Based on TxDOT Administration guidance given for emphasizing pedestrian accommodations, pedestrian facilities must be considered for all types of transportation projects within urbanized settings. Therefore, the inclusion of these facilities must be considered when a project is scoped, with input from the local cities, metropolitan planning organizations, locally adopted bicycle and pedestrian plans, and the public, when applicable. Designers should conform to approved pedestrian or active transportation plans affecting project area. See for more information.

It is recommended to plan and design a project as if a pedestrian access route will be constructed, even if there is no need at the time of design. Extend culverts, acquire ROW, design intersections to allow for accessible crosswalks, and locating utilities and drainage systems to accommodate pedestrian systems. This will reduce the complexity and cost of future pedestrian infrastructure retrofit projects. It is difficult and costlier to retrofit pedestrian facilities when they were not considered in the initial design.

For alteration projects, existing physical constraints sometimes make it technically infeasible to meet certain accessibility requirements. Existing physical constraints include, but are not limited to, underlying terrain, underground structures, adjacent development facilities, drainage, or the presence of significant natural or historical features; however, available ROW is not considered an existing physical constraint. In these situations, compliance is required to the maximum extent feasible in all other elements of design. Any non-compliant conditions must be documented by submitting a variance to TDLR with justification for non-compliance. Non-compliant elements must be reported to the District ADA liaison and included in the . For additional information on the contact the Landscape Architecture Branch of the DES. For new construction projects (e.g. in greenfield conditions), all design elements must be fully compliant with .

Sidewalks, or a shared use path in cases where bicycle and pedestrian travel are intended to be accommodated together, must be provided in urbanized settings on:

If it is determined that sidewalks will not be included in the project, then justification must be provided in the environmental document for not installing sidewalks. For the purposes of this guidance, “urbanized settings” include urban, urban core, suburban, and rural towns.

Although pedestrians are legally authorized to use the shoulder of the road for travel, it is preferable to provide accessible sidewalks in areas of known pedestrian activity or areas with increased development. A shoulder is not typically considered or designed to be a PAR; however, a shoulder can be designed to function as a PAR where it meets accessibility requirements for cross-slope and width in areas where that is the most practical method to accommodate pedestrians until such time as a sidewalk or shared use path is constructed.