Six-lane Broadway Street? It could happen if Pearland transportation projects get funding

City, county and state proposals could bring significant transportation improvements to the Pearland area over the next five years, including widening Broadway Street to six traveling lanes from Hwy. 288 to Hwy. 35.

The projects are all part of local agencies’ applications to the Transportation Improvement Program, or TIP, under the Houston-Galveston Area Council. Around $920 million is available for regional projects starting in 2019. The last time a call for projects was issued was in 2015, when the pool was around $600 million.

The council receives funding from state and federal agencies to support transportation projects, said Patrick Mandapaka, assistant director of transportation for H-GAC.

Not every project is guaranteed funding, he said, and those that are approved will require a 20 percent local funding match.

“We only have a certain amount of dollars, so we have to prioritize,” Mandapaka said.

Pearland City Council approved a proposal to apply for five projects Oct. 9, including improvements to Bailey, Max and Harkey roads and Kinglsey Drive, totaling over $80 million. The city of Pearland is also seeking funds for a $3.75 million trail project that would connect Independence Park to Broadway Street.

The council also approved resolutions in support of TxDOT’s application for widening Broadway Street/FM 518 as well as Brazoria County’s application to extend Pearland Parkway from Dixie Farm Road to CR 159. Neither of those projects would require any city funding.

This round of TIP funding will go toward projects up to 10 years out, said H-GAC Transportation Manager Adam Beckom. To make the final cut, every application will be put through a review process including assessment by the Technical Advisory Committee and a public comment period.

“Before that public comment phase, we will limit the list to those that have risen to the call, so to speak. We won’t show projects that weren’t recommended after going through our process,” Beckom said.

The agency is providing one-on-one assistance as well as public workshops to help municipalities prepare applications, he said.

Final approval will be given by the council’s Transportation Policy Committee sometime around March 2019, Beckom said.

MAP: Potential Pearland-area TIP projects

View some of the Pearland-area roadway projects seeking funding from the H-GAC this year.