Primary Department: County Engineer
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Milton Rahman, PhD, P.E., PMP, CFM, ENV SP, County Engineer
Secondary Department: Commissioner, Precinct 2
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official: Adrian Garcia, Commissioner, Precinct 2
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Transmittal
Project ID (if applicable):
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable):
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable):
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): 0%
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): Infrastructure (Design, Construction, Maintenance)
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
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Transmittal by the Office of the County Engineer (OCE) of a grant application submitted to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for grant funds in the amount of $10,542,655, with a required match of $2,635,664, for the FY25-26 Crossing Safety Program / Railroad Crossing Elimination (RCE) Grant Program for the Precinct 2 Lockwood CLEAR (Crossing and Local Emergency Access Relief) Project.
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Background and Discussion:
Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) crossing Galveston Subdivision is located near the intersection of Lockwood Drive and Harrisburg Boulevard. This at-grade crossing has posed a longstanding conflict between vehicles, pedestrians, and trains. Emergency response, commuter travel, and freight movement are hindered when this crossing is blocked. Train blockages at the crossing can last from approximately 15 minutes to more than three hours during both peak and off-peak periods.
This grant application is continuing the efforts of the 2023-2024 FRA RCE Planning Award for the East End R.A.I.L.S project. This grant application is for Project Development and Final Design of a grade separation at the Lockwood Crossing that includes critical input from residents and community members in the East End and surrounding community. OCE seeks federal grants in the amount of $10,542,655 with a required 20% applicant cost share of $2,635,664 from Precinct 2, for a total cost of $13,178,319.
Expected Impact:
The proposed project will conduct design activities to eliminate the at-grade conflict at Lockwood Drive underpass while significantly improving physical safety, mobility, and the economy for residents, business owners, and those traveling through the Eastwood community. The project will minimize impacts to the historic district and tree-lined esplanade. The underpass design minimizes the project footprint, reduces visual and physical disruption, and avoids significant impacts that a larger overpass or multi-lane underpass would create.
This approach aligns with community preferences for context-sensitive, lower-impact solutions. Fiscal benefits include reduced costs associated with crashes and delays. The project enhances access to nearby commercial corridors and strengthens multimodal connectivity between Eastwood, Harrisburg Boulevard, and the Houston Ship Channel’s major employment centers.
Alternative Options:
If Harris County did not submit the FRA RCE grant application, the total proposed project cost of $13,178,319 would have to be funded locally.
County Strategic Plan Goal: 2. Connect our community with safe, reliable, equitably distributed, and well-maintained infrastructure.
County Strategic Plan Objective: F: Ensure safety and security for all using the county’s transportation network in alignment with the County’s Vision Zero plan.
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): Choose an item.
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): F1: Strengthen the County’s commitment to Vision Zero principles and goals.
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): Choose an item.
Health Initiative (Goal 4): Choose an item.
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): Choose an item.
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): Choose an item.
Additional notes related to the Strategic Plan:
Prior Court Action (if any):
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Location:
Address (if applicable): intersection of South Lockwood Drive and Harrisburg Blvd, Houston, Texas 77011
Precinct(s): Precinct 2
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Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
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Service Name |
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Crossing Safety Program / Railroad Crossing Elimination (RCE) Grant Program |
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Additional Budget Request (Requires Fiscal Review Request Form) |
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Local Match Source - Existing Budget: 1070 - Mobility Fund |
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$2,635,664 |
$2,635,664 |
4 years |
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Local Match Source - Additional Budget Request: Choose an item. |
$ |
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Grant Funds Applied for/Awarded (Total) |
$0 |
$10,542,655 |
$10,542,655 |
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Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new Position Control Numbers (PCN)s) |
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Current Position Count for Service |
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Additional Positions Request |
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Total Personnel |
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County Attorney’s Office Legal Review (for Harris County Code Items only) |
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CAO Reviewer Name and Title |
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CAO Review Completion Date |
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Anticipated Court Date: 7/30/2026
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): Click or tap to enter a date.
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or ARPA related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Mike Etienne, PhD, Chief of Planning and Development Services, Office of the County Engineer
Attachments (if applicable): Grant documents