The New Braunfels City Council received a presentation on the projects they are planning to submit to the AAMPO, which focuses on improving pedestrian transportation and reducing carbon emissions.
The big picture
“The [AAMPO] is the transportation organization for our region that decides and controls some of the transportation funding that comes through the Federal Highway Administration,” said Garry Ford, transportation and capital improvements director for New Braunfels.
Some of the projects the AAMPO is focused on funding with $54.8 million available for the region include transportation alternatives, such as bike and pedestrian projects. A focus on carbon reduction projects is also being prioritized, which provides for implementing traffic flow improvements with $51.8 million available.
Projects must have a minimum of $1 million construction cost for infrastructure improvements to be eligible for AAMPO funding, which provides 80% of the construction costs, while supporting agencies cover the remaining 20%. Maintenance and rehabilitation projects are not eligible, according to the city.
The gist
City staff is recommending pedestrian improvements throughout the city and in Gruene as transportation improvement projects. A shared-use path and crosswalk at key intersections, including on Gruene Road from Loop 337 to Ederndberg Avenue as well as on Hunter Road from FM 306 to New Braunfels Street, are among the projects being proposed.
“The Gruen Road pedestrian improvements we've been working on for quite some time. It does involve sidewalk and [Americans with Disabilities Act] improvements within the Gruene Historic District,” Ford said. “It also includes shared-use paths and crosswalks at key intersections.”
Constructing shared-use path connections and crosswalks to five locations throughout the city are also projects being submitted, which include Alves Lane and Brook Avenue, Christus Santa Rosa Hospital, and County Line Road at FM 725.
To adhere to the carbon reduction program, the city proposes making investments in traffic signal timing and intersection improvements to Solms Road. Additional turn lanes and operational improvements at I-35 and FM 482 are also included in the scope of the project.
“What we are proposing or recommending is citywide signal timing,” Ford said. “Signal timing impacts really congestion and also emissions, and updates to signal timing really have a high benefit-cost ratio.”
TxDOT is submitting two local projects that were part of the 2017 IH 35 Operational Study, which evaluated interchanges from FM 1103 to the Comal-Hays county line for congestion reduction project funding on the state highway system.
“Two of the biggest wishlist items I hear from constituents are signal timing and filling those gaps in our bike-[pedestrian] improvements around town, and there's two of those things that are on our wishlist here,” New Braunfels Mayor Neal Linnartz said.
Zooming out
Initial projects must be submitted by June 30 with the full projects submitted by Sept. 1. By November, the projects will undergo a series of steps including public input, project scoring and recommendations made to the AAMPO Transportation Policy Board. Project selection will be made in December.
Council approved the item unanimously, showing support for the proposed project submissions and allowing city staff to move forward with project submissions.
