09-08-2001 Special Called Workshop Meeting

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~ .f ,. ~ a ... Executive Summary of Preliminary Engineering Report CANADA ROAD From Fairmont Parkway To Spencer Highway Report to City Council, August 13, 2001 Background -Canada Road is a north-south roadway located in West La Porte approximately 7/1 Os of a mile west of Underwood Road. From Fairmont Pazkway the road is substandard in width and is actually a private access street for the property owners in the azea. There is no public right-of--way for this section of the road and it crosses a pipeline corridor approximately 1000' north of Fairmont Parkway. The primary user of this section of Canada Road is apre-existing, nonconforming warehousing facility located at the northern end of the private street. Also, City staff uses this section of Canada Road to gain access to our 33-acre undeveloped park site. From Spencer Highway there is an asphalt roadway with open ditches and a 60' wide public right- of-way. This public and City-maintained section of Canada Road terminates just.south of its intersection with Carlow Lane. This section of the road has one bridge crossing a HCFCD channel. The Comprehensive Plan Update Thoroughfare Plan classifies (proposed) Canada Road as a primary arterial. Normally, a desirable right-of--way standard for primary arterials is 100' to 120'. However, the northern section of Canada Road is already developed making this type of acquisition very difficult .and expensive. When Harris County completed construction of East Blvd. the new thoroughfare created an awkward intersection with Canada Road at Spencer Highway. City staff worked with the developer of the Texaco Station at the southeast comer of Canada Road and Spencer Highway and the City acquired right-of--way for improvements to Canada Road. However, preliminary drawings indicated additional right-of--way would be necessary to construct a safe transition at the Canada /Spencer intersection. The City hired the engineering firm Walsh/Freese & Nichols to prepare a preliminary engineering report. The report looked at the Spencer Highway intersection along with options for the ultimate roadway all the way to Fairmont Parkway. Roadway Options -From Fairmont Parkway north to the warehousing facility, the report recommends a four-lane, curb and gutter, boulevazd roadway with a +30' wide raised median. The median area can be grassed and/or landscaped to provide an attractive entrance into the planned city park. Also, the median will be wide enough to allow turning vehicles a place to wait in a crossover without blocking a lane of traffic. This section will require a 100' wide right-of--way, which is feasible because there is no development within this section. . (16)