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<br />CITY OF LA PORTE
<br />RESOLUTION NO. 260 B --Oq
<br />REQUESTING FEDERAL FUNDING ASSISTANCE FOR STATE HIGHWAY 146
<br />
<br />A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF LA PORTE REQUESTING FUNDING FOR BAY
<br />AREA REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION CORRIDOR PROJECTS DUE TO THEIR
<br />CRITICAL IMPACTS WITH REGARD TO NATIONAL SECURITY, MOBILITY, AND
<br />EMERGENCY EVACUATION NEEDS, INCLUDING HURRICANE EVACUATION.
<br />
<br />WHEREAS, BayTran is a Transportation Management Organization or "TMO" operating as the
<br />Regional Advocate for transportation, mobility, and air quality issues in the Houston Bay Area that
<br />includes southeast Harris, Brazoria, and Galveston Counties, Municipalities, Academic Institutions, Port
<br />Authorities, and Private Sector Participants; and
<br />
<br />WHEREAS, BayTran has identified and prioritized transportation projects that have a regional
<br />impact with regard to national security, mobility, and emergency evacuation. Many major transportation
<br />corridors in southeast Harris County and northern Galveston County are too congested to be depended
<br />upon for evacuation in the event of an emergency, specifically and including: IH-45, State Highway 146,
<br />Old Galveston Road (SH 3), NASA Parkway East, Red Bluff Road, Fairmont Parkway, Bay Area
<br />Boulevard, FM 518 and FM 517: and
<br />
<br />WHEREAS, BayTran is coordinating with the members which include Commissioners of Harris
<br />County Precincts One and Two, Galveston and Brazoria Counties, the Economic Alliance Houston Port
<br />Region, the Port of Houston Authority, the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, Clear Lake Area
<br />Chamber of Commerce and the member cities of Bay town, Bayou Vista, Clear Lake Shores, Deer Park,
<br />El Lago, Galveston, Hitchcock, Houston, Kemah, La Marque, La Porte, League City, Nassau Bay,
<br />Pasadena, Pearland, Seabrook, Shoreacres, Taylor Lake Village, Texas City, and Webster all of which
<br />are within U.S. Congressional District 22; and
<br />
<br />WHEREAS, there are specific geographic and logistical regional attributes unique to the Houston
<br />Bay Area of Texas that distinguish the region from other regions, being that Houston is the fourth-largest
<br />city in the United States, increasing in population by one million every 10 years and ranked fourth with
<br />the most traffic congestion, is located on the Texas Gulf Coast, making it susceptible to hurricanes which
<br />pose a threat to the economic infrastructure, and is home to four Ports, two major airports, two major
<br />railroad systems, oil & gas industries, petro-chemical refineries, the Texas Medical Center,
<br />NASA/Johnson Space Center, and Ellington Field (used by the military, government, and general aviation
<br />sectors) ; and
<br />
<br />WHEREAS, this Houston Bay Area is one of the world's largest manufacturing centers for
<br />petrochemicals, having nearly 40% of the nation's base petrochemicals manufacturing capacity and home
<br />to the $15 billion petrochemical complex at the Houston Ship Channel making it the largest in the United
<br />States; and
<br />
<br />WHEREAS, this Houston Bay Area dominates in the United States production of three major
<br />reSIns: polyethylene (37.1 % of U.S. capacity); polyvinyl chloride (37.0% of U.S. capacity) and
<br />polypropylene (53.4% of U.S. capacity); and
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