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Executive Summary
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In 2002, a Dulles/Kirkwood thoroughfare study was prepared
to identify improvements to reduce traffic congestion along the Dulles
corridor. Several improvements were
identified and further study was recommended.
The anticipated improvements include a curb and gutter facility
between U.S.
90A and Avenue “E” with additional turn lane capacity at specific
locations. The study also recommended
an expansion from four (4) to six (6) lanes for a short section of Dulles
between S.H. 6 and Cartwright
Road, and additional southbound right turn lane
capacity in front of Dulles
High School.
The City subsequently worked
with other agencies to obtain funding for a preliminary engineering study for
Dulles. In October of 2004, Council approved an Advanced Funding Agreement
(AFA) with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). The City also entered into an agreement
with Fort Bend County
to share the local funding match for the study. The anticipated cost of the study was
$150,000. Through these agreements,
funding for the preliminary engineering study has been appropriated as
follows:
Ø
$112,500 representing 75% of the anticipated
$150,000 to be provided by TxDOT,
Ø
$18,750 representing 12.5% funded by the City
as half of the required 25% local match, and appropriated in the FY04 Capital
Improvement Program, and
Ø
$18,750 representing 12.5% funded by Fort Bend
County representing the
other half of the local match.
The City, working in coordination with TxDOT, issued a
request for qualifications (RFQ) in 2005 and completed a formal process to
select a consultant to provide preliminary engineering services for Dulles Avenue. Fort
Bend County,
City of Missouri City, and City of Stafford participated
in the selection committee. CLR, Inc.
was selected based on their scoring on numerous factors, including prior
similar work experience, performance with TxDOT projects, and staff
qualifications. Once a consultant was
selected, the City and TxDOT began an extensive scoping and contract review
and audit process. In September of
2006, TxDOT approved the contract between the City and CLR allowing the City
to proceed with the execution of the contract (please see attached scope of
services for the consultant).
This study will consist of preliminary engineering for the
development of a final alternative for Dulles Avenue, from U.S. Hwy 90A to S.H. 6, a length of
approximately 3.2 miles. The primary
elements of the study include the following:
·
A traffic analysis including identification of
turn lane locations
·
Assessment of pedestrian facilities and needs
·
Public involvement process
·
Drainage study
·
Environmental study
·
Identification of right-of-way requirements
·
Cost estimate
A noise study for this project is not included. Upon inquiries of the City, TxDOT has
indicated that since this project does not include additional thru lane
capacity on Dulles, it does not qualify for a noise study or construction of
sound walls.
Adequate funds for this preliminary engineering study are
available in CIP ST0401, Dulles
Avenue.
TxDOT has already committed to reimbursement of invoices via the 2004
agreement. This preliminary
engineering study is anticipated to be complete by mid-2007.
The 2007-2011 Capital Improvement Program (C.I.P.)
included funds in FY08 for design in the amount of $575,000. The construction cost is estimated at
approximately $7,770,000.
The preliminary engineering study will further refine the
anticipated design and construction costs.
The funding plan for the project is continuing to be refined with
time. However, some planning has
already been completed towards the funding of this project, as follows:
Ø
Approximately $3.3 million in federal funds
have already been successfully obtained through the Houston-Galveston Area
Council’s (H-GAC) Transportation Improvement Program (T.I.P.),
Ø
The voters in Fort Bend
County approved $1.55
million in general obligation bonds through the 2000 mobility bond
referendum. Some of this funding may
be used for design of the project;
Ø
The City may request that additional funds be
included in the Fort
Bend County’s
next bond referendum, anticipated in May 2007. Preliminarily, this amount may be as much
as $4.29 million;
Ø
The City recently requested additional funding
in the 2008-2011 T.I.P.;
Ø
City of Sugar
Land will likely need to fund a local match to federal and county
funding. Early estimates placed this
match at up to $490,000;
Ø
Sugar
Land will investigate the potential
for Missouri City and Stafford to financially
participate in the project as well, potentially through an equal match with Sugar Land’s participation.
Once the preliminary engineering study is completed, the
next phase of the project will be the design engineering and
construction. Design for the project
is anticipated to be completed in 2008, with construction completed in 2009
or 2010, as funding is secured.
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Exhibits
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ATTACHMENT C
SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED BY THE ENGINEER
Preliminary Engineering/Categorical Exclusion
Scope of Work Outline
Dulles
Avenue – US 90A to SH 6
CSJ 0912-34-108
CIP Project ST0401
Background
A Dulles/Kirkwood thoroughfare study was prepared by
others for the City of Sugar Land, City of Missouri City,
and Stafford in 2002. Traffic counts obtained
for the study were used for the analysis. Improvements to reduce traffic
congestion were recommended in the study. Further study is needed to refine the
recommended improvements and determine the construction cost, right-of-way
requirements, and obtain environmental clearance.
Scope of Work
FHWA, the City of Sugar Land, and Fort Bend County are sharing in the funding of
this study. Federal funding will be sought for construction, therefore TxDOT
criteria shall be used for the design. The following improvements recommended
in the previous study shall be further defined in this scope of work:
1) Add southbound turn lane in
front of the schools between US 90A and Avenue E. Consider both open ditch and
curb and gutter roadway section. A raised median and continuous turn lane will
be considered as well. Section should
include a sidewalk on both sides of the street
between US 90A and Avenue E.
2) Add a northbound and
southbound turn lane between Cartwright
Road and SH 6.
3) Analyze major intersections
(Avenue E, Lexington,
Cartwright, and SH 6) to determine where intersection improvements improve
traffic flow and are cost effective.
The work to be performed by the Engineer shall
consist of preliminary engineering for the development of a diagrammatic layout
of Dulles Avenue
from US 90A to SH 6 in Fort Bend
County, Texas and
associated Categorical Exclusion. The length of this project is approximately
3.2 miles. The deliverables under this contract shall be alternative sections,
diagrammatic layout of the preferred alternative, drainage letter report,
engineering summary letter, Categorical Exclusion, and limited topographic
survey.
The Engineer will prepare a
detailed diagrammatic layout of the recommended preferred alternative, which
will include plan and profile data and typical sections. The Engineer will
conduct one public meeting. The City will publish a Notice for Public Meeting.
TASK 1 – ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS
1.1 Develop Base Maps
The base maps to be used for the alternative analysis
shall consist of readily available Digital Ortho Quarter Quads (DOQQ’s) and
available USGS mapping.
1.2 Analyze Existing
Conditions
Using the assembled data and base maps developed, an
overall analysis of the existing conditions and features must be studied for:
1. Right-of-way determination
2. Horizontal Alignment
3. Existing pavement structure,
cross-sections (review pavement width, number of lanes and turn lane locations)
4. Intersection configuration
(review turn lane storage and traffic controls)
5. Traffic counts from previous
study and HGAC modeling data (no new traffic counts will be collected).
6. Accident locations
7. Critical Locations (field
observations of critical locations during peak periods of traffic)
8. Drainage, establish profile
to determine drainage deficiencies
1.3
Traffic Analysis
1.
The Engineer shall grow the existing traffic data to opening date
(assumed 2010 as opening year) traffic utilizing growth rates provided by HGAC
as well as 20-years beyond for use in the EA.
2.
The Engineer shall review the accident data along the corridor for the
latest 3 years.
3.
The Engineer will model proposed lane configurations and projected
traffic volumes to develop number and storage length of turn lanes at major
intersections (Avenue E, Lexington,
Cartwright, and SH 6).
1.4 Right of Entry
It will be the responsibility of
the Engineer to determine ownership data and secure permission to enter private
property for purposes of survey and environmental investigations. Digital tax maps provided by the County will
be used to identify landowners. A
right-of-entry (ROE) letter will be prepared on State or City letterhead and
mailed to each property owner in the study area. A written response will be requested either
confirming or denying ROE. The Engineer
will make reasonable attempts to contact each landowner verbally prior to
conducting any fieldwork if written correspondence is not successful. A log of all contact with landowners will be
maintained.
1.5 Utility Inventory.
For each reasonable alternative, summarize the major utilities present
within the corridor (major transmission lines only). The information is to include type, length,
size, company name, and address. Scope does not include identification or
mapping of minor utilities to include but not limited to buried cables,
waterlines, and sanitary sewer.
1.6 Alternatives Analysis
The Engineer shall identify
maximum of three reasonable alignment alternatives to minimize potential
adverse impacts, major utility conflicts, structural impediments, or exceptions
to TxDOT or FHWA design criteria. Using the information obtained for the
environmental work as a planning tool, the Engineer will develop maximum of
three alternative concepts. The aerial maps and alternative sections will be
utilized for exhibits at the public meeting. The Alternatives Analysis will
include:
1.
Develop drawings showing corridor footprint based on
maximum ROW width and intersection configurations.
2.
Identify turn bay locations and length of turn lane.
3.
Establish preliminary horizontal alignments.
4.
Develop preliminary typical sections.
5.
Establish 100-year floodplain elevations and floodway
limits at major stream crossings using available existing data (FEMA Flood
Boundary Maps, existing drainage studies).
6.
Determine approximate right-of-way requirements based
on preliminary typical sections.
7.
All existing traffic data will be provided by the HGAC,
from previous studies performed by others, or by the City of Sugar Land.
8.
Prepare preliminary cost estimates for the construction
of each alternative utilizing TxDOT’s latest unit cost per lane mile.
9.
Prepare preliminary estimate of right-of-way costs.
1.7 Public Involvement on Alternatives
The Engineer will conduct a
public involvement process that will include informing the public about the
project and soliciting public input to the process. The public involvement program will include
one public meeting in the study area, presentation to Sugar
Land City
council, presentation to Fort
Bend Commissioner’s
court, and small group meetings with local officials. The proposed public involvement program will
employ the following methods for the exchange of information:
1. Small Group Meetings – Throughout the
project, meetings with small groups from within the local community will be
held if requested. The Engineer will
provide a two‑person team for each of these meetings to informally
discuss the project. All requests for
such meetings will be coordinated with the State and City prior to establishing
a meeting date and time. The local
organization will be responsible for providing the meeting location and
contacting their members. For budget
purposes, two such meetings are planned.
The Engineer will prepare and submit Small Group Meeting minutes for
each meeting.
2. Public Meeting
a. The Engineer will locate and
arrange facilities for the public meeting. The public will be notified in
advance of the meeting through the use of newspaper advertisements. The
Engineer will prepare the notice and provide to the City. The City will arrange
for publishing in local newspaper. The Engineer will prepare and release a
press notice through the City regarding the meeting. Public meeting notices will be mailed (on
City or State letterhead) to interested parties, government officials (local,
state and federal) and all adjacent property owners
b. The Engineer will conduct
one public meeting in the project area to inform the public of the progress of
the study and to obtain public input. The Engineer shall provide public meeting
displays and meeting materials. All
public concerns and comments identified during the meeting will be noted. A set of comments will be compiled and the
mailing list updated.
- The Engineer will prepare and submit a public meeting report (four
copies) to address the substantive comments made at the public
meeting. This report will contain
the following information:
a. Copies of sign-in sheets
with names and addresses of the attendees
b. Summary and analysis of the
proceedings and comments received
c. Discussion and tabulation of
the written comments
d. Copy of the program/agenda
and any information that was distributed
e. Reduced versions or
photographs of the exhibits
Deliverables
for Task 1
The following items will be completed for the
project under the Task 1 scope of work:
1.
ROE Log
2.
Presentations to City Council and Commissioner’s Court
3.
Public Meeting Report (four copies)
4.
Conceptual Designs (ROW corridor) for maximum of three alternatives
5.
Meeting with City, TxDOT, and Engineer after alternative analysis and
public meeting to identify recommended preferred alternative.
TASK 2 – DEVELOP DIAGRAMMATIC LAYOUT
Using existing DOQQ mapping and available USGS data
of Fort Bend County,
and/or aerial survey, develop a diagrammatic layout for the preferred
alternative and submit to the State and the City.
2.1 Diagrammatic
The Engineer will prepare a diagrammatic layout to a
scale of 1”=100’. The diagrammatic will be prepared using the English system of
units. The Engineer will revise, as needed, the centerline horizontal and
vertical alignments of the appropriate conceptual design and submit to the City
and State for approval. All designs will
be prepared in accordance with the latest versions of: Roadway
Design Manual (TxDOT), A Policy on
Geometric Design of Highways and Streets (AASHTO), Standard Specifications for Construction of Highways, Streets and
Bridges (TxDOT), Highway Operations
Manual of the Traffic Operations
Manual (TxDOT), and Highway Capacity
Manual (Transportation Research Board).
In preparing the diagrammatic, the Engineer will:
1. Establish a typical roadway
section with preferred roadway type (curb and gutter).
2. Calculate preliminary
horizontal alignments.
3. Calculate preliminary
roadway profile based on the results of hydrologic and hydraulic investigation.
4. Determine all property lines
(based on records from the County tax appraisal district ).
5. Identify major utilities and
potential conflicts
6. Prepare a brief narrative
for each traffic control phase along with traffic control typical sections
7. Determine right-of-way
acreage and parcel identification.
8. Establish the 100-year
floodplain elevations and floodway limits at major stream crossings.
9. Calculate preliminary
earthwork volumes (using average end method) using the typical sections, and
proposed roadway geometry.
10. Prepare preliminary cost
estimates using TxDOT bid items and current Houston District average unit
prices. Sub-totals shall be shown for each area (ie drainage, signals, roadway,
etc.). Include right-of-way costs (as separate item) in cost estimate.
The diagrammatic will be provided to the State and
the City for review at the following stages of completion:
·
Interim – Calculated horizontal and vertical alignments, typical
sections, water surface elevations at major crossings, and identification of
environmental and major utility conflicts.
·
Final – Finalize interim submittal, intersections, preliminary ROW
requirements, and sequence of construction
2.2 Hydrologic and Hydraulic
Investigation
The following tasks shall be completed in the
preparation of the roadway profile (recommended preferred alternative only):
1.
Determine the existing and proposed drainage area boundaries based on
the available data.
2.
Identify existing outfalls.
3.
Review available reports/studies prepared by others regarding flow
characteristics of stream crossings.
4.
Obtain the existing HEC-1 and HEC-2 models from applicable drainage
authorities, to the extent possible, for use in analysis and determination of
existing 2, 10, 25, 50 and 100-year water surface elevations at major water
crossings. This data will be utilized in the development of the roadway
profile.
5.
Develop 2, 10, 25, 50, and 100 year frequency flows at each major
crossing for existing and proposed conditions using standard TxDOT and Fort Bend County
hydrologic methodology.
6.
Analyze the major existing cross culverts to develop existing tailwater
and headwater conditions. Determine high water elevations for the 2, 10, 25, 50
and 100-year frequencies. Determine preliminary proposed outfall structure
sizes using HEC-RAS. The report will also
include preliminary sizing of the ditch, storm sewers and cross culverts within
the limits of the project, conceptual and generic discussions of the
alternatives considered, a comparative cost associated with each alternative
and a recommended solution.
7.
Superimpose WSE’s on profile drawing. The profile drawings will provide
an overall view of the roadway and existing ground elevations with respect to
the various design frequencies for the length of the entire project. This will
enable the Engineer to determine the most feasible roadway profile.
8.
The volume of flood plain water displaced from the proposed roadway
improvements will be roughly determined as well as approximate estimate of the
available on-site volume.
9.
A 100-year sheet flow analysis will be prepared for the existing
condition. A conceptual 100-year sheet flow analysis will be prepared for the
proposed condition.
10.
Mitigation volumes will be roughly determined at each outfall for the
project. Mitigation volumes will be determined by comparison of existing and
proposed hydrographs developed using the Small Watershed Method.
11.
Coordination with any government agencies through TxDOT will be
conducted in all phases of this study.
12.
Prepare a letter report summarizing the methodologies and findings of
the hydrologic and hydraulic investigation. Study and analysis will be in accordance
with Fort Bend County
and TxDOT policies and practices. The letter report will be signed and sealed
by a professional engineer. The results will be summarized and presented to the
State and the City for discussion. The report will include exhibits, tables,
and drainage calculations.
13.
A separate drainage study (PER) by others will be initiated as part of
the City’s FY 06 CIP. This study will identify necessary ditch improvements to
improve capacity restrictions at driveway-culvert crossings along Dulles Avenue. The
study by others will provide interim drainage improvements prior to the
reconstruction of Dulles Avenue.
14.
The findings from the study by others may be applicable to the overall
roadway design, and would need to be coordinated and incorporated as
necessary. One coordination meeting with
Drainage PER study consultant is anticipated to facilitate coordination of the
respective studies (PER).
Engineering Summary Letter
The Engineer will prepare an engineering summary
letter (including CD) summarizing the proposed improvements, including copies
of the conceptual designs, design criteria,
preliminary right-of-way determinations, utility inventory, utility
impacts, and preliminary construction cost estimate based upon the diagrammatic
layout design.
The following
items will be completed for the project under this scope of work:
1. Drainage
letter report
2. Diagrammatic
layout
3. Engineering
summary letter
TASK 3 – CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION
The work to be performed for this task shall consist of providing
services required for preparing a Categorical Exclusion, agency coordination,
and assistance with a public meeting.
The project consists of providing turn lanes at isolated locations along
the project corridor. Additional
right-of-way (ROW) for the turn lanes will be required. All work to be performed under this contract
shall be subject to review and approval by City of Sugar Land, the Texas Department of
Transportation (TxDOT) and the Federal
Highway Administration (FHWA). The Engineer will provide the overall project
supervision, management, administration and coordination.
The
Engineer will study the existing environment within the proposed project
area. This will include information from
data collection and field investigations by environmental specialists. The
Engineer will document the environmental impacts of the proposed project. Impacts to be addressed will be in accordance
with applicable state and federal guidelines.
CATEGORICAL
EXCLUSION TASK DESCRIPTIONS
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