The Houston Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD) requests Council approval to apply for, accept, and expend grant funds for the Port Regional Connector Greenway hike and bike project to improve multi-modal transportation accessibility, connectivity, and safety through the East End of Houston.
The Houston-Galveston Area Council is seeking grant applications for the funding of transportation projects within the eight-county transportation management area, which includes the City of Houston. The 2018 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Call for Projects will commit federal and state funds allocated to the region to implement roadway, transit, and alternative mode projects over the next 10 years. Projects selected for funding are eligible for reimbursement of up to 80% of eligible design and construction costs. TIP applications are due on October 31, 2018 and awards are anticipated to be announced in Spring 2019.
Through grants from the Houston Endowment, the Houston Parks Board (HPB) conducted studies to expand the success of Bayou Greenways 2020 and further connect Houstonians to parks, schools, jobs, and each other. Beyond the Bayous identifies a new system of regional connector greenways to link the Bayou Greenways utilizing CenterPoint transmission corridors, secondary waterways, and under-utilized rights-of-way. This broader system of greenways can serve as the framework for alternative, active transportation projects under H-GAC’s 2045 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP). To establish that framework, HPB will submit the overall Beyond the Bayous regional connector system and two sub-components – Little White Oak Greenway and West Side/Westpark Connector - for approval within the RTP.
For near term implementation, HPARD and HPB propose to build on the Sims Bayou Greenway by extending southwest from Old Galveston Road through F.M. Law Park to MLK Blvd, linking south from Houston Botanic Garden to Hobby Airport, and north to Brays Bayou Greenway at Mason Park, and then to Buffalo Bayou at the Port of Houston. The proposed Port Regional Connector Greenway will improve multi-modal connectivity by adding 11.8 miles of hike and bike trails linking several largely low income and minority neighborhoods to the Bayou trails, improving access to jobs, education, and recreation. The project includes a new bridge over Buffalo Bayou from Hidalgo Park to Port of Houston property, dedicated bike paths along Navigation, new greenways through the East End, a new trail alongside Old Galveston Road, and a new bridge across Sims Bayou to a new greenway along a flood control channel south to Hobby Airport.
HPARD is requesting grant funds in the amount of $35,322,215. The required local match is $8,977,483. A portion ($6 million) of the required local match will come from Bayou Greenways 2020 park bond funds to be appropriated for the Sims Bayou Greenway. The balance ($2,977,483) will come from private funding raised by the Houston Parks Board. If the project is selected for TIP funding, an interlocal agreement will be brought before Council for the commitment of matching funds, cost overruns, and project maintenance.
Director's Signature:
________________________________
Steve Wright, Director
Houston Parks and Recreation Department
Fiscal Note:
No Fiscal Note is required on grant items.