The City of Houston Major Thoroughfare and Freeway Plan (MTFP) identifies transportation corridor alignments and establishes the required rights-of-way for major roadways in the City and its extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ). Chapter 33-25 of the Code of Ordinances requires that the Planning Commission prepare and submit the MTFP annually to the City Council. In developing the annual amendments to the MTFP, the Commission may consider deleting, realigning or reclassifying streets designated on the plan or adding one or more streets to the plan. An amendment approved by the Commission is not effective until the MTFP is approved by City Council.
The MTFP was initially adopted in 1942 as a way to plan for and preserve a long-term transportation network that would support the rapidly growing city. In 1966, the plan was expanded to include the ETJ. Today, the MTFP uses street classifications identifying the preferred right-of-way width dimensions as well as the rules governing development along the right-of-way. Classifications include Freeways/Tollways, Major Thoroughfares, Transit Corridor Streets, Collector Streets (Major Collectors and Minor Collectors), and Local Streets.
The MTFP is important for several reasons:
- It identifies roadway needs for Houston and the ETJ;
- It ensures that development and re-development activities dedicate adequate roadway right-of-way to maintain a well-connected street network as the area grows;
- It informs the area’s built form by governing development that takes place along each of the specific classifications on the map;
- It provides a coordinated plan that is used by public agencies when making decisions related to transportation within the City of Houston and its ETJ;
- MTFP classifications are used within PWE’s Infrastructure Design Manual (IDM) to define how roads will be designed and constructed; and
- It provides officials and the general public useful information when making land acquisition decisions.
The Planning & Development Department (P&D) is responsible for administering the nine-month public review process for MTFP amendments. The annual process includes multiple opportunities for soliciting and incorporating public comments on proposed amendments. The timeline for the 2016 MTFP amendment review process is as follows:
- A thorough review of all applications with the applicant and any affected stakeholders (January 8, 2016 - February 29, 2016)
- A workshop with the Planning Commission for preliminary review and discussion about the applications (May 5, 2016)
- A public open house at which the public is encouraged to view and comment on the applications (June 14, 2016)
- Public hearing before City of Houston Planning Commission (July 14, 2016)
- Planning Commission discussion and vote on each amendment, thereby compiling the 2016 MTFP (August 11, 2016)
P&D recommends that Council approve the list of amendments to the 2015 Major Thoroughfare and Freeway Plan as submitted in Attachment 1 and authorize publication of the 2016 MTFP.
Patrick Walsh, P.E.
Director
Planning and Development Department
cc: Ronald C. Lewis, City Attorney
Dale A. Rudick, P.E., Director, Public Works and Engineering
Andy Icken, Chief Development Officer