ST9904-CS 980801 SH 114/SH 121
STUDY NEWSLETTER
Major
Investment Study
Texas
Department
of Transportation
Transportation Study Underway
The Texas Department of Transportation
(TxDOT) SH114/SH121 Major Investment Study
(MIS) is underway. The MIS continues the
work initiated in early 1997 at a public meet-
ing held in the City of Grapevine. Input from
this meeting and from meetings with cities in
the vicinity of the corridor has been utilized to
develop goals, objectives and scope. The MIS
process is intended to identify and select a
locally preferred transportation investment
strategy that best accommodates, as well as
defines the general study area. The focus of
this MIS is a transportation improvement stat-
edgy in one of Tarrant counties most vital COT-
riders. The study will be completed in approx-
imately two years, during which time four
additional public meetings and a public hear-
ing will be held. The study will conclude with
an assessment of the environmental and
social impacts of each alternative considered
and the development of a design schematic.
TxDOT Needs Your Input!
Your input is irnportant to the success of this
study and TxIDOT encourages the communi-
ty to attend the meetings throughout the
study period In order to provide the commu-
nity and affected agencies with opportunities
to actively participate in the planning process,
TxDOT has developed a public involvement
program. The program will insure that resi-
dents, environmental interests, businesses
and other stakeholders in the
SH114/HSH121 corridor have the opportuni
ty to provide input towards the selection of a
preferred transportation investment strategy.
In addition to input received at the public
meetings, a Technical Advisory Committee
has been created to assist TxDOT. The com-
Public Meeting
September 3, 1998
Grapevine City Council Chambers
200 Main Street Grapevine
Open Housc- 6:30 p.m.
Presentation -7:00 p.m.
mittee will meet on a regular basis to discuss
policy and coordinate local agency and
community issues. The committee consists
of representatives from the following commu-
nities and agencies:
City of Grapevine
City of Colleyville
City of Irving
City of Coppell
City of Keller
North Central Texas Council of Governments
Federal Highway Administration
DEW Airport
Town of Flower Mound
City of Euless
City of Southlake
City of kewisville
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART)
TxDOT
Meeting Planned For September
Four additional public meetings and a public
hearing will be held by TxDOT The next meet
lng is scheduled for September 3, 1998 at the
City of Grapevine Council Chambers. The
meeting will include and open house format
so that interested community members can
visit displays around the room and provide
comments on their area of interest. Small
work groups will be used to provide partici-
pants an opportunity to express their views
and suggestions to the study team to assure
the transportation improvement strategy
selected for the SH114/SH121 corridor
meets the following goals:
· Enhance mobility
· Provide additional capacity
· Reduce congestion
· improve the safety and condition of
freeway facilities
· Enhance the quality of life and envi-
ronment
· Strengthen economic conditions by
enhancing transportation service to
major business, entertainment and
residential travel destinations
· Achieve regional consensus
· Be fiscally responsible
· Consider appropriate technologies
MIS Process is the First Step
The MIS is a decision making process that
develops and evaluates transportation alter-
natives. The end result will be the selection of
a Locally Preferred Investment Strategy for
the study area The MIS is the first step in the
planning and design process. Over the next
24 months, the preferred strategy will be
advanced into environmental dooumenta
tion and preliminary engineering (design
schematic). The design schematic will define
the project in sufficient detail so potential
environmental, social and economic impacts
can be assessed and mitigation strategies
developed. Upon completion of the MIS, and
inclusion into the regional transportation
plans, the project would then be advanced
into final design, which develops detailed
engineering plans and finalizes the mitigation
treatments The date of implementation of the
proposed transportation improvement is
dependent tJpon the selected strategy and
financial constraints
MI , Schedule
1998 ! 1999 ! 2000
~ltcrnati~ es _ __
~ iable
~ltcrnatis es
Prima r3
Alte r~latix ~s
Schematic
Public Meelings
Public Henrin~
What Types of Improvements will be
Considered?
In addition to a No Build option, the following
transportation elements will be considered
during the MIS. Some transportation ele-
ments represent major capital investments,
while others are supporting elements that
would help make a major investment rnore
effective (such as feeder bus service to a
multi-modal transportation hub, or park and
ride lots for new NOV lanes/express busses)
Major Transportation Investment Elements
Roadway Improvements -Roadway
improvements could include new High
Occupancy Vehicle (HDV) and/or
general purpose lanes to provide addition-
al capacity. HDV lanes would connect to
other HDV lanes planned by TxDOT.
Fixed Guideway Transit Elements -
These elements include fixed guideway
transit technologies such as DAI~T's exist
lng Light Rail Transit and Commuter Rail,
as well as new, emerging transit technolo
dies.
Supporting Transportation Elements
Transportation System Management
(TSM) Elements-TSM elements will con-
sist of Iow-cost improvements to existing
roadways and transit service. This can
include new transit centers, traffic; signal
improvements, and safety improvements
to freeways and intersections.
Travel Demand Management
(TDM) Elements - TDM elements will focus
on managing travel demand by providing
incentives that encourage people to utilize
car/van pools or for employers to provide
flexible work schedules or telecommuting
B u s E I e m e n t s Supporting bus
elements would include new or improved
express bus service to take advantage of
HOVlanes, or local feeders or circula-
tor routes to new rail stations or park &
ride lots.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Elements - These
elements reflect the need to provide more
and safer bicycle and pedestrian linkages to
transportation improvements. These can
include improved signage, sidewalks,
pedestrian crossings or paths, and the
integration of existing and planned bike
routes to park & ride lots or rail stations.
The MIS Process
How will Alternatives be Evaluated?
The Ex[DOT project team has developed an
MIS process to guide the development and
evaluation of alternatives, The evaluation
process consists of three phases: an evalua
tion of conceptual alternatives which will
be narrowed to the viable alternatives, an
evaluation of the viable alternatives which
will be narrowed to the primary alternatives,
concluding with an evaluation of the pti
mary alternatives which will be narrowed to
the preferred alternative. Each phase of the
evaluation will rely on feedback from the
community and will apply increasingly
detailed and comprehensive criteria and a
decreasing number of alternatives.
We Want To Hear From YOU!
· Email your comments to:
We encourage you to participate at any
stage in this Study. Since your input is very
important, please feel free to...
· Express your verbal comments pub-
licly at the September 3rd Public
Meeting - the meeting will be videotaped
and a court reporter will transcribe all
comments.
· Complete a written comment form at the
meeting or mail comments to:
SH 114/SH 121 Major Investment Study
Texas Department of Transportation
P.O. Box 6868
Fort Worth, TX 76115-0868
Attn: Joe Atwood, RE.
sh 1 1 4mis@mailgw.dot.state.tx.us
· Express your comments to your local
member of the Technical Advisory Group
representing the cities of Coppell, Euless,
Grapevine, Irving, Keller, Lewisville,
Southlake and the Town of Flower Mound.
All comments and suggestions are wel-
come anytime, however, to keep the study
on schedule, comments relating to the
Public Meeting are requested by Sept. 1 3,
1998. Comments received after this date will
be accepted and reviewed. However,
these comments, due to time considera
tions, may not be able to be included with
other decision-making information.
Texas
Department
of Transportatiotl
Major
Investment Study
Texas Department of Transportation
P.O. Box 6868
Fort Worth, TX 76 115-0868
Attention: Joe Atwood, P.E.
Mr. Kenneth Griffin, PE
City of Coppell
PO Box 478
Coppell, TX 75019
HDR Engineering, Inc.
TxDOT Planning Constdtanl