PAID ADVERTISEMENT
NOTICE Virtual Public Hearing with In-Person Option UNITED STATES HIGHWAY (US) 90 From Interstate Highway 10 (I-10) to Farm-to-Market (FM) 1463 CSJs: 0271-09-025, 0271-09-026, 0271-10-011 Waller, Fort Bend, and Harris Counties, Texas
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is proposing to widen United States Highway 90 (US 90) from Interstate Highway 10 (I-10) to Farm-to-Market (FM) 1463 in Waller, Fort Bend, and Harris Counties, Texas. This notice advises the public that TxDOT will be conducting an online virtual public hearing on the proposed project with an in-person option. The virtual hearing will consist of a pre-recorded video presentation and will include both audio and visual components. The presentation will be posted online Tuesday, April 12, 2022, starting at 5:00 p.m. To log onto the virtual public hearing, go to the following web address at the date and time indicated above: www.txdot.gov and search “US 90 from I-10” in the search box. If you do not have internet access, you may call 713-802-5269 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday to ask questions and access project materials at any time during the project development process. Additionally, TxDOT is providing an in-person option for individuals who would like to participate in person instead of online . In-person attendees will be able to view the same presentation provided at the online public hearing , which will be playing on a screen; review hard copies of project materials; ask questions of the project team; and leave written comments. Instruction for providing verbal testimony or written comments are below. The in-person option will be held on Thursday, April 14, 2022, from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the Katy High School Cafeteria , 6331 Highway Boulevard, Katy, Texas 77494. For both the virtual public meeting and in-person option, members of the public may call 346-291-7719 to provide verbal testimony immediately following posting of the virtual public hearing presentation, from 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, through 11:59 p.m. on Friday, April 29, 2022. Formal written comments may also be provided by mail or email as explained below. All verbally provided testimony and timely written comments will be considered by TxDOT and included as part of the official record. Responses to verbally provided testimony and written comments will be prepared by TxDOT, included as part of the hearing and project record, and made available online at www.txdot.gov, keyword search “US 90 from I-10.” A virtual public meeting was held in 2021 where two design alternatives for the proposed project were presented. After the public meeting, the project team reviewed the comments received, further evaluated design options, and refined the design to one recommended alternative. The purpose of the proposed project is to improve mobility and safety within the project corridor. Increased development in the project area has created congestion and delays along US 90 and at intersections. In addition, crash rates on this segment of US 90 are higher than average crash rates on similar roadways in Texas, which results in potentially unsafe travel conditions (including those for pedestrians and bicyclists) and reduced mobility. The existing facility is a two-lane undivided roadway with one 12-foot-wide travel lane in each direction,
8 foot-wide shoulders on the outside of the travel lanes, and open ditches for drainage. In the City of Brookshire, US 90 widens to four 11.5-foot-wide travel lanes with partial curb and gutter drainage. Two typical roadway sections are proposed for US 90. The proposed facility from Donigan Road to Koomey Road would be a four-lane roadway constructed within the existing right-of-way (ROW) that would include two 12-foot-wide main lanes in each direction separated by an 18-foot-wide raised median. Bicycle and pedestrian facilities would include a 12-foot-wide shared use path along the north side, and a 10-foot- wide shared use path along the south side. The proposed facility from Kenney Street to FM 1463 would require 20 feet of additional ROW along the south side of the existing facility to create a four-lane roadway that would include two 12-foot-wide main lanes in each direction separated by an 18-foot-wide raised median. Bicycle and pedestrian facilities would include a 12-foot-wide shared use path on the north side, and a 10-foot- wide shared use path on the south side. Improvements from I-10 to Donigan Road would include only pavement upgrades and striping. Within the City of Brookshire from Koomey Road to Kenney Street, proposed improvements would be constructed within the existing ROW to accommodate four 12-foot-wide travel lanes (Koomey Road to Bains Street) and four 11-foot-wide travel lanes (Bains Street to Kenney Street) separated by a 14-foot-wide center left-turn lane. The proposed facility would maintain the existing parallel parking lane on the south side of US 90, which would be widened from 7 feet to 10 feet. There would be a 12-foot-wide shared use path along the north side in this section of the roadway, and along the south side, the 10-foot-wide shared use path from Koomey Road to Bains Street would become a 13-foot-wide shared use path. The proposed project would, subject to final design considerations, require approximately 33 acres of additional ROW and potentially displace three commercial facilities. Relocation assistance is available for displaced businesses. Information about the TxDOT Relocation Assistance Program and services and benefits for those displaced and other affected property owners, as well as information about the tentative schedule for ROW acquisition and construction, can be obtained from the TxDOT Houston District Office by calling Angela Leach- Jayroe at (713) 802-5753. The proposed project would constitute a de minimis use of a historic site. An estimated 0.14 acre from the northern boundary of the J. D. Woods Farm located southeast of the intersection of Woods Road and US 90 would be required for proposed ROW acquisition. The ROW acquisition would not substantially change the visual characteristics of the tract or the relationship between or among the resources on the tract; therefore, the property’s integrity of setting would be maintained. TxDOT anticipates making a de minimis determination for this use under Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act of 1966. Public comment on the effects of the proposed
project on the activities, features, or attributes of the J. D. Woods Farm may be submitted as described below. The proposed project would involve construction in wetlands. The proposed project would involve an action in a floodplain. The environmental documentation or studies, maps and drawings showing the project location and design, tentative construction schedules, and other information regarding the proposed project are on file and available for inspection Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. at the TxDOT Houston District Office, 7600 Washington Avenue, Houston, Texas 77007. Project materials are also available online at www.txdot.gov by searching “US 90 from I-10.” These materials will also be available in hard copy form for review at the in-person option. The virtual public hearing and in-person option will be conducted in English and Spanish. If you need an interpreter or document translator because English or Spanish is not your primary language or you have difficulty communicating effectively in English, one will be provided to you. If you have a disability and need assistance, special arrangements can be made to accommodate most needs. If you need interpretation or translation services or you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation to attend and participate in the virtual public hearing or in-person option, please contact Reina Gonzalez, Project Manager at 713-802- 5269 no later than 4:00 p.m. April 5, 2022. Please be aware that advance notice is required as some services and accommodations may require time for TxDOT to arrange. Written comments from the public regarding the proposed project are requested and may be submitted by mail to the TxDOT Houston District Office, P.O. Box 1386, Houston, Texas 77251-1386. Written comments may also be submitted by email to HOU-piowebmail@txdot.gov. All written comments must be received or postmarked on or before Friday, April 29, 2022. Additionally, as stated previously, members of the public may call 346-291-7719 and verbally provide testimony from 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 12, 2022 through 11:59 p.m. on Friday, April 29, 2022. Responses to written comments received and public testimony provided will be available online at www.txdot.gov by searching “US 90 from I-10” once the responses have been completed. If you have any general questions or concerns regarding the proposed project or virtual hearing or in-person option, please contact Reina Gonzalez, Project Manager, at 713-802-5269 and reina.gonzalez@txdot.gov. 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 9, 2019, and executed by FHWA and TxDOT.
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