19.1.6 Project Development

Planning for pedestrian and multimodal facilities must occur early and continuously throughout project development and must follow TXDOT’s
PDP
. Early consideration of pedestrian facility design during the project development process is necessary to allow the active transportation network to be fully integrated into the overall transportation system.
The following items must be evaluated during project development:
  • Sidewalks;
  • Curb ramps;
  • Driveway crossings;
  • Vertical surface discontinuities not covered by routine maintenance operations;
  • Accessibility compliance of existing traffic signal systems;
  • On-street parking;
  • Transit stops (through coordination with local transit authority);
  • Railroad crossings;
  • Installation of new, or upgrades to, accessible pedestrian signals and push buttons;
  • Restriping existing crosswalk or other pavement markings;
  • Adequate vertical clearance; and
  • Other, as applicable.
Considerations will differ between construction/reconstruction projects, and rehabilitation and resurfacing projects.
Consideration of the following elements involves an assessment of whether the pedestrian facility and other roadway elements:
  • Are compliant with ADA standards;
  • Should be included in the project;
  • Should be upgraded or maintained as part of the project; and/or
  • Altered by the original scope of the project (per the FHWA/DOJ joint technical memo defining alterations and maintenance activities).
The evaluation requires further detail for the following elements:
Sidewalks
. Suitability of width to context, while adhering to minimum width standards per accessibility guidelines (volume of expected users, see
Section 19.3.2
).
Suitability of placement to context (characteristics of adjacent roadway, see
Section 19.3.1
).
Determination of the feasibility of filling gaps between existing ramps and nearby sidewalk segments that are disconnected from the street corner.
Curb ramps
. Provision of curb ramps during resurfacing projects.
Transit stops
 (through coordination with local transit authority). Evaluate existing transit stop locations for crossing improvements.
Identification of isolated locations for potential relocation or to better serve with pedestrian route.