The proposed Hardy Toll Road Airport Connector enhancement project is being submitted for consideration in the Statewide Transportation Enhancement Program (STEP – 2001) as a landscape and scenic beautification project. The 3.75-mile-long project aesthetically enhances the existing and adjacent rights-of-way. Landscape planting, earthwork, irrigation, and other screening elements are all part of the conceptual plan.
Now that the conceptual plan has been finalized with input from area stakeholders and the public, the project, upon selection, will move towards final design and construction. Private sector participation has been integral to this project.
The work will include the detailed design of the landscaping layout, including the selection of deciduous trees, flowering trees, evergreens, native grasses, wildflowers, and shrubbery. The selected plants will be installed in accordance with the plans along the Airport Connector. Temporary irrigation also will be installed in order to establish new vegetation. The Harris County Toll Road Authority will maintain the irrigation system and use the public (Houston) water supply. The work will require minor re-grading within the right-of-way.
All work will occur within the existing right-of-way. No easements arc required, and no special land uses are planned.
The enhancements relate to the surface transportation system in a number of ways including defining the roadway edges while providing color and texture to beautify. The enhancement will inform visitors to the city and the state who use the roadway about the variety of native vegetation, including wildflowers, that can be found in Southeast Texas. The incorporated elements screen unsightly views for users of the roadway while mitigating aesthetic impacts of the roadway as viewed from adjacent lands. The plan provide a positive and pleasing image of the city and the state for visitors using the roadway provides continuity from the existing landscape enhancements on JFK Boulevard within the airport property.
