2020-041 - Authorizing the Designation of a Hazardous Material Route through the City of Paris Along Loop 286

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III. Background to Designation Proposal Since 2014, the City has planned infrastructure improvements throughout its downtown historic district and other areas of town in order to replace aging infrastructure, reduce maintenance cost, and to promote redevelopment and revitalization in the community. The plans include a number of recommended changes to on -system business routes through the center of town in an effort to improve safety for motorists, pedestrians, and merchants alike by reducing traffic speeds and creating pedestrian friendly environments that attract new businesses. A major issue affecting the transformation of the downtown central area district is the high volume of trucks traveling through town. While Paris has regulations prohibiting trucks from traveling through town without a local destination, the signage along Loop 286 and approaching highways is less than effective. Once inside the loop there is not a good route to turn around, leaving truck drivers with limited options, and most continue through town and the central area district. While large trucks can be a nuisance in an entertainment district, a truck carrying hazardous cargo puts the entire downtown area at risk to contamination, explosions, and other factors posed by NRHM cargo. In working with the local TxDOT offices to improve signage along Loop 286 and approaching highways, the City proposes the NRHM route designation so that its residential districts and historic areas are protected from the increased risk of exposure by a traffic related incident with hazardous cargo. IV. Process The FHWA process requires the jurisdiction seeking a NRHM route designation to comply with 49 CFR Section 397, which calls for the following criteria to be addressed: Population density, type of highway, types & quantities of NRHM, emergency response capabilities, results of consultation, continuous routes, exposure risks, alternate routes, effects on commerce, delays in transportation, climate conditions, congestion & accident history. The following sections will elaborate on these requirements. A. Study Area The study area includes the City of Paris, Texas, with consideration of surrounding jurisdictions including Lamar County, Red River County, Fannin County, Delta County, and the Choctaw County in Oklahoma. Although the study considers these jurisdictions, priority is given to the City. This is because the Texas Administrative Code prescribes the authority to designate and enforce NRHM routes through municipal ordinances within incorporated areas, where counties do not have such authority in unincorporated areas. 3