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Where did the outer loop concept originate?
The concept for an outer
loop was originally identified by the City of New Braunfels and
shown on the City of New Braunfels Major Thoroughfare Plan in
1964. Revisions and updates to the outer loop alignment and
Major Thoroughfare Plan were made in 1999, 2003, and 2005.
My house is within the study area. Does
that mean someone is going to purchase my land?
No. This is a
preliminary planning effort to identify a corridor for the
potential development of the proposed outer loop. TxDOT has no
funding for the acquisition of right of way or for further
development of the outer loop concept. This study was undertaken
to help the local jurisdictions plan for future growth in the
area and identify a corridor for right of way preservation.
Further, this corridor identifies an area that is approximately
800 ft wide. The final location of the proposed outer loop has
yet to be determined. The proposed outer loop is a long term
project and will likely take many years (up to 30+ years) and
several additional studies, both technical and environmental,
before it ever comes to fruition. Further, the No-Build, or do
nothing option, is still a possibility as there is no identified
funding for the proposed outer loop.
When will the improvements recommended by
this study be built?
Currently, there
are no funds available for an outer loop.
Will the
proposed outer loop be funded through the use of driver-paid
tolls?
TxDOT is
generally incorporating toll financing as a method of funding
roads. However, in order to qualify for toll financing, a
roadway must meet several criteria. At this point in time, TxDOT
has an agreement with Comal County preventing the use of toll
financing in the county. As a result, TxDOT has no plans to
study the feasibility of utilizing toll financing to build the
outer loop.
In fact, TxDOT has no funding plan in place for the corridor
outlined by the New Braunfels Outer Loop Study. This study was
conducted as a planning exercise to provide guidance to local
platting authorities wishing to include an outer loop in their
Major Thoroughfare Plans (MTPs). This study was not conducted
with the intent of building an outer loop as additional
environmental studies would need to take place before TxDOT
could proceed with any construction plans.
When will
complete environmental studies be performed for the proposed
outer loop?
Complete
environmental studies, in the form of an Environmental
Assessment or Environmental Impact Statement, have not yet been
performed for the New Braunfels Outer Loop. In fact, the New
Braunfels Outer Loop Study was never intended to produce an
environmental document but was instead a very preliminary study
to identify a general corridor for the proposed outer loop. The
proposed outer loop is a long term project and will likely take
many years and several additional studies, both technical and
environmental, for various portions of the loop before it ever
comes to fruition. Further, the No-Build, or do nothing option,
is still a possibility as there is no identified funding for the
proposed outer loop.
Will the
proposed outer loop be designated as a hazardous materials
route?
The New Braunfels
Outer Loop Study was a preliminary study to identify a general
corridor for the proposed outer loop. As such, it will in no way
propose any such designation for a roadway which may or may not
be built. A hazardous materials route, or a Non-Radioactive
Hazardous Materials (NHRM) Route, is typically established by
the local jurisdiction on an existing roadway. It is too early
in the planning process to know whether or not the loop would
ever be designated as a hazardous materials route by any of the
local jurisdictions once it is constructed. Further, this
designation would need to follow a process established by
federal regulations and eventually undergo TxDOT review and
approval. For more information on the NRHM Route designation
process, visit the TxDOT website at:
http://www.dot.state.tx.us/services/traffic_operations/non_radioactive_routing.htm
Why is TxDOT
recommending a six lane facility for our community when the
projected population for our community does not appear to
support the need for a facility of this size?
During the course of
this preliminary study, TxDOT staff and consultants along with
input from the local community at public meetings and members of
the community and technical work groups identified a proposed
facility type. The purpose of identifying a facility type was to
develop a corridor width which would be utilized during the
course of this study. For the purposes of this preliminary
planning effort, an Expressway 1 (approximately 450 ft of right
of way) and Expressway 2 (approximately 250 ft of right of way)
were utilized to develop the proposed corridor width of 800 ft
which was then used during the development of corridor options.
That said, this preliminary recommendation of a facility type
does not mean that the ultimate roadway, if constructed, would
be a six lane facility. Future studies could very well determine
that a different facility type is better suited for the proposed
outer loop. Future studies could even determine that a No-Build,
or do nothing option, is preferred over the option to build the
outer loop. Most likely, the loop will be phased in as the need
arises along various portions of the corridor identified by this
study. The number of lanes, width, and other characteristics
will be largely driven by the funding mechanism used to build
each portion of the loop. Further, the entire loop will probably
not be completed all at once but will rather result from a
series of independent relief route projects built within an
identified outer loop corridor.
Is the loop being
proposed to help re-route truck traffic to avoid San Antonio?
No. The need for the
proposed outer loop is based on the growth and development of
the City of New Braunfels, Comal County, and Guadalupe County.
It is meant to provide an alternate route between the various
“spokes” or roadway arterials that run through the city
including IH 35, SH 46, FM 306, FM 2722, FM 1102, FM 1101, FM
725, FM 1044, and FM 1863. The goal is to allow traffic wishing
to travel north or south on IH 35 a way to access the interstate
without causing congestion in the Central Business District of
the City of New Braunfels. Evidence of the impact growth in the
area is having on the local transportation network can be seen
on roadways such as SH 46 and FM 306. While improvements are
planned for both of these roadways, the need for additional
roadway improvements and relief routes is anticipated in order
to meet the demand of the projected population in the year 2035.
Who is conducting this study?
The Texas Department of
Transportation (TxDOT) San Antonio District (SAT) is conducting
the New Braunfels Outer Loop Study with assistance from a team of
consultants.
Where is the study area?
The
study
area is approximately a 40-mile band around the City of
New Braunfels that encompasses portions of Comal and Guadalupe Counties.
The outer loop could require at least two new crossings over the
Guadalupe River and could connect to IH 35 on the north side of
New Braunfels and to IH 35 on the south side of New Braunfels.
What is the purpose of the study?
The purpose of the study
is to conduct the necessary planning and analysis needed to identify
a corridor for the possible development of a New Braunfels Outer
Loop. New Braunfels is seeing significant growth and the identification
of a recommended corridor would give the city a tool to preserve
the land (right of way) needed before the land is developed for
residential or commercial use.
The study
will seek to:
- Identify a potential corridor
for land (right of way) preservation.
- Identify partitions of
the loop which could be constructed as stand alone
projects.
- Follow NEPA guidelines
to ensure information collected can be used for the development
of future environmental documents for the portions of independent
utility.
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