

The purpose of this project was to convert the existing at-grade crossing of Brazoria County Road 56 (CR 56) and State Highway 288 (SH 288) into a diamond interchange that includes a new overpass bridge and providing access to the newly developed Meridiana Development. Coordination with TXDOT, area landowners, utility companies, and Brazoria County was integral in obtaining approval and acceptance of the project. The main design challenge for this project was to accommodate double intersections on the west side of SH 288 to tie into existing access roads with two-way traffic and a new southbound on-ramp within a close proximity. EHRA coordinated with TxDOT throughout the project from preliminary concepts for the intersection and bridge through final design and construction. Each component of this project was designed in accordance with TxDOT standards and criteria.
EHRA conducted a traffic engineering study to identify the impacts of a proposed master development located near the intersection of FM 1488 and Peoples Road in the City of Conroe.
The new roadway design comprises of one-half major thoroughfare, conventional drainage, a 600-ft long bridge over Willow Fork Bayou, Retaining walls and intersection improvements at FM 1463 (including traffic signals and illumination).
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.
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.
EHRA is privileged to work with Rise Communities on the developer’s premier master-planned community, Meridiana. Meridiana, located on State Highway 288 (SH 288), south of Pearland in the Cities of Manvel and Iowa Colony, launched home sales in 2016. EHRA provides land planning, civil engineering, hydrology, surveying and utility district services for the project.
Planning Project Manager Brad Sweitzer has worked on Meridiana for nearly a decade, assisting with creation of the overall land plan and the Planned Unit Development (PUD) guidelines that set the character for the community. PUDs are development tools that codify the design standards and rules by which developers and cities allow projects to occur. Mr. Sweitzer and Rise Communities worked with both Manvel and Iowa Colony to create multiple PUDs establishing lot sizes, land use, thoroughfare connectivity and aesthetic considerations.
Since Meridiana is approximately 65% complete, platting activity is ongoing and schools and retail areas that support existing and proposed home sites are presently either established or under construction. EHRA regularly submits plans for new residential sections and achieves PUD approvals despite ever-changing market conditions. This fluctuating market environment has required Brad to revise master plans and apply for variances and rezoning on occasion. As lot sizes and home prices dramatically changed over the last two years, EHRA closely collaborated with Rise to continue providing home sites in Meridiana while maintaining the high quality of the award-winning community.
Mr. Sweitzer’s planning team diligently coordinated with the land services team and hydrologists at EHRA to create a visually attractive stormwater and detention system, effectively integrating recreation trails and supplying pedestrian connectivity from neighborhoods to local school campuses. The team also worked with EHRA’s public infrastructure practice area to solve the complex intersection geometry of Meridiana Parkway at State Highway 6 (SH 6). The alignment had to weave under power transmission lines and over a railroad parallel to the highway. The resulting boulevard is a nearly five-mile-long connection between SH 288 and SH 6 lined with new landscaping, waterways and jogging trails.
Seeing Meridiana in its current state of development is very satisfying to Brad and the EHRA planning and visioning team. Brad shares that, in addition to the beautiful recreation center site, he is “especially pleased to be designing multiple mixed-use townhome and retail sites that will be unique to the area. It’s been great working alongside Rise Communities for all these years to help bring their vision to life.” EHRA is proud to continue delivering a wide range of services which help create places people call home.