Western Chambers County Study

Background

In February 2001, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) initiated a Transportation Plan for Western Chambers County to evaluate existing and future transportation conditions and recommend highway improvements needed to accommodate travel demands and mobility issues through Year 2025.  Located in the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) region, Western Chambers County is projected to continue to experience significant population and employment growth, resulting in associated mobility and access improvement needs. Transportation improvements considered include roadway widenings, extensions of existing area highways, and new roadway facilities.

Executive Summary Document (in Adobe Acrobat)
Western Chambers County Transportation Plan - 63 MB (in Adobe Acrobat)

Purpose

According to the Year 2000 census, the population of Chambers County has grown from 20,088 persons in Year 1990 to 26,031 persons in Year 2000. This represents an annual growth rate of 2.6 percent per year.  Western Chambers County has grown at even a higher rate, from 9,473 persons in Year 1990 to 13,197 persons in Year 2000, representing an annual growth rate of 3.4 percent. Significant commercial and residential developments have occurred over the past several years, contributing to increased traffic volumes on the study area’s transportation system. The graph below shows population growth from Years 1980 to 2000 for Chambers County and the Western Chambers County study area.

The last Transportation (Thoroughfare) Plan for Chambers County was developed in 1982. Since development of the previous Transportation Plan, significant changes have occurred in population, land use, and transportation in Western Chambers County (west of the Trinity River). The purpose of this study was to develop a Transportation Plan for Western Chambers County, which includes recommended roadway improvements needed to accommodate travel demands through the Year 2025. An implementation program that prioritizes the recommended Plan improvements was also developed and includes short-range and long-range programs. 

This Transportation Plan identifies needed transportation improvements as well as their traffic, engineering, environmental, and land use impacts, which can be used by TxDOT, Chambers County, and other agencies in prioritizing and implementing highway construction projects over the next 25 years.

Study Participants

A Steering Committee was formed to provide guidance and technical expertise on the development of the Transportation Plan. Members included representatives from TxDOT, H-GAC, Chambers County, West Chambers County Chamber of Commerce, City of Mont Belvieu, City of Beach City, City of Old River Winfree, Cove City, Baytown Chamber of Commerce, Grand Parkway Association, Barbers Hill Independent School District, and Anahuac Independent School District.

Four Steering Committee meetings were held throughout the course of the study. The first meeting was conducted on May 1, 2001. The primary purpose of this meeting was to introduce the project and receive input regarding transportation issues in the study area.  Items discussed concerned the construction of SH 99 (Grand Parkway), widening of IH 10, and proposed residential and commercial developments. The second meeting was held on November 20, 2001 and reviewed the future transportation demands and needs of the study area. At this point, the study was put on hold due to TxDOT budgetary constraints, but was reinitiated in April 2003. The third meeting was conducted on June 3, 2003 and provided an update of the study tasks that had been completed and included discussions and input regarding the remaining tasks. The fourth meeting was held on August 29, 2003 and reviewed the preliminary Transportation Plan recommendations.