Interactive Survey Results (November – December 2017) Kendall Gateway Study San Antonio District in cooperation with Kendall County and the City of Boerne Kendall County, Texas March 2018 The environmental review, consultation, and other actions required by applicable Federal environmental laws for this project are being, or have been, carried-out by TxDOT pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated December 16, 2014, and executed by FHWA and TxDOT. Table of Contents 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1 2. Logistics and Outreach ............................................................................................... 2 3. Survey Summary ......................................................................................................... 3 3.1 Issues and Goals ....................................................................................... 5 3.2 Tradeoffs .................................................................................................... 8 3.3 Concept Selection ................................................................................... 10 4. Additional Comments ................................................................................................ 16 TABLES Table 1 Residency Locations of Survey Participants ........................................................ 2 Table 2 Concept Preferences ............................................................................................. 2 FIGURES Figure 1 Residency Locations of Survey Participants ........................................................ 1 Figure 2 Reasons for Traveling on SH 46 ........................................................................... 2 Figure 3 Importance of Issues and Project Goals in the Study Area ................................. 3 Figure 4 Importance of Project Goals in the Study Area .................................................... 5 Figure 5 Tradeoffs of Concept Design Options ................................................................... 6 Figure 6 Overall Concept Map ............................................................................................. 8 Figure 7 Concept Preferences in the Northwest Quadrant .............................................. 10 Figure 8 Concept Preferences in the Northeast Quadrant .............................................. 10 Figure 9 Concept Preferences in the Southwest Quadrant ............................................. 11 Figure 10 Concept Preferences in the Southeast Quadrant .............................................. 11 i Kendall Gateway Study March 2018 1. Introduction The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), in cooperation with Kendall County and the City of Boerne, conducted an interactive online survey asking the public to share their thoughts and ideas on the transportation and mobility challenges facing Boerne and Kendall County. The survey was just one of the ways the “Study Team” (TxDOT, City of Boerne, and Kendall County) engaged people in the planning effort for the Kendall Gateway Study – a feasibility study. The goal of the Kendall Gateway Study is to identify viable transportation corridors to include in local and regional long-range planning. The Study was inspired by the need to address numerous concerns, including: • Past, present, and future population growth; • Traffic congestion; • Lack of east-west corridors in the area; and • Heavy traffic through downtown Boerne. The Kendall Gateway Study is a data-driven planning project that is based on technical data (traffic data, environmental constraints, etc.), as well as public involvement and feedback. The final product will be a feasibility report that identifies recommended concepts to aid in local and regional long-range planning. Downtown Boerne Kendall Gateway Study 1 March 2018 2. Logistics and Outreach The survey was available from November 8, 2017 to December 4, 2017 online at txdot.gov, keywords “Kendall Gateway Study”. It took approximately 5 to 7 minutes to complete, and was available online 24/7. The survey was advertised via the following methods: • Open House – An Open House was held for the Kendall Gateway Study on Wednesday, November 8, 2017. Approximately 163 project stakeholders attended the meeting. The survey was unveiled at the meeting and i-Pads were available at the meeting for attendees to complete the survey. • Palm Cards – Palm cards Interactive Survey Station at the Open House were handed out at the November 8, 2017 Open House. The cards contained a link to the survey for those wishing to complete it later. • Go-to-Them Meeting – On Monday, November 20, 2017, Study Team members were available in-person at the Patrick Heath Public Library (451 N. Main St., Boerne, Texas) for a three-hour period to help community members complete the survey. • Email Notifications – On November 17, 2017, an invitation email was sent to individuals included on the Study’s Stakeholder Database. A second email was sent to these individuals on November 27, 2017, extending the survey commenting period through December 4, 2017 (originally ended on November 27, 2017). • Website Postings – A link to the survey was published on TxDOT’s website at http://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/projects/studies/san-antonio/kendall-gateway- study.html. • Media – An article describing the survey was posted on November 17, 2017 in the Boerne Star newspaper. Kendall Gateway Study 2 March 2018 3. Survey Summary Kendall Gateway Study stakeholders weighed in with their opinions on transportation and mobility challenges in the Boerne and Kendall County study area. There was a total of 1,124 participants in the survey, and an additional 711 persons who opened the survey link but never progressed to the next screen. Most participants (approximately 97 percent) were residents of the City of Boerne and/or Kendall County, with only approximately 3 percent residing in other areas (Figure 1 and Table 1). Figure 1: Residency Locations of Survey Participants Kendall Gateway Study 3 March 2018 Table 1: Residency Locations of Survey Participants # of Survey % of Survey County Zip Code(s) Participants* Participants Bandera 78063 1 0.1% Bexar 78201 8 1.1% Collin 75013 2 0.3% Comal 78130, 78132, 78163 4 0.5% Gillespie 78624 1 0.1% Kendall 78004, 78006, 78013, 78015 708 97.1% Kerr 78025 1 0.1% Mason, Menard 76856 1 0.1% McMullen 78007 1 0.1% Medina 78009, 78016 2 0.3% *395 of the survey participants did not provide their zip code. When asked, “What is your primary reason for traveling on SH 46.”, the largest percentage of participants (approximately 34 percent) said it was for shopping and running errands. Another large percentage (approximately 24 percent each) use State Highway (SH) 46 for: (1) commuting to and from work, and (2) for other undisclosed reasons (Figure 2). 24% 24% Commute to/from work Shopping/errands Commute to/from school Hauling freight 11% I do not use SH 46 Other 0% 7% 34% Figure 2: Reasons for Traveling on SH 46 Kendall Gateway Study 4 March 2018 3.1 Issues and Goals Participants were asked to rate a list of issues and goals on how well they thought each capture and address the issues facing the Boerne and Kendall County community. Each issues and goal were rated on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 representing the least important and 5 representing the most important. Issues Of the issues provided, participants ranked traffic congestion (4.1 out of 5.0) and population growth (4.0 out of 5.0) as the most important issues in the study area. Heavy truck traffic was ranked with the lowest score (3.4 out of 5.0) (Figure 3). Figure 3: Importance of Issues in the Study Area Participants were also given the opportunity to provide comments on each issue. A representative of comments received during this question are presented below. A complete listing of comments is provided in Appendix A. Kendall Gateway Study 5 March 2018 Population Growth • “Especially true on south side.” • “Growth eastward along [SH] 46 has increased traffic with minimal routes to connect to I-10.” • “Too many homes being built without the infrastructure fixed first.” • “Population growth is not the problem. Inefficient movement of people is the problem.” Traffic Congestion • “Area in front of Champion [High School] is a mess.” • “Ammann entrance onto [SH] 46 is terrifying.” • “I try to avoid areas near the H-E-B on west Blanco near IH 10.” • “The traffic surrounding Herff Ranch Boulevard all the way to Herff Ranch Road is ridiculous!” • “Congestion would be substantially reduced if all SH 46 westbound trucks to I-10 were diverted…down [FM] 3351.” • “Primarily on [SH} 46 east of Boerne and on Main Street.” • “Widen already placed roads and travel would flow more easily.” Lack of Corridors • “You don’t need more roads! You need passing lanes on [SH] 46.” • “More options for routes around the developed areas of Boerne are needed.” • “What about widening the existing corridors – adding turn lanes where appropriate?” • “Yes, there is a need but NOT through the middle of quiet rural areas that would be ruined if a corridor is bulldozed through.” • “Need more access routes into San Antonio.” • “There needs to be an established and enforced truck route around Boerne.” • “There needs to be more north-south corridors other than Main St. and School St.” Heavy Truck Traffic • “River Road and Main Street (downtown) is especially a problem.” • “By banning through truck traffic in the middle of Boerne,