Towne Lake

In 2006, Caldwell Companies sought to create Towne Lake as a community where residents and services could be connected by water. Their vision included boat docks and marinas augmenting traditional walking trails to navigate a vibrant residential community. EHRA was the perfect partner to take Caldwell Companies’ vision and create this livable suburban oasis.

West Road Phase 3 Landscape

EHRA worked with the District to create a comprehensive Parks Master Plan, which included recommendations for the development of over two miles of hike/bike trails adjacent to local streets, and within flood control and utility pipeline easements. The District began implementation of the Plan by prioritizing the beautification of West Road, a major arterial street that runs through the District.

Northpark Drive Mobility Project

EHRA completed preliminary engineering, phase one environmental site assessment and schematic development for the widening of Northpark Dr. between US 59 and Woodland Hills Dr. EHRA also provided program management, drainage analysis and design, traffic engineering, environmental documentation and schematic design for the roadway, as well as grade separation at the Loop 494/UPRR railroad crossing.

EHRA conducted traffic operations and access management studies for the Northpark Dr. corridor. This corridor is approximately 2.2 miles long and has major signalized and unsignalized intersections and driveways that access various subdivisions and industrial developments. These studies laid the groundwork for the widening of Northpark Dr. from a four-lane boulevard cross-section to a six-lane boulevard complete street. The new street design includes low impact development drainage, conventional drainage, a grade separation at the UPRR crossing with mechanically stabilized earth retaining walls, two at-grade crossings for bi-directional frontage access, reconstruction of two concrete bridges over a diversion channel, intersection improvements, a roadway-adjacent multiuse path and traffic signal improvements.

Drainage analysis and design included hydrologic and hydraulic studies of both existing and proposed conditions to demonstrate that proposed project components would not adversely affect the 100-year floodplain in the area. The roadway and traffic designs contained horizontal and vertical alignments, cross-sections, plan and profile, sidewalk and bicycle accommodations, intersection layouts, traffic control plans and signing and pavement markings.

As the program management firm, EHRA coordinated with TxDOT, UPRR, the City of Houston Council District E, COH Planning and Development Department, COH Public Works and Engineering Department, Montgomery County, Harris County, HCFCD and area residents throughout the project.

Willowcreek Ranch Development

A 720-acre gated master planned community located off Telge Road, just north of Willow Creek. See how EHRA was involved in this project.

Greens Bayou Trail Phase 2

Identified as a top priority during the development of the District’s Parks Master Plan, this portion of trail was the first phase of over two miles of planned trails to provide connectivity and recreation for District residents.

2 July 2018

Harris County Bond Issue

Admin

The catastrophic 2017 hurricane season left a future of recovery and healing in the Houston area. Now that hurricane season is here, many Houstonians are wondering “What if it happens again?”

Houston residents are no strangers when it comes to flooding. The Memorial Day flood in 2015 flooded over 2,000 homes. The Tax Day Flood in 2016 dropped as much as 17 inches of rain in parts of the city. Hurricane Harvey dumped an astronomical amount of rain which created more than $100 billion dollars in damage.

Harris County Commissioners court voted to seek a special election on August 25th—the one year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey. It is not clear yet what the bond will include exactly. However, the court proposed a $2.5 billion-dollar price tag, and if approved, it will be the largest local investment in the region’s flood control system. All county’s 22 watershed will likely see improvements, if passed. According to the Harris County Flood Control District’s website, “Projects would be distributed throughout Harris County. Broad categories of projects include:
•   Channel modification projects
•   Regional storm water detention basins
•   Voluntary home buy-outs in areas with the greatest risk of flooding, which would include more than 1,000 residential structures across the County
•   Engineering studies of specific watersheds or areas that will produce specific alternatives that could be built to reduce flooding risks in that watershed or area
•   Local match for federal grant dollars for qualifying projects such as completing our four active projects in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Brays, Hunting, White Oak and Clear Creek
•   Local match for other grants to repair our damaged infrastructure and construct new flood damage reduction projects.” (https://www.hcfcd.org/bond-program/frequently-asked-questions/)

Houston will never be completely exempt from flooding, but this is a step in the right direction.

For questions about the bond, click here.
For proposed projects, click here.