Loading...
19 - TxDOT Safety Capital Improvement Project Raised Median - Lamar AvenueNo. 19 r TO: Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem & City Council FROM: Grayson Path, City Manager SUBJECT: TxDOT Safety Capital Improvement Project Raised Median — Lamar Avenue DATE: September 11, 2023 BACKGROUND: At the December 14, 2020 City Council meeting, the City Council heard a presentation from TxDOT for Safety-related Capital Improvement Projects along Loop 286 and Lamar Avenue. One of these two projects was to close several of the crossover lanes along Loop 286 in between North Main Street and Lamar Avenue. The second project was to create a raised median along Lamar Avenue in between 33`d Street NE and 42nd Street NE. Both projects were of a safety nature due to high volumes of average daily traffic (ADT) as well as crash count. The regional TxDOT office was seeking support from the City prior to pursuing a grant application from state-wide funding sources for these two projects. The City Council authorized their support. Funding was indeed achieved. The first project, closure of the crossover lanes, was successfully completed in 2022. The second project, raised median, has been in design. STATUS OF ISSUE: Daniel Taylor, TxDOT Area Engineer, is present tonight requesting an opportunity to provide the City Council an update on the Lamar Avenue raised median project. Your packets include design drawings as well as a summary of the purpose behind this project. BUDGET: This project does not require a city match, instead, it is funded completely by TxDOT. The estimated cost of this project is in excess of $2 million. OPTIONS: Presentation and update only. RECOMMENDATION: Continue to support the Lamar Avenue raised median project. MINUTES OF THE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF THE CITY OF PARIS, TEXAS December 14, 2020 The City Council of the City of Paris met for a regular session at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, December 14, 2020, at the City Council Chamber, 107 E. Kaufman, Paris, Texas. Present: Mayor: Steven Clifford Council Members: Paula Portugal; Renae Stone; Reginald Hughes; Linda Knox; and Clayton Pilgrim City Staff: Grayson Path, City Manager; Stephanie Harris, City Attorney; Janice Ellis, City Clerk; Gene Anderson; Finance Director; Randy Tuttle, Interim Police Chief; Russell Thrasher, Interim EMS Director; Thomas McMonigle, Fire Chief, M.A. Smith, Public Works Director; and Clyde Crews, Fire Marshal Absent: Council Member: Gary Savage O enin A enda 1. Call meeting to order. Mayor Clifford called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. 2. Invocation. Finance Director Gene Anderson gave the invocation. 3. Pledge of Allegiance. Council Member Portugal led the pledge. 4. Citizens' forum. Bryan Glass, 4351 FM 2648, Powderly, Texas — he said he was the Boys & Girls Club President and he along with other members, were there to support partnering with the City. Mr. Glass said sixty-six plus years ago the Club started serving underprivileged children and they typically serve 140-200 youth on a daily basis. He also said they recently learned that the City owns part of the club property and the Club had been maintaining it for all of these years. He specifically referenced two baseball fields east of the Club, and stated they hope to expand the Club one day. Mr. Glass asked that the City convey those two fields over to the Club and said the Club would pay any and all expenditures associated with the partnership. Regular Council Meeting December 14, 2020 Page 6 Council Member Pilgrim said the public needed to know that 24 million dollars was spent on this project and that Council thinks there are some things that were brushed over and not done according to contract. Mayor Clifford agreed with Council Member Pilgrim. He said he was impressed with this company and expressed appreciation to Mr. Path for bringing them to Paris. Council Member Stone said they needed to hold people accountable. Following additional discussion, Mayor Clifford, Council Member Hughes and Council Member Pilgrim volunteered to serve on the subcommittee. A Motion to approve this item was made by Mayor Clifford and seconded by Council Member Pilgrim. Motion carried, 6 ayes — 0 nays. 22. Discuss and act on a TxDOT Safety Grant Proposal to pursue funding for a raised median from 33'd Street to 42nd Street on Lamar Avenue and the closing of crossover lanes on Loop 286 located approximately at the Home Depot, 29th Street, Spur 139 and Clement Road. Mr. Path explained that TxDOT had available funds for safety-related Capital Improvement Projects throughout the State, and it was a competitive program. He said that the local TxDOT Office had submitted several projects for the TxDot's Review Team's consideration and that the local regional office would like Paris' support. Mr. Path introduced Regional Engineer Dan Taylor. Mr. Taylor said every year TxDOT has a safety project, and then explained the process. He said it was very competitive. Mr. Taylor spoke about the first project being a raised median from 33' Street to 42nd Street on Lamar Avenue. Council Member Pilgrim inquired about the traffic count on Lamar Avenue, and Mr. Taylor said it was in excess of 22,000 on a daily basis. Mayor Clifford said he fully supported this and it would help keep people safer. Mr. Taylor and Mr. Path discussed closing of crossover lanes on Loop 286. Council Member Hughes inquired how long it would take to do all of this. Mr. Taylor said once they got started, it would take four or five months and the work would need to be done at night. Council Member Stone said she was in favor of making our community safer. Mr. Path informed Council there would be no City match required and Mr. Taylor said the money was all Federal funding. A Motion to approve this item was made by Mayor Clifford and seconded by Council Members Portugal and Hughes. Motion carried, 6 ayes — 0 nays. 23. Discuss and act on developing a procedure for expending the City of Paris' allocation of Coronavirus Relief Funding from the Texas Department of Emergency Management. Mr. Path said about 1.4 million dollars was allocated to Paris in funding. He said initially the funding was restricted to abnormal Covid-19 related expenses, such as testing kits, ventilators, and payroll directly caused by Covid-19 and that the City would have realistically been limited to a portion of the total available allocation because the City simply did not have a significant amount of abnormal expenses due to Covid. Mr. Path said the City was able to assist the Health District and schools in an attempt to bring the money into our community instead of losing it. Mr. Path reported that in recent months the Federal/State Government had clarified what were eligible payroll expenses which now allow full utilization. Mr. Path explained by Lamar Avenue (US 82) Raised Median Narrative The proposed safety enhancement at this location consists of constructing a raised median from 33rd Street to 42nd Street and resurface. Some road widening would also need to be performed at the intersections of 33rd Street, Wal-Mart Entrance, and 42nd Street to better accommodate U- turn maneuvers at these intersections. The estimated cost for this work is $2,046,230.46. The Safety Improvement Index (cost benefit ratio) of this project is 4.55. This corridor has an ADT of 21,817 vehicles per day and an access density (23 south & 17 north) of 55 accesses per mile. Per TxDOT's "Roadway Design Manual", where ADT exceeds 20,000 vehicles per day or where development is occurring, and volumes are increasing and are anticipated to reach this level, and the demand for mid -block turns is high, a raised median design should be considered. For these conditions, a raised median may improve safety by separating traffic flows and controlling left -turn and crossing maneuvers. Some potential benefits of this enhancement include: restricting left -turn and crossing maneuvers to specific locations or certain movements, improve traffic safety, increasing through capacity and reducing delays, and providing pedestrian refuge areas. From 2017 through 2019, 8 accidents have occurred resulting in 1 serious injury and 7 non -incapacitating injuries due to left turn maneuvers. The previously noted accidents are directly related to vehicles utilizing the center two-way left turn lane. Other accidents involving vehicles turning left from an access across the roadway, rear end collisions resulting from vehicles trying to merge into the left turn lane, and many other related accidents are not included in the previously noted accident data. Because of this, it is reasonable to assume that many additional accidents could have likely been prevented had the raised median been installed. High Driveway Density: 55 accesses per mile 40+ accesses per mile equates to 10mph reduction in free flow speed Accident Ratio: — 29 accident associated w/ left turns / 76 total accidents = 38% Economic Effects of Access Management (Access Control & Non -Traversable Median) A safe and efficient transportation system is an important element of a vibrant economy. The quality of the transportation system affects the economy in a variety of ways: it determines how quickly goods get to market, whether an area is attractive to investors, and the size of the market area for a particular business. Individual business owners are sometimes concerned about the potential impact of access management requirements on business activity. Studies conducted of businesses within areas where access management has been implemented show that improved driveway spacing and design, alternative access, and installation of non -traversable medians have virtually no adverse impact on business activity. For example, a study of the economic impacts of left -turn restrictions in College Station, Houston, McKinney, Longview, Wichita Falls, Odessa, Port Arthur, and Amarillo was conducted for the Texas Department of Transportation in the mid 1990's. Key findings relative to access management include the following: Business owners reported no change in pass -by traffic after median installation. Most business types (including specialty retail, fast-food restaurants, and sit-down restaurants) reported increases in numbers of customers per day and gross sales. When asked what factors were important to attracting customers, business owners generally ranked "accessibility to store" lower than customer service, product quality, and product price, and ahead of store hours and distance to travel. A study of the effects of access management on business vitality was conducted in 1996. Before and after data were collected on a series of corridor case studies. Results indicated that: • Corridors with completed access management projects performed better in terms of retail sales than the surrounding communities. Business failure rates along access managed corridors were at or below the statewide average. • Close to 80 percent of businesses reported no customer complaints about access to their businesses after project completion. • Over 90 percent of motorists surveyed had a favorable opinion of improvements made to road -ways that involve access management. The vast majority of motorists thought that the improved roadways were safer and that traffic flow had improved. The results of these and other studies indicate that access management has little or no adverse impact on business activity. Before and after studies indicate that business owner perceptions of the potential for adverse impacts of access changes tend to be much worse than actual impacts. In addition, levels of business activity often correlate more closely with factors such as competition, the regional economy, quality of management, and other issues unrelated to property access. Lamar Avenue (BU 82) Raised Median Layout From: 33rd Street To: 42nd Street _ML P/MT PLG ,anRRIx,V.W14 60•00 aMFT L. M• M _.� �. ° 4h S --------------------------- -- n,a �s.oi,wwui M ----- -- -- I .. %% � •.TY-,�illiG'INk�09RYi[, '� Ra..�. Pa,Pr �, I n I ,Ine ,sm iRwnu 48 •GBC POT[i� _________________ I .cP,ST,PO R.0... ,•. 17 ]ai1rII R.0... �., i.. IP"Lin GIV. RF �."Ri REST ., PfO-•1 g ,r ° Nit, . mwn Mw..MiMo �u � �;"" namrieMUMaln, . 6,L7---7 _ _--------- . 82 I'7 4N 3 1 maux '">h F" + U� yp� ._-- --. -------" ("— LAY T --------- ------------"`— ii. �w, ,. `M^FX O v. NOTES. T{Op TP SE.WRY i0R EXISTING START/6TOP rEi,GTLK IL0.R. .� olTRrxpwYOm 2} OEFE S1T1RE 51ENL�EG��GTENeE.np�p5F5EiT5yxqRPY1y O�N tt 00 M1L qp pET�IL �E —2 1"e�pM fY drG US B mow J� SSIGYAL"� OOOATLX OETAt'LS FxEFTOFOPEfi� CURFEi fk; JWET• MR vE GTaT,Gx G,.n.t, . _. __ .—..— —__..— ._ •—,._. .1Etia—.._..T OEGME GP NRVE ;weo:or-,tm .._..� • 0• 26..2' EO, TAPGENT ici�zu Rr VV EENGTN RAOLYE PT STATION L%3.” 12E.G2 1 NR..6 5f•TT.OS b-„aa•RW�<MW,uPOWE V TATION �,_.� ,a"s•,"�Tn°i$own' • 6i•02. G5 .�g ,'''—.�-iwa• an.�O000rnr ' a _ML P/MT PLG ,anRRIx,V.W14 60•00 aMFT L. M• M _.� �. ° 4h S --------------------------- -- n,a �s.oi,wwui M ----- -- -- I .. %% � •.TY-,�illiG'INk�09RYi[, '� Ra..�. Pa,Pr �, I n I ,Ine ,sm iRwnu 48 •GBC POT[i� _________________ I .cP,ST,PO R.0... ,•. 17 ]ai1rII R.0... �., i.. IP"Lin GIV. RF �."Ri REST ., PfO-•1 g ,r ° Nit, . mwn Mw..MiMo �u � �;"" namrieMUMaln, . 6,L7---7 _ _--------- . 82 I'7 4N 3 1 maux '">h F" + U� yp� ._-- --. -------" ("— LAY T --------- ------------"`— ii. �w, ,. `M^FX O v. NOTES. T{Op TP SE.WRY i0R EXISTING START/6TOP rEi,GTLK IL0.R. .� olTRrxpwYOm 2} OEFE S1T1RE 51ENL�EG��GTENeE.np�p5F5EiT5yxqRPY1y O�N tt 00 M1L qp pET�IL �E —2 1"e�pM fY drG US B mow J� SSIGYAL"� OOOATLX OETAt'LS FxEFTOFOPEfi� CURFEi fk; JWET• MR PI ST'TtDN 70-23.2 DE 11 1- IS S-6- ILTI ..... .. .... T..."T.EE .1 225 o 2; RADIU PC UT"'.DI lTIT.. 12 8.12 .......................... 11 ITDR j. .1* 1 1411 .7163Y - 0 - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ----- 7 —D W 6TOOE� . ................ -T.. Ilia 0) V% + + ITIDN 11A TEl 7M.- 13 3t Si, 1. LINE -.0151 Ste - - L - - - - - - - L - _EV101 m D -�KD- 5 . . . . . . .• . W ---------- -------- --- .............. ........... .............. T T......._... . .. . . . ........................ ...... . . ...... lFl END . ..... ..... . . . . ...... . . .... Prefirriflinary -VA SUNect to O ------- /---§ –*7 -------------------------- [Rev�ew ----------------- -------- /-I— M– –I. CV I -ED AND —ED (Z �S11711-t - t �t - - - - - - - - - - 'TAUT' US 82 + L AM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - pY l"MN —" T-1 Ln LAYOUT ,,ITRI B .E.T.�ANR5:: IN PAISED MEDIAN DETAIL MEET I�Egf ME 0 8 i:- rr'z•"iGP` °w6�a� // '::-".'F'o ": o �JLI ----------- ----------- _---®-. _ ---__ — "v-in"a•iu`o°Ei+?{auJu'" !,,�^' 0 J e_5 .T „D -.TJ" iJET O.iJ �'f'f4.C.#.I.. ... .�":�..,...m._ ... ,. N Ta m• Is.11_E,. �O a RE iN F7 �T PfR J ` e' ''. 6 " ». �• R�WNC TT-IIn �MN�ID3fMlt� n . 91;X. f I n IA�6 ��PrfiDD9oNEu� _,,,, •11 re Iau.NN. DWIu ��, memN i:.inir u`oi °wEwlu 0' N ( N 1 T—ENr LE.. 819.95 R Sun.T�e2S.la PT STA— 87. 43.3a .._ _ Ew aa." n e • "'—M ^ins isi mw � .t-.� ..,drew. raw S � -- •� M r - + - - -lIna-lanl eawle. n-- E. + ----------------------------------- 00 ------ 00 x r b A Pra° flirridinw wasT Subject to ,_---- -----_------- ---.. J— T i,.$ PanE—L------ �e�°�dN�''�" a.lsEi°a.':a a c.u.um reM..,.,.. P Cm �, gyp. .. r qtr• v 'rs, r � ,.. a.: .;.. . , .:' 90.0 N aa• 11' 39.42' E� Ln I . ._.. aE w r n! .ea US 82 —,.-, Ina•,a-, laaor! , + l-1e•,a al,ea-l�.I Ti-e-l-aaan-a-„ i,- PLAN _�� ✓ ,.-l-,c �eRSoawul � NpTESp�e ii qq ** jar4 Izz• iinnE�`ESI1PQF�! TLEt 4�4sTryrys�ME��iSgfs-Ms�xA��flaSVxit[lX Fpl I1ST ING SnT�nNlT.IST�i� sx¢¢ 3: RIELsFELa�ITix DEieILS. SI�iEET ADOEM12 FIUA IPA VMT• R ----------- --------------------------------------------- ..«N--------- Q - Lo ^�— inti w~+�Ln _'ry Iti ,xp p,x Iu Ea1x Iuf oiviOER pp L/� .w M r, hm rwn .dw .nr• .w .L er Wr �. �. �•� — — — _ — _L, �&d �.—. —.— — .... f 6iR° RT N NB' 2 E GINE 00 .. ",•:, PLS Lgi6� + + —--L V` ---------- W ------------ `—aFSET�i.i--- { ems.. IX R• 'Th 6IT. '• ., r _.._.yl _ Mr -- ---- °Ip — — NOTE 3 i —.- ._.. f%_.sir_ i A x ru�un�P irk .� IR sLo1,PTNnL �" :3 sM.RMW 'vw¢s azr m'e °xsl�lh �"�.�,:eJV�'^WYWP -------------------- Ip9 -- -----------;D Ln —ill sciu°ss' `T aT CID + Lp• Ri wso aJ,os ' r + UJ SZ 10tll .WwNPLAN n-Ia19— — — 00 LAYOUT IiL NOTES, p Ty5 1. P�¢FP�xPE�TLLd��pUEPUE1p�1TSSFLXXFCCJpT�pp�I�5pp�51Ep�Epp51E55AMi��N��TS5 EOfl E%ISS5TEEIN6 SpTpNRx/SpLO�P��L • SSIGN�HiRELOLITIN OEI61L5. 14EETEF'OPObJCYFB 6EGOTTF 261.