Sunday, October 6, 2024
With multiple roadway enhancements in the pipeline, Hood County’s Master Thoroughfare Plan has recently revealed promising traffic modeling results — hinting that smoother mobility and decreased congestion are on the horizon.
The Master Thoroughfare Plan — also called MTP — is a long-range plan that serves to guide the location, size, and timing of roadway improvements needed to support a city’s growth.
During a special called meeting of the Hood County Commissioners Court Oct. 7, Ryan Jones, team leader at Teague Nall & Perkins, Inc., explained that the county’s current plan dates back to 2000. He also emphasized that the major focus of a MTP is on arterials and highways rather than on local or residential roads.
"(An MTP) is important because it ensures mobility safety, it allows the county to preserve right away for future corridor needs, it reduces emissions, improves air quality, and it also allows the county to plan financially for improvements that will be needed in the next 20-30 years,” Jones explained.
He noted that the initial effort to update the plan included looking at the projected growth for Hood County. Although the data from 2020 is slightly outdated, Jones explained that the county is forecasted to grow 60% in the next 45 years. He added that a recent public survey from the city of Granbury’s Comprehensive Plan also highlighted that traffic and pedestrian circulation was identified as the “most important issue facing Granbury.”
Through a partnership with North Central Texas Council of Governments, TNP was able to gain access to a comprehensive regional model that supports entities like Hood County in assessing their growth forecasts. The project is also bolstered by a steering committee comprised of local government officials, educational representatives, and municipal staff — all working alongside TNP and Texas Department of Transportation to ensure that the proposed improvements align with public feedback and real-world experiences.
“The public is very important in this process,” Jones said. “We want all of your feedback to make sure that the improvements that we're recommending, the alternatives that we're recommending, are really meeting your needs. You're the ones that drive the roads on a daily basis so you're the ones that we really need that feedback from. That's one of the goals tonight. That's why we're having this meeting in the evening is to try to get more involvement from the public."
The study was originally formed in March, which led to a workshop in April and a special Hood County Commissioners Court meeting in May where priority corridors — described as “near-term needs” — were confirmed based on the feedback received from the public.
Jones emphasized that the main objectives of the Master Thoroughfare Plan are to alleviate traffic congestion. He noted that he frequently encountered resident concerns about traffic issues on State Highway 144, U.S. Highway 377, FM 167, and State Highway 171 near Cresson.
"The primary goal for this study is to relieve some of that traffic congestion and provide some additional routes that will improve mobility,” Jones explained. “One of the things that we've been talking about is moving traffic from coming up 144, and then northeast on 377, and getting people moving south to U.S. 67 and then over to Chisholm Trails — that's just going to be providing some additional mobility and providing additional routes to release some of that congestion that we've been seeing on 377, and some of these north and south routes.”
Jones explained that during the first workshop, the team identified 18 distinct issues related to safety and congestion, along with 18 potential solutions. After reviewing the data with NCTCOG, however, they realized that evaluating all 18 alternatives would be overwhelming, so they prioritized them down to six key corridors deemed necessary for immediate attention — referred to as the "priority corridors."
After the six priority corridors were incorporated into the model, NCTCOG analyzed the impact to regional traffic — not only for Hood County, but adjacent counties like Johnson and Parker.
The six priority corridors are listed below:
Jones explained that NCTCOG incorporated the six priority corridors into their mobility model by first establishing key parameters such as functional classification, lane configuration, speed limits, and intersection controls. The team then began to evaluate the results to determine whether these priority corridors will positively impact traffic flow and congestion.
He highlighted that one of the key metrics used in evaluating the impact of the new corridors is the level of service, which the NCTCOG model produces. The team examined changes in traffic volume by comparing the base 2045 model with the new corridors incorporated. To visualize this data, they created a color-coded map: green indicates a reduction in traffic volume, yellow shows minimal impact, and orange or red signifies an increase.
Jones also added that by digesting the modeling results, they were able to access how the newly proposed corridors are impacting congestion levels on key roadways like State Highway 144, U.S. Highway 377, Fall Creek Highway, and State Highway 171 near Cresson.
“It certainly appears that the proposed improvements, the alternatives that we're looking at as part of the study, are having a positive impact regionally for the county and for your neighbors,” Jones said. “What we're seeing so far is positive. We're very encouraged by the results.”
Jones noted that all county roads in Hood County are classified with a level of service rating — A, B, or C— which indicates their operational performance. He highlighted that the modeling showed encouraging results, with most roadways scoring well below a congestion threshold of 1.4.
"Anything that's 1.4 or over is an F, but everything in Hood County was less than a 1.4,” Jones explained. “In fact, most of the things we were looking at were down closer to a one, so that's a real positive indicator for what we're doing. It reduced traffic congestion on 144, 377, FM 167, and State Highway 171, and it increased mobility to 67 and Chisholm Trail Parkway — and the result of all that is increased safety.”
He noted that there are some other safety improvements that were discussed in the first workshop, including the “unsafe” railroad crossing in Cresson, the Stroud Creek flooding issue, and the south access to Pecan Plantation. He explained that these types of improvement will be incorporated into the MTP regardless of what the modeling shows.
"These things are kind of just safety concerns, but what I was really encouraged about is some of these new routes that we're showing,” Jones said. “Some of the new connections are really having a great positive impact.”
In further discussion, Wade Haffey, a senior transportation planner with NCTCOG, added that their modeling focuses primarily on future years, particularly 2045. He expressed surprise at the positive impact of new connections — especially the southern route to U.S. 67, which alleviated traffic on Highway 377.
NCTCOG Principal Transportation Planner Chris Reed pointed out that the volume difference maps provide important information about the new connections being examined. He mentioned that the area southeast of Pecan Plantation and Old Granbury Road showed higher traffic volumes, indicated by red and orange on the maps, which reflect growth due to the new routes. However, he noted a positive outcome: the north-south traffic on Highway 144, south of downtown Granbury, actually decreased, which was shown in green on the map.
"You're seeing the benefit of reduced congestion on that corridor based on the priority corridors heading out east and west on either side of it,” Reed said. "We thought that was a good result.”
Jones also emphasized that the red markings on the map do not necessarily indicate negative outcomes, just as green does not automatically signify positive ones.
"It's not necessarily a good or a bad thing,” he explained. “In this case, we colored it just to be able to evaluate what was going on, and we were very pleased with the results, because the results show that the changes we're making are having a positive impact.”
Following more discussion, Jones then outlined the next steps in the Master Thoroughfare Plan process stating that they will compile feedback from the steering committee, the court, and the public to determine if any revisions or adjustments are needed in their proposals.
He explained that once feedback is incorporated, an updated map and draft report will be prepared. A subsequent workshop or presentation will then be held to share the final recommendations, which will then be brought to the Hood County Commissioners Court for approval.
“The number of workshops that are going to follow will largely be dependent on what kind of feedback we get,” he explained. “Right now, we're seeing a lot of positive results from the modeling ... Things are moving in the right direction. We're seeing some good, positive results, and so unless we get some feedback that's going to change that direction, I think we're on track."
Jones also added that the timeline for the project is on track, with the planning process expected to “wrap up” in March of next year.
Precinct 2 Commissioner Nannette Samuelson asked Jones about the overall objective of the 12-month process, as she emphasized the importance of understanding the ultimate benefits for the county and its residents once the plan is adopted.
Jones explained that the plan will offer multiple benefits, including an updated map outlining the roadway improvements needed for the next 20 to 30 years. He explained that this information will be publicly accessible, allowing current and prospective residents of Hood County to learn about the county's future infrastructure plans. He said the plan will also help preserve the necessary right-of-way for new corridors, as the county can require developers to dedicate land for future road expansions during the development process.
“We know the growth is coming, so it's very important to have a plan,” Jones said. “We need to be able to anticipate when this infrastructure is needed, so that when the traffic comes, we're ready. We need to be able to preserve the right of way, and then we also need to be able to plan financially for building these new improvements. These roadway improvements are going to be expensive. It's not going to be cheap.”
Former Precinct 4 Commissioner Steve Berry emphasized the importance of having a mobility plan when seeking funding from entities like TxDOT and state senators, as it can significantly enhance the chances of securing funding.
“This is the first step in the long process,” Samuelson said. “We have to have this in place to be able to go and ask for the funding, so when you said these roads are really expensive, it's kind of scary to think that that's going to be all on the burden of the Hood County taxpayers. But not necessarily so, because we can get funding from other resources.”
Samuelson also requested for all the previous presentations and minutes from the Master Thoroughfare Plan meetings to be set up on the Hood County website for the public to view.
Hood County residents who did not attend the meeting are encouraged to email Jones at rjones@tnpinc.com for any questions or concerns regarding the Master Thoroughfare Plan.
