Today, March 14, 2016, is the deadline for the public and stakeholders to submit written comments to the Texas Department of Transportation's preliminary plans for "improving" the 7-mile stretch of SH 46 from Bulverde Road to FM 3159 (Smithson Valley Road) in southern Comal County. The preliminary plans follow an initial study performed by TxDOT and its consultants.
The greater SH 46/US Hwy. 281 vicinity is being considered for an ambitious transportation Project that may include expansion of SH 46 from two to six lanes in the area of the City of Bulverde and Smithson Valley High School. Also contemplated is construction of sidewalks and bicycle accommodations along the Project area and the insertion of raised concrete medians . These medians would largely prevent left hand turns on the stretch of SH 46, except at major intersections, which would be controlled by traffic lights.
Expansion of the highway Right-of-Way will necessarily include acquisition of private property through condemnation/eminent domain, and possibly re-alignment of roadways intersecting with SH 46 in the Project area.
TxDOT has done a good job of getting the word out, and has set-up a dedicated website and an email list for interested parties to receive Project information, news and updates.
A public meeting was held on March 3, 2016, and TxDOT presentation materials from that meeting may be viewed here.
Following the public meeting, TxDOT called for public comment to its plans -- all of which are still preliminary. Those comments may be submitted by email to: sh46info@gmail.com or by mail to:
Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)
Following the public meeting, TxDOT called for public comment to its plans -- all of which are still preliminary. Those comments may be submitted by email to: sh46info@gmail.com or by mail to:
Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)
SH 46 Improvement Project
P.O. Box 5459
Austin, Texas 78763
I submitted a lengthy comment last week on behalf of a client who owns a relatively large property in the Project area. The following are our "General Comments" to the Project:
(i) the Project budget has been a moving target. Cost
estimates from as low as $40M (which presently appears as the combined total of
projects 0121507027 and 021401044 on the TxDOT “Project Tracker” website) to
$66M (which was discussed when we met in February 2016) to $77M (which was
identified at the March 2016 public meeting as an “Early Construction
estimate”) have all been publicized by TxDOT. The public, the legislators
responsible for balancing the State budget and TxDOT’s financial partners in
the Project all deserve transparency in representations concerning the true
cost of the Project;
(ii) the Project’s geographic boundaries have also been
somewhat elusive. Initial reports placed the western reach of the Project at
Spring Branch Rd. Currently-published information (including the TxDOT project
tracker website) extends that boundary to Bulverde Rd., while schematics
presented for public view show plans for even further extension west on SH 46
to a point of “tapering” that almost reaches Anhalt Rd. Transparency and
dissemination of accurate information about the Project’s boundaries are
critical for meaningful public input and understanding of the Project;
(iii) the 6
lane configuration is vastly more expensive than the original publicized plan
for expansion to 4 lanes, and requires acquisition of significantly more Right-of-Way
(“ROW”) through condemnation of private property. In many areas (including the
area of the Farm) existing TxDOT-owned ROW would be sufficient to expand SH 46
to 4 lanes, so the cost of acquiring additional ROW could be avoided entirely.
While traffic counts on SH 46 in the areas immediately adjacent to or east of US
281 may justify 6 lanes, a 4 lane configuration is more than ample for areas
that are several miles from that intersection (including the area of the Farm);
(iv) the proposed,
widespread use of medians in the Project imposes serious accessibility
challenges for many properties situated along SH 46. Requiring U-turns by large
vehicles and preventing left-hand turns into businesses and residences will
increase traffic dangers, negatively impact businesses that are currently
accessible to both east and west-bound traffic, and promote congestion at U-turn
points. The portions of US 281 in far
north Bexar County (between Evans Rd. and Marshall Rd.) are a debacle, and
TxDOT should not duplicate those traffic circulation nightmares on SH 46;
(v) as an alternative/complement to the Project, TxDOT and
its partners should consider near-term development/expansion of other
access corridors to US 281 and/or Bexar County from southern Comal County west
of US 281. A fundamental flaw in the Project’s global objective is failure to
include any accommodation for diverting traffic away from SH46 west of US 281 or the 46/281 intersection. Rather, the Project would promote traffic
congestion on SH46 by ignoring other practical, necessary and less-costly roadway
expansions which would promote traffic-flow away
from the already-congested intersection.
For example, Blanco Rd. south of SH46 has seen tremendous development of
residential subdivisions. Yet, despite this rapid growth, and Blanco’s existing
length to a terminus point located just north of downtown San Antonio, no
viable plan presently exists for expanding Blanco Rd. north of Camp Bullis, or
creating an east-west route from Blanco to US 281 between Borgfeld Rd. (to the
south) and SH 46. Similarly, and as acknowledged in the City of Bulverde
Transportation Master Plan, Bulverde Rd. south of SH46 (near the City of
Bulverde) is under-burdened and ripe for expansion – especially as the City and
its Chamber of Commerce actively promote increased development and commerce. At
a minimum, present consideration
should be given to expanding Blanco Rd. and Bulverde Rd. as viable thoroughfares,
and investigation of connecting Bulverde Rd. with Spring Branch Rd. as a single
north-south corridor is warranted;
(vi) incorporation
of bicycle lanes and pedestrian paths into the Project are superfluous.
Inclusion of these features contemplates (and would promote) modes of travel
that are unsafe and out of place on a state highway whose traffic volume is
predicted to increase manifold in the coming decades;
(vii) the
Project’s stated objective of improving sight distances by “flattening” curves
in the existing configuration of SH46 are disparately applied in publicized
schematics. While TxDOT literature promotes the benefits of acquiring
additional ROW to improve sight distance, numerous existing, sharp curves do
not appear slated for expansion/improvement. If improved sight distance is a
valid objective, it should be applied with equal impact along all areas of SH
46 whose existing terrain or curves endanger motorists;
(viii) the SH
46 corridor encompasses numerous sensitive environmental features, including
waterways (streams, creeks and tributaries), century oaks, limestone outcrop
and other geological features, Hill Country terrain and groundwater recharge
areas. TxDOT should proceed with extreme
concern for preserving the environmental integrity of the Project area, and the
numerous wildlife species that inhabit it;
(ix) the area of the SH 46 corridor is of significant
historical and archeological value to the State of Texas, and numerous artifacts
from Native Americans and German settlors abound in the Project area. Arrowheads
and other evidence of Native American life are also frequently found in the
Project area; and
(x) the Project area, including SH 46, itself, is prone to serious
flooding. The area has experienced significant flood events within the past
year, and on numerous prior occasions. The addition of expanded impervious
cover will promote storm water runoff, and present increased drainage problems
in an area that already suffers from a lack of flood mitigation. While the Project
plans call for concrete drainage features near the intersection of US 281 and
SH 46, there appears to be no accommodation for the additional storm water that
will affect the eastern and western extremities of the Project area.
If you live or work near the Project area, please participate in the public comment period, and let TxDOT know your thoughts. We are fortunate to live in a nation and State where public input can be expressed and will be heard!
