The Texas Department of Transportation El Paso District Loop 375 Improvement Project From Interstate 10 (I-10) to 0.479 miles east of the Tom Mays Unit of the Franklin Mountains State Park El Paso County Public Hearing Summary Public Hearing Date: March 22, 2011 Prepared: August 2011 Table of Contents VOLUME 1: Section 1: Certification Statement Section 2: Public Hearing Summary and Analysis/Recommendation Section 3: Public Hearing Comment and Response Report Overview Table 3-1 Responses to Frequently Made Comments (Table 3-1) Table 3-2 Frequently Made Comments by RID number (Table 3-2) Public Hearing Comments and Responses Matrix (Response Matrix) TxDOT Responses to Lengthy Public Comments (Long Responses) Section 4: Public Hearing Transcript Appendix A Newspaper Articles/Notices & Affidavits El Paso Times Articles & Affidavits El Diario de El Paso Articles & Affidavits Other Media Coverage/Communications Appendix B Letters/Notices Appendix C Mailing Lists Appendix D Sign-in Sheets Appendix E Public Hearing Handout/ Agenda Appendix F Public Hearing Presentation Appendix G Exhibits VOLUME 2: Appendix H Comments Index of Commenters (RID Log) Comments Organized by Reference Identification (RID) # (RIDS) Comment Packet (Letter and Addenda) Received from Representative Susie Byrd (S. Byrd) includes the petition called “Save El Paso’s Franklin Mountains” VOLUME 3: Appendix I Photos Appendix J Meeting Minutes Appendix K Petitions – Includes Mr. Jim Tolbert’s petition called “Initiative Petition” provided to Mr. Gregory Punske on March 22, 2011. Section 1 Certification Statement Section 2 Public Hearing Summary and Analysis/Recommendation Section 2 Public Hearing Summary and Analysis/Recommendation District/County: El Paso District /El Paso County Highway/Limits: Loop 375 from Interstate 10 (I-10) to 0.479 miles east of the Tom Mays Unit of the Franklin Mountains State Park CSJ/ Project Number: 2552-01-033 Proposed Improvements: The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) proposes improvements to Loop 375 (Transmountain Road) from Interstate 10 (I-10) to 0.479 mile east of the Tom Mays Unit of the Franklin Mountains State Park. The project is located in northwest El Paso in El Paso County, Texas. From east of I-10 to the Tom Mays Unit of the Franklin Mountains State Park Access Road the existing facility consists of a variable width right-of-way (ROW) with two undivided 12-foot-wide travel lanes and 8- foot wide shoulder on the north side of the roadway and a 10-foot wide shoulder on the south side of the roadway. From Tom Mays Park Access Road to the eastern end of the project, Loop 375 consists of a four-lane divided roadway with two 12-foot wide travel lanes in each direction, a variable median, 6-foot-wide inside shoulders, and 10-foot- wide outside shoulders. The existing roadway does not contain sidewalks or hike-and- bike trails but the existing shoulder is currently used as an emergency lane and bike path. The proposed project consists of expanding the current two-lane undivided roadway to a four-lane divided freeway with two-lane frontage roads in each direction and grade separations at major intersections as well as two direct connectors from Loop 375 west to I-10 east and from I-10 west to Loop 375 east. The proposed mainlanes would generally consist of two 12-foot travel lanes in each direction with 4-foot wide inside shoulders, 10-foot wide outside shoulders, and a 38-foot wide inside median. The design includes a third 12-foot wide auxiliary lane in areas between proposed entrance and exit ramps in order to facilitate merging traffic. The proposed roadway design includes retaining walls for the mainlanes with overpasses at the existing and proposed intersections with Northwestern Drive, Resler Drive, future Plexxar Road, and future Paseo Del Norte Road. All intersections would include pedestrian crossings, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant curb ramps, future infrastructure for signals, and cross streets would provide variable-width sidewalks and 14-foot-wide outside lanes to accommodate shared use with bicycle traffic. The future Paseo Del Norte Road will include a striped bike lane at the intersection with Loop 375. As part of this project, shared hike-and-bike trails would be constructed separate from the roadways, near the Loop 375 ROW line, between the intersections of Northwestern Drive and the future Paseo del Norte Road. The hike-and-bike trail extends east of Paseo Del Norte to the 2 ‐ 1 Tom Mays Unit Park entrance on the north side of Loop 375. The proposed improvements also include two elevated direct connectors to I-10. The Loop 375 west to I-10 east direct connector would be approximately 4,090 feet long, and the I-10 west to Loop 375 east direct connector would be approximately 3,420 feet long. Both direct connectors would be approximately 26 feet wide and consist of one 14-foot wide travel lane with shoulders. The proposed four-lane freeway facility would transition back to a four-lane divided roadway without frontage roads approximately 0.5 mile east of the future Paseo Del Norte intersection and continue as such to the eastern terminus of the project. The total length of the proposed project is approximately 3.6 miles of mainlanes and approximately 2.10 miles of frontage roads (from Northwestern Drive to the future Paseo del Norte Road). Due to the proposed expansion and grade separations, approximately 41.2 acres of new ROW would be acquired. Need and Purpose: The El Paso District of TxDOT conducted a Public Hearing to inform the public about the proposed project, describe the proposed project and design alternatives considered, provide an opportunity for the public to present their comments and opinions, and develop a record of public views and participation to supplement recommendations for subsequent decisions. The need for the project is due to: At a Local Level: Rapid Population and Housing Growth Increased Travel Demand Safety Concerns at Intersections and Driveways Decreased Level of Mobility At a Regional Level: Increased Population due to Fort Bliss Limitations of the Physical Roadway Network Increased Traffic Volumes on I-10 Lack of a Viable East-West Alternate Route The purpose of the proposed improvements would accomplish the following objectives: At a Local Level: Improve Traffic Mobility Increase Safety Improve Efficiency of the Transportation Route for Residents, Commuters, Commercial Vehicles, and the Traveling Public 2 ‐ 2 At a Regional Level: Provide Regional and Local East-West Connectivity Provide an Alternate Route to I-10 Environmental Document: The objective of the Environmental Assessment (EA) was to evaluate impacts associated with upgrading Loop 375 (from I-10 to 0.479 mile east of the Franklin Mountains State Park) in order to improve mobility, safety, and accommodate projected growth on both a local and regional level. Public Hearing Purpose: To inform the public about the proposed project, describe the proposed project, provide an opportunity for comments, and develop a public record. Public Hearing Date: Tuesday, March 22, 2011 Public Hearing Location: Canutillo High School, 6675 South Desert Blvd., El Paso, Texas, 79912. Public Hearing Format: 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM – Open House for Exhibit Viewing 7:00 PM to 7:45 PM – Formal Presentation 7:45 PM to End – Public Comment Session The March 22nd public hearing began with an “open house” type format from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Four High Definition TV monitors showing the project alternatives and virtual animations were on display during this time, along with numerous exhibits and maps of the Loop 375 corridor. The formal presentation was between 7:00 p.m. to 7:45 p.m., and the comment session began at 7:45 p.m. during which time public officials and interested parties made verbal comments. Publications: Newspaper articles and the official Public Hearing Notices along with publication affidavits are located in Appendix A. The following includes the dates and newspapers where Public Hearing Notices were published. El Paso Times (English) – Sunday February 20, 2011 Saturday March 12, 2011 Sunday March 20, 2011 El Diario de El Paso (Spanish) Sunday February 20, 2011 Saturday March 12, 2011 Sunday March 20, 2011 Other media coverage such as internet articles/communications is also included in Appendix A. 2 ‐ 3 Letters to Elected Officials and Letters to Adjacent Property Owners On February 16, 2011, the El Paso District mailed out letters to El Paso area federal, state, and local elected and non-elected officials, as well as the property and business owners adjacent to the proposed corridor. These letters provided detailed information of the proposed El Paso Loop 375 Project. The public officials and adjacent property owners were invited to attend the March 22, 2011 public hearing. Example copies of the elected and non-elected official’s letter, and the property owner’s and interested parties, letter may be found in Appendix B of this summary report along with the mailing lists located in Appendix C. Attendance: The total registered attendance consisted of 240 persons comprised of 186 members of the general public; 14 public officials; 10 media personnel and 30 project team members. Copies of sign in sheets are provided in Appendix D. Public Hearing: Handouts that included the Public Hearing Agenda were provided to each attendee and were available in both English and Spanish. Copies of the handouts provided at the Public Hearing are included in Appendix E. Media packets were also made available to members of the media present at the Loop 375 Public Hearing. The media packet contained a copy of the Public Hearing Agenda, comment form, location map, and a business card from Blanca Del Valle, TxDOT’s Public Information Officer.