TRANSPORTATION UPDATES TxDOT proposes widening FM 528 in Alvin to 4 lanes Sidewalk 10ft
COMPILED BY RACHEL LELAND
City of Pearland partners on public transportation study The Houston-Galveston Area Council hosted three public meetings in May to secure feedback from Pearland residents regarding a transit study being done in partnership with the city of Pearland. H-GAC is the designated metro- politan planning organization for Brazoria, Galveston, Harris and other counties. By 2045, the Houston-Gal- veston region can expect a popula- tion increase of 3.6 million people, according to the council’s Regional Transportation Plan. “The goal of the study is to determine if there is a need for public trans- portation, or transit, in the Pearland community,” said Alan Rodenstein, project manager for H-GAC. “Ul- timately, the study will result in recommendations to the city for what types of transit services, if any, may be appropriate for the community to consider in the future.” The study began in spring 2022, and the nal results will be released this winter. H-GAC will host a public meet- ing this fall to present transit options and receive community feedback.
CLOSER LOOK The proposed project would reconstruct and widen FM 528 from a two-lane to a four-lane divided roadway with a 30-foot-wide raised median, curb and gutter with drainage ditches and shared-use paths.
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The Texas Department of Transpor- tation is proposing a new design for widening FM 528 from Gordon Street to Loop 409 in Alvin. The widening expands that section of FM 528 from two to four lanes, so it will transition seamlessly to the existing four-lane section of FM 528 north of Hwy. 35, accommodating future tra c demands, according to a TxDOT presentation. While the tra c ow is stable, by 2034, the level of service is predicted to decrease due to greater congestion unless the road is widened, according to a TxDOT presentation. The new design includes a 30-foot- wide raised median with select openings and turn lanes, drainage ditches and a storm sewer system, as well as a 10-foot-wide shared-use path and a 6-foot-wide sidewalk.
Median
Estimated to cost $8.45 million, the project will require federal and state funding but is not currently funded. Once funded, the TxDOT project team estimates construction will take two years. In 2009, TxDOT o cials proposed a design for the project, but due to funding constraints, the project was paused from 2010-19. Then, between 2020-22, the design was updated based on earlier public feedback and ndings from environmental stud- ies, but TxDOT Public Information O cer Danny Perez said the envi- ronmental concerns were secondary to public feedback in the decision to change the design.
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SOURCE: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION COMMUNITY IMPACT
“The environmental studies showed that there were few environmental constraints along the 0.6-mile project corridor, ... but that had little in uence on the decision to widen and take the right of way to the north side of FM 528,” Perez said in an email.
ALL INFORMATION ON THIS PAGE WAS UPDATED AS OF MAY 30. NEWS OR QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE OR OTHER LOCAL TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS? EMAIL US AT PLFNEWS COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM.
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PEARLAND FRIENDSWOOD EDITION • JUNE 2023
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