FM 518 Corridor Improvement Study and Implementation, Pearland, Texas

Abstract

The City of Pearland (COP), located in Brazoria County, Texas, has witnessed an explosive population growth from 19,000 residents two decades ago to now over 92,000 residents. A critical link in COP’s mobility is FM 518, a 4-lane roadway providing access and connectivity through COP and neighboring cities. The study corridor consists of a 2-mile segment of FM 518 with 11 signalized intersections providing access to a rapidly growing suburban commercial and residential district. FM 518 is among the heavily traveled arterial corridors within suburban Greater Houston Area with average peak hour flows over 3,600 vph and 4,200 vph on weekdays and Saturdays respectively. Prior to implementation of improvements, the corridor operated poorly with Level-of-Service E/F conditions, peak directional average travel time of 16 minutes, and 13 mph average speeds in the study area. COP, in collective local agency partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and AECOM identified cost-effective traffic engineering strategies, and design and operational improvements. A phased implementation of strategies within a constrained budget and schedule resulted in optimal utilization and efficiency of infrastructure. Corridor operations significantly improved with 62 percent increase in average speeds and 55 percent reduction (8 minutes savings) in peak directional travel times. The project partnership and efforts successfully improved corridor mobility and access, enhanced business development, and has enriched resident quality of life.