Loop 9 Transportation Study

Project Information

The original alignments have changed since June 2005, primarily due to design criteria. The facility was originally based on a 70 m.p.h. design (design is not the same as posted) speed, but is now being designed at an 85 m.p.h. design speed. This change required many of the curves within the corridor to be flattened out – thus alignments changed. As a result of the redesign, new environmental issues arose (landfills, parks, etc.) which also required alignments to shift.

TxDOT, Dallas District, took over the environmental portion of the Loop 9 project in July of 2006. The original premise of a public meeting being held early this year was based on an assumption that both agencies - TxDOT Environmental Section in Austin and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) – would simultaneously review and make changes to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement document (DEIS). Both agencies decided not to do a concurrent review of the DEIS. TxDOT Environmental Section was nearing completion of their review process. TxDOT will forward the DEIS onto FHWA and the review process will begin again but at the Federal level. It may take 6 to 9 months to complete.

The DEIS will become the final document (EIS) after both agencies have reviewed and the consultant has addressed all their comments. FHWA will determine when the EIS goes to the public for comment after they completed the review process. Once the public hearing is held and the comment time period is closed (usually 30 days) – all filed comments are reviewed by FHWA. The agency will then select a final alignment based on public input and environmental impact(s) as documented in the EIS. FHWA may take up to 6 months to make their decision. Their decision must be published in the Federal Register (called a Record of Decision or ROD) before right-of-way is purchased.

The maps found on the website show the 2006 initial alignment. During the DEIS process, some of the alignments have had to shift slightly in order to avoid various environmental issues (transmission lines, TV antenna towers, landfills, historic sites, etc.). The alignment shifts have stayed within the 600 ft. envelope presented to the public during the 2006 & 2007 public meetings.

The facility is planned to be constructed on a 450 ft. ROW. All major interchanges (US 287, US 67, IH 35, IH 45, US 175 and IH 20) may require from 600 to 1200 ft. ROW depending on the number of ramps needed to connect main lanes and frontage roads (typical interchange will look like IH 20 & IH 35). All major arterials (Joe Wilson, Cockrell Hill, SH 342, etc.) will probably flare out to roughly 600 ft. ROW in order to accommodate on and off ramps. The design of the road will attempt to stay within the 450 ft. ROW as much as possible.

The project maps are Preliminary Design Schematic for use in the environmental evaluation process. Based on the initial design of each alternative, the Loop 9 study team will investigate some 15-20 environmental items (wetlands, endangered species, historical, etc.). All findings will be documented in a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). Anytime during the process, an alignment could shift in order to avoid any critical issues or sensitive sites. Therefore, please understand the alignment(s) are preliminary and subject to change.

Following mandatory National Environmental Policy Act standards, both alternatives and a “no-build” option will be evaluated equally and documented in the DEIS.
A final, single alternative will not be selected until after the DEIS (post-FHWA review and approval) has been published and a Public Hearing conducted. Local government recommendations alongside information within the DEIS, comments received from federal, state, regional agencies and the public will be considered and Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will recommend this final alternative in the Final EIS. This FEIS is then sent to the FHWA for final review and approval per a Record of Decision (ROD).

Loop 9 is an individual local study; independent of ongoing Trans-Texas Corridor studies managed by the Texas Turnpike Authority located in Austin, Texas.