Bailey Road improvements draw interest of residents
Texas Department of Transportation works with city of Pearland to widen east-west corridor to meet growth
State officials say the planned widening of Bailey Road from two to four lanes from FM 1128 to Veterans Drive will help keep Pearland ahead of the curve in combating near-term and future traffic congestion.
“For 2011 the average daily traffic count was approximately 5,700 vehicles per day.
“Traffic on the road is projected to increase to 20,140 vehicles per day by 2035,” said Texas Department of Transportation public information officer Danny Perez.
Perez said Pearland officials approached TxDOT to seek help with funding.
The proposed project includes widening the 2.8mile section of Bailey Road to four, 12-foot travel lanes with curb and gutter and open ditches.
The roadway now has two, 10-foot travel lanes and open ditches.
After theim provements, it will be a divided boulevard, two lanes to eachside. The project also includes constructing a raised me- dian with left-turn bays at select intersections, drainage improvements and a 10-foot wide shared-use path for pedestrians and bicyclist.
Total cost for the project is estimated at $27.2 mil- lion. Of that, Pearland will contribute $9.6 million, said Pearland communications manager Sparkle Anderson.
“This project is very important to the city. It was
identified as a priority in the 2007 bond election,” Anderson said.
She said the project is important because it will provide another east-towest alternative to FM 518 for motorists to cross Pearland.
“Also, the existing traffic on Bailey Road is pushing the capacity of the two-lane roadway,” she said.
“A third benefit is that it will provide a major safety improvement because the large roadside ditch will be converted to an underground storm sewer system,” Anderson added.
The city designed the project, purchased the right-of-way, will manage construction and funded 100 percent of the design costs, she said.
Perez said Pearland officials are spearheading engineering and environmental studies. He said the state will provide oversight and assistance throughout construction.
He said txdot does not anticipate any unusual disruptions to traffic flow during the project beyond what one would expect for such a project. The state has planned no detours and access to adjacent properties should not be an issue. There will be alternating lane closures, he said.
Construction is scheduled to begin early next spring.