SUBJECT: New Roadside Ditch Re-establishment Program
RECOMMENDATION: Approve an Ordinance directing the Director of Houston Public Works to enact a plan and policy to effectuate a new Roadside Ditch Re-establishment Program.
SPECIFIC EXPLANATION:
The Roadside Ditch Re-establishment Program is critical for the City to reverse the reactive-oriented practice that has been in place since approximately 2001 and enable the City transition to a proactive approach, where ditch maintenance is conducted citywide based on requests from the City’s 311 system, resulting in an equivalent twelve-year service cycle, to a proactive planned work method following a 5-year service cycle based on strategic planned drainage areas to proportionally and efficiently serve all communities.
The new Roadside Ditch Re-establishment Program establishes a proactive methodology and schedule for the inspection and maintenance of open drainage systems aimed to achieve better functionality. There will be a transition from the current reactive point-repair response to a planned 5-year inspection & re-establishment cycle. Priority work during the Program’s transition period will be performed in the Northeast and Complete Communities areas previously identified by Council. In addition, the Program provides guidance regarding the role of abutting property owners in the maintenance of roadside ditches on their property.
A presentation to the Transportation, Technology, and Infrastructure Committee (TTI) was conducted on August 3, 2023.
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Carol Ellinger Haddock, P.E., Director
Houston Public Works