TxDOT to reduce flooding, traffic woes

U.S. 59, Loop 610 roadwork and addition of detention ponds revealed at meeting

Concern about drainage and vehicle accidents highlighted the conversation at a recent Texas Department of Transportation open house in Bellaire aimed at garnering public comment on plans for a com- plete reconstruction of the U.S. 59 and Loop 610 interchange, ranked among the most congested in the state.

TxDOT officials presented plans to add detention ponds to reduce the flooding that plagues part of the area.

“Larchmont is a bowl. We desperately need drainage improvement ,” said Stacey Spencer, president of the Larchmont Civic Association during the March 3 open house at the Bellaire Community Center. The Larchmont subdivision is situated south of the Galleria and bounded by Loop 610 and U.S. 59.

Spencer hopes TxDOT’s plans to add detention ponds in the proposed intersection will help alleviate some of his area’s flooding problems.

He also believes TxDOT or the city of Houston should consider enlarging the culverts and drainage capacity along Westpark Drive and U.S. 59 to aid with drainage for Larchmont. He said businesses along Sage Road had seen flooding as recently as in the past fewmonths.

According to the TxDOT schematics, plans include adding around six detention ponds of varying sizes under and around the interchange where none currently exist.

TxDOT spokesman Danny Perez said the detention ponds will provide relief for the roadway and that relief for a specific community is tied to city drainage. Road proposals

TxDOT proposes to construct direct connectors linking U.S. 59 and Loop 610 in all directions, to construct access ramps to realign Post Oak Boulevard and to reconstruct the Loop 610 main lane bridge.

Phase 1 would include building direct connectors from U.S. 59 northbound to Loop 610 southbound and then from Loop 610 northbound to U.S. 59 southbound.

The cost for that work is estimated at $130 million, Perez said.

Phase 2 would include constructing a direct connector from U.S. 59 northbound to Loop 610 northbound and a direct connector from U.S. 59 southbound to the southbound lanes on the Loop.

Phase 3 would be construction of a main-lane bridge for Loop 610 as it passes over U.S. 59.

Perez said total cost for all three phases is expected to be around $310 million. He said work on the first phase will likely begin in the fall of 2017.

Bellaire officials became concerned when they learned in late 2013 of TxDOT’s plans which included having a two-lane direct connector from U.S. 59 northbound to Loop 610 southbound rising between 30 and 35 feet above ground level.

Then-mayor Phil Nauert called it “a nightmare” because motorists would end up looking down into Bellaire residents’ backyards, he said.

Plans also included routing that U.S. 59 northbound to Loop 610 southbound connector in such a way that it would eliminate the ability for motorists to exit at Fournace Place. The original plans also proposed creating a double uturn at Bellaire Boulevard to accommodate the added traffic from eliminating the Fournace Place exit.

As a consequence of negotiations with the city and comments made by residents at a June 2015 public meeting changes were made and incorporated into schematics on display March3.

Those changes include lowering the connector to come in at freeway grade, providing access to Fournace Place from the connector, eliminating the double u-turn at Bellaire and adding noise walls, because of noise from motorists on Loop 610.

TxDOT officials say the proposed project should help eliminate drivers weaving among lanes trying to exit, decrease congestion on the main lanes by adding additional connector lanes, increase sight distances for increased safety, and widen the Loop 610 main lanes bridge by adding shoulders.

Bellaire councilmember Trisha Pollard is concerned about the main lanes of Loop 610 running through Bellaire, specifically onthe section of Loop 610 northbound in the vicinity of the PetSmart store and Boudreaux’s Restaurant. She said the current configuration results in weaving, congestion and consequently auto accidents.

“The freeway goes down and comes up. There is an issue with depth perception. Our city is spending a tremendous amount of money and manpower to fund TxDOT’s poor original design which results in more than 700 wrecks taking place there annually,” she said.

TxDOT engineer Sharon Xu said at the meeting that the direct connectors will be two lanes instead of the current one lane and will initiate sooner from the Loop 610 roadway than the current ones.

As a result, this, plus the added lane, should get more motorists off the main lanes sooner and thus alleviate some of the weaving and congestion issues the council members mentioned.

Councilmember Michael Fife said she is concerned about the same area because she has noticed water ponds during rain events and that, she said, creates a hazard for motorists. Send your comments

Residents may continue to offer comments by sending email to HOUPIOWebmail@txdot.gov or by sending written correspondence to Texas Department of Transportation — Houston District, Attention Director of Project Development, PO Box 1386, Houston, Texas, 77251-1386.