow trucks nation’s largest Ridematching rewards program, and 90 percent were detected and cleared within with over 17,100 registered riders. Since its 20 minutes by SAFEClear). However, inception in June 2005, the program has resulted effectiveness of this program was reduced in in 3.32 million fewer car trips, 79.42 million summer 2010 when City budget cuts caused a fewer miles driven, and the saving of $50 fee to be instituted for the previously free 3.86 million gallons of gas. tows. METRO operates the STAR Vanpool program TxDOT, METRO, and Harris County operate serving more than 700 routes and is ranked as fewer than a dozen Motorist Assistance Program the second largest vanpool program nationally (MAP) pick-up trucks as a free assistance by passenger trips and the third largest vanpool program to provide minor aid to stranded program nationally by passenger miles in the motorists. It also reduces traffic congestion and 2011 APTA Fact Book. improves highway safety.

A heavy tow truck contract allows quick removal of large trucks. There is a policy that does not

H-50 Flextime Wheeler Station south of downtown Houston Many employers offer flexible work schedules, and extend eastward to the Eastwood Transit with around 350 employers participating Center. When all lines of the Houston METRORail annually in the Flex in the City Program. System Plan are completed, the University Line will also connect with the Uptown Line at the Incentive Driven TDM Programs Bellaire Station, providing BRT or light rail Many large companies in the Texas Medical access to the Galleria, and the Southeast Line at Center, the Energy Corridor, and the Central two stations around the University of Houston. Business District subsidize all or part of their The University Line is on hold while the project employees vanpool or transit commuting costs. awaits approval for new funding sources. Twenty-five companies voluntarily participate in the Commute Champion Program enabling Corridor Transit Service Along the US 59 Corridor, METRO has routes to H-GAC to document emission reductions related downtown and local transit centers. Routes on to their Commuter Benefits. Additionally 38 US 59 Southwest Freeway into downtown companies and 17 local governments are include: Route 262 – Westwood, Route 265 – W. participating in the Clean Air Champion Program Bellfort, and Route 269 – Westwood/W. Bellfort in which they voluntarily provide information in the late evening. Additionally, several park- enabling H-GAC to document their proactive and-ride lots provide support of transit activity efforts to decrease emissions. in the corridor. The West Belfort Park-and-Ride, Teleworking located at US 59 and Beltway 8 offers links on Approximately 2.9 percent of the trips recorded four different routes with access to the Texas by the NuRide program are telecommutes. Medical Center and downtown. The Westwood Guaranteed Ride Home Programs Park-and-Ride also offers four routes with links The GRH program provides emergency rides to the Texas Medical Center and downtown. home to transit and rideshare users to address Planning Efforts to Date one of the main concerns of those who do not Direct Connectors & Auxiliary Lanes drive. All registered users of METRO bus and An auxiliary lane is planned at US 59 for the STAR vanpool riders, registered TREK Express Fountainview entrance ramp west of IH 610. users, and Fort Bend County Transit users have The project will provide greater throughput in access to three free rides home per year. times of congestion. Additionally, funding from Houston Area Transit Service the Mobility Investment Priorities project has METRO provides local and express bus service been directed to the construction of three direct via 97 routes, serving approximately 208,200 connectors (DCs) from US 59 to IH 610. Right- average daily boardings (weekday – FY 2012). of-way acquisition, design, and engineering will METRO also operates 32 park and ride routes use $21.27 million for the DCs. The preliminary serving approximately 29,200 average daily engineering is complete, though it is still waiting boardings (weekday – FY2012). METRO also has environmental clearance. The project is slated to light rail transit, the Red Line, along a 7.5-mile let in 2015 or 2016. section serving Downtown, Texas Medical Mobility Improvements to Significant Parallel Center, and Reliant Center with 38,100 average Streets daily boardings (weekday – FY2012). This early action feasibility study would identify The future University Line will connect the mobility improvements along major streets in Hillcroft Transit Center located near the north the US 59 corridor in order to create viable end of the US 59 corridor to the Red Line at alternate routes. These mobility improvements

H-51 would include capacity increases (where using the latest traffic data and equipment and possible) and operational treatments including the most recent technologies to produce new active traffic management strategies such as customized signal timings. They develop signal re-timing, dynamic rerouting using optimization plans for selected zones and improved surface streets, and traveler respond to citizen complaints concerning signal information. timing and phasing. US 59 should be considered for the implementation of the TSPIP where 2040 Regional Transportation Plan appropriate. The Houston-Galveston Area Council (HGAC) is in the process of updating the current 2035 Support for Aggressive Incident Management Regional Transportation Plan. The 2040 The Motorist Assistance Program has operated a Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) is the few vehicles to assist with minor repairs and framework for the Houston region’s stalled vehicles for 20 years. SAFEClear, the City transportation system to the year 2040. It of Houston’s rapid clearance program that identifies the goals, strategies and priorities for implemented performance driven tow services meeting the region’s transportation needs. The (tow trucks have to reach incident site in six plan will help guide decisions regarding funding minutes), has been very successful since 2005 in and investment for future transportation reducing incident clearance times and improving projects in the Houston-Galveston region. The safety. Crash reductions of between 10 percent updates to the 2040 plan will take place in three and 15 percent were reported for the first four phases; Phases 2 and 3 are of significance to years of the program. Recent funding cuts have congested corridors. In Phase 2, the agency mandated that motorists have to pay for the tow, looks at revisions to the current congestion and the tows have been made optional. The management process. In Phase 3, the region will number of tows has, therefore, been reduced by finalize their investment priorities, which may 60 percent to 70 percent. Dedicated funding include several of the congested corridors. resources or a different operating strategy should be found for programs such as SAFEClear Next Steps to advance incident management strategies. Mobility Response Team (MRT) The City of Houston Department of Public Works Feasibility Study for Implementation of Active and Engineering and the Houston Police Traffic Management Strategies Department have formed a Mobility Response Improving the operation of the existing freeway Team to help alleviate traffic congestion. The allows the greatest return on the roadway agencies locate traffic bottlenecks and HPD investment. A study should be conducted to Mobility Response Officers are dispatched to identify freeway locations that can benefit from provide traffic control at these hot spots. The operational treatments such as dynamic implementation of this program should be rerouting, dynamic traveler information, and directed at the most congested corridors in the variable speed limits. Houston region, including US 59. Evaluation of Travel Option Strategies TSPIP (Traffic Signal Performance A feasibility study to examine potential benefits Improvement Program) and implementation strategies for travel options The City of Houston has developed the Traffic in the corridor should be conducted. These Signal Performance Improvement Program to strategies include, but are not limited to flex- monitor and assure quality and control at signals time, carpooling, and employer sponsored throughout the city. They ensure the city is vanpooling, transit, and parking incentives.

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