Despite constant rain that brought widespread flooding to the Houston region last week, contractors finished the Northpark tree transplantation. They also made significant progress on two other parts of the road expansion project since my last update two weeks ago. I took the pictures below on 2/1/24 with one exception.
Among the highlights:
Dozens of trees were transplanted on the south side of Northpark at US59. The trees now form an arc around what will eventually become a decorative pond/retention basin on the south side of the intersection.
Excavation of a companion decorative pond/retention basin on the north side of Northpark is much farther along than in my previous report.
The first leg of 8-foot culvert linking the ponds with Ditch One is almost complete. The other two legs (under the railroad tracks and from US59 to Loop 494) should start within weeks.
Ideal Weather for Northpark Tree Transplantation
The cool, wet weather created ideal conditions for the transplanted trees to take root and thrive. Ralph De Leon, project manager, noted that the spacing of the trees also gives them room to spread and thrive.
Each transplanted tree has a ring around the base designed to retain supplemental water. The trees will receive extra water for two years to ensure they thrive after the shock of being transplanted.
Looking south. Transplanted trees will form a backdrop for what will soon become another decorative pond.
Pond Excavation Progress
Meanwhile, across Northpark, excavation of the first of two ponds is proceeding despite the wet weather.
Looking north. Across Northpark Drive, excavation of the pond/retention basin is already well underway.Reverse angle of same area makes it easier to see the extent of excavation.
Excavated dirt is being stored temporarily at a sand mine on Sorters-McClellan Road. After the culverts are installed down the center of Northpark, contractors will retrieve the excavated dirt and place it over the culvert sections to form the road bed.
The pond above will go 8-12 feet deeper than you see now. The contractor is only digging down to the water table for now until: a) pond liners arrive and b) drainage connections for the ponds are complete. That’s because the contractors will have to continuously pump water as they excavate to the final depth.
Pond Landscaping Plans
That horse-shoe-shaped area on the left (above and below) will be a decorative focal point for the pond.
The trench you see above will contain a brick retaining wallthat keeps the area from eroding into the ponds.
Final design of the north pond will look like this.
The peninsula will contain decorative trees, shrubs and other plantings.
The next diagram shows how the north and south ponds will closely mirror each other.
Current plans call for colorful crepe myrtles. Japanese ardisia, a ground cover, will ring the area.
Japanese ardisia, also called marlberry, is a flowering, evergreen ground cover introduced from the Far East. It is a low-growing, woody shrub that spreads laterally while growing to a height of 8-12 inches.
No Identifying Entry Signage
Unlike Kingwood Drive, where KSA owns the land behind the ponds, TXDoT owns all the land at Northpark Drive. So you will not see any prominent Kingwood identification as you do at Kingwood Drive.
Drainage Progress Between Railroad and Ditch One
The entry ponds above will drain to “Ditch One.” The ditch runs parallel to Northpark behind the businesses on the north side of the road.
Culverts will carry the water from the ponds eastward, then under Loop 494 and the railroad tracks. The culvert will then turn north and back east again behind the businesses (see red line below).
Route of drainage from north pond to Ditch One.Photo from 1/24.
The agreement with UnionPacific to tunnel under the tracks has been completed and the plans approved. However, tunneling has not yet started. UP indicated that their busy season ends after February, so boring under the tracks will likely be delayed until then for safety reasons.
Regardless, the link to Ditch One around the storage businesses above is almost complete. Culvert has already been buried parallel to the tracks and behind two storage businesses.
Looking SW. Culvert placement almost complete. Contracts use the dirt to level ground above the culvert.
Existing drainage will join the new culvert behind those businesses. Currently, contractors are working on the junction. See below.
The new 8′ pipe from the ponds is the one with the man standing inside of it.
Contractors are also working on the outfall into the ditch. Because of the expected velocity of the water, they must create concrete walls to prevent erosion of the surrounding earth that could undermine the pipe.
Start of the concrete outfall into Ditch One.Ditch One (center) will then carry the stormwater to the Kingwood Diversion Ditch and Bens Branch.
Ditch One will eventually be widened to handle the increased flow. Connecting the ponds at US59 to the link under the railroad tracks should start in the next few weeks.
The project requires the additional retention and drainage capacity shown above to handle runoff from the extra lanes of traffic.
In front of the businesses shown above, Northpark will eventually expand to 10 lanes from the current four. Six will carry traffic on a bridge over the railroad and Loop 494. Four turn lanes will remain at ground level – two on each side of the bridge. The two will let traffic turn north or south onto 494 from each direction.
Built to TXDoT Highway Standards
This entire project is being built to TXDoT highway standards. Those standards exceed normal neighborhood street standards. You would expect nothing less for what will eventually become a critical evacuation route for 78,000 people.
Lanes will be 12-feet wide instead of 10 to safely carry traffic at higher speeds.
Concrete will be much thicker than normal to carry heavier loads without cracking.
Storm drains will be sized to carry the volume of runoff you would expect from highways. The wider inlets will help avoid water flooding roads during intense rainfalls.
Greater Safety at Rail Crossing/Loop 494
Safety will also improve at the railroad crossing.
A bridge will carry most traffic over the railroad.
The entire train track at Northpark will have a one-piece steel and concrete foundation. That will reduce the chance of track shifting or dipping and causing a derailment.
Pedestrian/bicycle crossings will have “escape gates” in case people get caught on tracks when trains come through.
However, installation of those safety improvements will cause some inconvenience. To install that one-piece steel and concrete foundation, the railroad will shut down for three days. That will require closing off Northpark for three days also.
Originally, project managers hoped to have four lanes open at all times for the duration of the project. So this is a change.
All in all, a 3-day shutdown is small price to pay for a great improvement in safety.
1/31/24 – At 5:20 today, about the time government inspectors usually knock off work and the sun was setting, I got a tip from a reader. The reader alerted me to flooding on Kings Park Way near West Lake Houston Parkway, adjacent to a new Trammell-Crow apartment complex that Harris County Engineering had cited for stormwater violations. I hustled down there. Here is what I found.
One Lane Flooded
The contractors were pumping silty stormwater into the street and flooding one lane of the road.
The hose pumping the water into the street appeared to be at least 4 inches.
They had placed sand bags around one storm drain to help filter the silt.
But the silty stormwater was so deep, it flowed in both directions…
…straight into another unprotected City of Houston storm drain down the block.
Mud covered sidewalks ankle deep…
…while an excavator dug a trench to make more muck flow toward the pump.
From the wet marks on the pavement, it appeared that the discharge had covered the entire right lane at one point.
This is Phase II of an apartment complex development. The land you see is owned by Kingwood Residences HTX and HTX II LLC. Both LLCs are owned by High Street Residential, a wholly owned operating subsidiary of Trammell Crow Company in Dallas. Their local headquarters are on 2800 POST OAK BLVD STE 400, HOUSTON TX 77056-6169. In case you chose to write them.
Public-Safety Issue
According to one study, “Sediment pollution is the single most common source of pollution in U.S. waters. Approximately 30% is caused by natural erosion, and the remaining 70% is caused by human activity. Construction activity is the most common source of sediment pollution. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, sediment pollution causes approximately $16 billion in environmental damage annually.”
After Hurricane Harvey, the Army Corps found that sediment had blocked 90% of the West Fork. Dredging cost hundreds of millions of dollars. And another email from a boater that I found waiting for me when I got home from the disaster site alerted me to the fact that sediment is building back in at an alarming rate.
Perhaps Mr. Crow could help with the next round of dredging. In 2020, Trammell Crow Holdings was worth an estimated $19.6 billion.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/31/24
2346 Days since Hurricane Harvey
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/20240131-RJR_3158.jpg?fit=1100%2C733&ssl=17331100adminadmin2024-01-31 21:00:212024-01-31 21:11:03After Quitting Time, Contractor Pumps Silty Stormwater into Street
In response to citizen complaints, Harris County Engineering has visited a construction site on West Lake Houston Parkway three times and issued an unspecified number of stormwater violations.
Both phases of the development, Kingwood Residences HTX and HTX II LLC, are owned by High Street Residential, a wholly owned operating subsidiary of Trammell Crow Company in Dallas. Apartments are being built on Phase I. Meanwhile, Phase II is still in the clearing phase.
According to Danielle Cioce, Manager of the County Engineering Department’s Watershed Protection Group, “They are in the process of making the necessary repairs. We will continue to monitor the site to ensure it comes into compliance and remains that way.”
However, as of today, the developer appeared to fall short of compliance. I saw no activity on the portion of the site still being cleared. The reason was unclear. Cioce did not respond to multiple requests for comment today.
Effective Stormwater Measures Still Not in Place
I visited the site myself three times in the last week and have seen few changes since my initial post on this subject two weeks ago in response to a reader complaint.
The developer lacked normal safeguards against sediment escaping from the site, such as silt fences. Neither did the developer have sandbags to catch sediment in street gutters before it entered storm drains.
Such sediment escaping into the San Jacinto West Fork has been connected with flooding in the Lake Houston Area. The Army Corps estimated that the San Jacinto West Fork was 90% blocked near here after Hurricane Harvey.
How much of the sediment in the river is natural and how much man-made? One study found that approximately 30% of sediment pollution is caused by natural erosion, and the remaining 70% is caused by human activity. Construction activity is the most common source of sediment pollution, according to the study.
During a break in the rains last week, I photographed the High Street Residential site on West Lake Houston Parkway. It lies between Upper Lake and Kings Park Way. Without any of the normal safeguards, silty water poured off the site straight into storm sewers.
Photo taken 1/24/24 at West Lake Houston Parkway and Kings Park Way shows silt stormwater escaping into street.Same day. Slightly different angle shows volume of muck.Same day. Ground level shot shows runoff streaming into unprotected drain.Note lack of silt fence.Runoffstreamed over curb.The Army Corps, City, and TWDB recently spent $220 million on dredging the East and West Forks.
What Construction Plans Say Should Happen
I received the approved construction plans from HCFCD via a FOIA Request. They clearly state that contractors should have sediment protection controls in place before starting construction. Regulations also require the contractor to:
Document the date of installation of erosion control measures
Retain measures in place until permanent stabilization of soil
Make field adjustments as needed to maintain the effectiveness of all measures
Keep a record of weekly inspections that verify measures are functioning properly.
But that’s not all. See the two screen captures below from the construction plans.
Photos Taken 1/29/24 Show Aftermath of Last Week’s Rain
I returned to the site today, two and a half days after the rain stopped. Water was down slightly, but contractors still had not installed effective stormwater control measures.
Silt fence was missing. So were sandbags to guard the storm drains. In some places where silt fence had been installed, it had fallen over from the weight of runoff accumulated behind it. In other places sediment had collected knee-high to the top of the silt fences. See below.
Silt fence guarding the stormwater detention basin overwhelmed by eroded sediment. This suggests volume of runoff in other areaswithout silt fence.Phase I has no silt fence along most of the perimeter. Shown here: construction in progress along Upper Lake is guarded by a chain-link fence.
The developer had installed sandbags in a gap in the silt fence, but left gaps in the line of sandbags.
Note gaps in silt fence toward corner. That faint line guarding the corner is a line of sandbags.But…
The gaps channeled stormwater straight toward the storm drain in the first sequence of photos. See below.
Enlargement from previous photo shows gaps in line that channeled runoff toward street drains.
Accidental or intentional. You be the judge.
Someone will have to spend a lot of time in the “how come” room on this one.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/29/24
2344 Days since Hurricane Harvey
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/20240124-RJR_3123.jpg?fit=1100%2C733&ssl=17331100adminadmin2024-01-29 18:57:372024-01-29 19:05:20Developer on WLHP Cited for Stormwater Violations
Northpark Tree Transplantation Finished, Drainage Updates
Despite constant rain that brought widespread flooding to the Houston region last week, contractors finished the Northpark tree transplantation. They also made significant progress on two other parts of the road expansion project since my last update two weeks ago. I took the pictures below on 2/1/24 with one exception.
Among the highlights:
Ideal Weather for Northpark Tree Transplantation
The cool, wet weather created ideal conditions for the transplanted trees to take root and thrive. Ralph De Leon, project manager, noted that the spacing of the trees also gives them room to spread and thrive.
Each transplanted tree has a ring around the base designed to retain supplemental water. The trees will receive extra water for two years to ensure they thrive after the shock of being transplanted.
Pond Excavation Progress
Meanwhile, across Northpark, excavation of the first of two ponds is proceeding despite the wet weather.
Excavated dirt is being stored temporarily at a sand mine on Sorters-McClellan Road. After the culverts are installed down the center of Northpark, contractors will retrieve the excavated dirt and place it over the culvert sections to form the road bed.
The pond above will go 8-12 feet deeper than you see now. The contractor is only digging down to the water table for now until: a) pond liners arrive and b) drainage connections for the ponds are complete. That’s because the contractors will have to continuously pump water as they excavate to the final depth.
Pond Landscaping Plans
That horse-shoe-shaped area on the left (above and below) will be a decorative focal point for the pond.
Final design of the north pond will look like this.
The next diagram shows how the north and south ponds will closely mirror each other.
Japanese ardisia, also called marlberry, is a flowering, evergreen ground cover introduced from the Far East. It is a low-growing, woody shrub that spreads laterally while growing to a height of 8-12 inches.
No Identifying Entry Signage
Unlike Kingwood Drive, where KSA owns the land behind the ponds, TXDoT owns all the land at Northpark Drive. So you will not see any prominent Kingwood identification as you do at Kingwood Drive.
Drainage Progress Between Railroad and Ditch One
The entry ponds above will drain to “Ditch One.” The ditch runs parallel to Northpark behind the businesses on the north side of the road.
Culverts will carry the water from the ponds eastward, then under Loop 494 and the railroad tracks. The culvert will then turn north and back east again behind the businesses (see red line below).
The agreement with UnionPacific to tunnel under the tracks has been completed and the plans approved. However, tunneling has not yet started. UP indicated that their busy season ends after February, so boring under the tracks will likely be delayed until then for safety reasons.
Regardless, the link to Ditch One around the storage businesses above is almost complete. Culvert has already been buried parallel to the tracks and behind two storage businesses.
Existing drainage will join the new culvert behind those businesses. Currently, contractors are working on the junction. See below.
Contractors are also working on the outfall into the ditch. Because of the expected velocity of the water, they must create concrete walls to prevent erosion of the surrounding earth that could undermine the pipe.
Ditch One will eventually be widened to handle the increased flow. Connecting the ponds at US59 to the link under the railroad tracks should start in the next few weeks.
The project requires the additional retention and drainage capacity shown above to handle runoff from the extra lanes of traffic.
In front of the businesses shown above, Northpark will eventually expand to 10 lanes from the current four. Six will carry traffic on a bridge over the railroad and Loop 494. Four turn lanes will remain at ground level – two on each side of the bridge. The two will let traffic turn north or south onto 494 from each direction.
Built to TXDoT Highway Standards
This entire project is being built to TXDoT highway standards. Those standards exceed normal neighborhood street standards. You would expect nothing less for what will eventually become a critical evacuation route for 78,000 people.
Greater Safety at Rail Crossing/Loop 494
Safety will also improve at the railroad crossing.
However, installation of those safety improvements will cause some inconvenience. To install that one-piece steel and concrete foundation, the railroad will shut down for three days. That will require closing off Northpark for three days also.
Originally, project managers hoped to have four lanes open at all times for the duration of the project. So this is a change.
All in all, a 3-day shutdown is small price to pay for a great improvement in safety.
The road closure is still months away.
For More Information
For more information about the project including construction plans, visit the project pages of the LHRA/Tirz 10 website. Or see these posts on ReduceFlooding:
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/2/24
2348 Days since Hurricane Harvey
After Quitting Time, Contractor Pumps Silty Stormwater into Street
1/31/24 – At 5:20 today, about the time government inspectors usually knock off work and the sun was setting, I got a tip from a reader. The reader alerted me to flooding on Kings Park Way near West Lake Houston Parkway, adjacent to a new Trammell-Crow apartment complex that Harris County Engineering had cited for stormwater violations. I hustled down there. Here is what I found.
One Lane Flooded
The contractors were pumping silty stormwater into the street and flooding one lane of the road.
The hose pumping the water into the street appeared to be at least 4 inches.
They had placed sand bags around one storm drain to help filter the silt.
But the silty stormwater was so deep, it flowed in both directions…
…straight into another unprotected City of Houston storm drain down the block.
Mud covered sidewalks ankle deep…
…while an excavator dug a trench to make more muck flow toward the pump.
From the wet marks on the pavement, it appeared that the discharge had covered the entire right lane at one point.
This is Phase II of an apartment complex development. The land you see is owned by Kingwood Residences HTX and HTX II LLC. Both LLCs are owned by High Street Residential, a wholly owned operating subsidiary of Trammell Crow Company in Dallas. Their local headquarters are on 2800 POST OAK BLVD STE 400, HOUSTON TX 77056-6169. In case you chose to write them.
Public-Safety Issue
According to one study, “Sediment pollution is the single most common source of pollution in U.S. waters. Approximately 30% is caused by natural erosion, and the remaining 70% is caused by human activity. Construction activity is the most common source of sediment pollution. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, sediment pollution causes approximately $16 billion in environmental damage annually.”
After Hurricane Harvey, the Army Corps found that sediment had blocked 90% of the West Fork. Dredging cost hundreds of millions of dollars. And another email from a boater that I found waiting for me when I got home from the disaster site alerted me to the fact that sediment is building back in at an alarming rate.
Perhaps Mr. Crow could help with the next round of dredging. In 2020, Trammell Crow Holdings was worth an estimated $19.6 billion.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/31/24
2346 Days since Hurricane Harvey
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.
Developer on WLHP Cited for Stormwater Violations
In response to citizen complaints, Harris County Engineering has visited a construction site on West Lake Houston Parkway three times and issued an unspecified number of stormwater violations.
Both phases of the development, Kingwood Residences HTX and HTX II LLC, are owned by High Street Residential, a wholly owned operating subsidiary of Trammell Crow Company in Dallas. Apartments are being built on Phase I. Meanwhile, Phase II is still in the clearing phase.
According to Danielle Cioce, Manager of the County Engineering Department’s Watershed Protection Group, “They are in the process of making the necessary repairs. We will continue to monitor the site to ensure it comes into compliance and remains that way.”
However, as of today, the developer appeared to fall short of compliance. I saw no activity on the portion of the site still being cleared. The reason was unclear. Cioce did not respond to multiple requests for comment today.
Effective Stormwater Measures Still Not in Place
I visited the site myself three times in the last week and have seen few changes since my initial post on this subject two weeks ago in response to a reader complaint.
The developer lacked normal safeguards against sediment escaping from the site, such as silt fences. Neither did the developer have sandbags to catch sediment in street gutters before it entered storm drains.
Such sediment escaping into the San Jacinto West Fork has been connected with flooding in the Lake Houston Area. The Army Corps estimated that the San Jacinto West Fork was 90% blocked near here after Hurricane Harvey.
How much of the sediment in the river is natural and how much man-made? One study found that approximately 30% of sediment pollution is caused by natural erosion, and the remaining 70% is caused by human activity. Construction activity is the most common source of sediment pollution, according to the study.
During a break in the rains last week, I photographed the High Street Residential site on West Lake Houston Parkway. It lies between Upper Lake and Kings Park Way. Without any of the normal safeguards, silty water poured off the site straight into storm sewers.
What Construction Plans Say Should Happen
I received the approved construction plans from HCFCD via a FOIA Request. They clearly state that contractors should have sediment protection controls in place before starting construction. Regulations also require the contractor to:
But that’s not all. See the two screen captures below from the construction plans.
Photos Taken 1/29/24 Show Aftermath of Last Week’s Rain
I returned to the site today, two and a half days after the rain stopped. Water was down slightly, but contractors still had not installed effective stormwater control measures.
Silt fence was missing. So were sandbags to guard the storm drains. In some places where silt fence had been installed, it had fallen over from the weight of runoff accumulated behind it. In other places sediment had collected knee-high to the top of the silt fences. See below.
The developer had installed sandbags in a gap in the silt fence, but left gaps in the line of sandbags.
The gaps channeled stormwater straight toward the storm drain in the first sequence of photos. See below.
Accidental or intentional. You be the judge.
Someone will have to spend a lot of time in the “how come” room on this one.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/29/24
2344 Days since Hurricane Harvey
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.