All TxDOT projects must provide for bike/ped

New policy effective August 31

Jay Blazek Crossley, Mar 28, 11.

The Texas Department of Transportation’s John Barton has issued a memo (pdf) to all District Engineers instructing them on implementing a new policy which requires inclusion of bicycle and pedestrian facilities in the scoping of all TxDOT projects as of August 31, 2011, although local districts are encouraged to move forward immediately with implementing the policy.

Essentially the policy calls for 14-foot-wide shoulders that are intended to be sufficient for safe bicycling and for appropriate ADA compliant pedestrian facilities.

This directive does not seem to apply necessarily to local projects, such as roads built by the Fort Bend County Toll Road Authority or the City of Houston, but would apply to all TXDOT projects, such as the proposed State Highway 99 Segment E toll road, and various TxDOT projects included in the 2011-2014 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).