Brays Bayou Master Plan

[samagon]

Telephone road bridge is open. not sure when they opened it, but I used it this past weekend.

[jbd2000]

Did I miss it or is there no connector to the brays bayou trail from the new telephone road bridge? Wish there was a connector to to graggs park across the road.

[hindesky]

Almeda bridge approach is getting the concrete and new pillars have been installed.

[kennyc05]

52 minutes ago, hindesky said:

Almeda bridge approach is getting the concrete and new pillars have been installed.

Hurry hurry I'm tired of making that uturn 🤦🏽‍♂️

[hindesky]

Almeda bridge looking southbound, only two support columns for better water flow and the approach appears to be at least 12"+ higher than the existing road.

Calhoun bridge.

Edited April 30, 2022 by hindesky

[hindesky]

[hindesky]

Almeda St bridge.

[hindesky]

Calhoun St bridge is still up but it looks like they are creating access to it from underneath. They also make it hard for cyclist to get into McGregor Park.

[hindesky]

Almeda bridge replacement.

[hindesky]

Edited October 14, 2021 by hindesky

[hindesky]

South side of the Almeda Rd. approach to the future new bridge, there has to be at least a 2' rise from the existing roadway.

Calhoun bridge.

 

[hindesky]

Big AT crane with the heavy lift package out setting the cross beams over the bayou. 

 

[hindesky]

[Eastdwntwn]

On 7/13/2021 at 10:36 AM, MexAmerican_Moose said:

Yes, in bridge design, the bridge engineer doesn't change the road profile (difficult to change in urban areas), so the deeper beam will create less area under the bridge for the water to flow. More area was added (thicker bridge) to impede water flow than was removed by taking out a couple of bents.

However, less bents is also good because it prevents debris from being trapped at the columns and impeding water flow. It takes just a couple of iterations to get it right.

Also a lot of the new bridges are being built with recently updated rain/hydraulic data.

On 4/27/2021 at 10:13 AM, bobruss said:

The Brays  Project is a great example of recognizing a problem and implementing a studied approach to flood management. The addition of  many new retention ponds, the construction of new bridges, and the re-shaping of the contours and widths of the bayou hopefully will allow for more capacity, and will mitigate most of the flooding issues. The bonus to everyone is the  creation of new and improved  hike and bike paths which have become  some of the most important connectors in our alternative transportation system. It has also brought about the creation of many new parks and recreational areas. I think this is a win win win. Especially for the home owners along Brays bayou who have suffered through so many devastating floods. Kudos to everyone involved in this massive undertaking and hopefully it truly makes a difference.

I just wish they could do something about the bottleneck at 288 where the bridges, concrete supports, and earthworks still create a serious threat to the med center.

Can someone point me to flood mitigation plans for Brays Bayou? Did the plans change after the flooding in the last five years? I know there are a lot of folks much more knowledgeable than me on here. Are the upgraded bridges, re-shaping of the contours, and widths of the bayou going to protect residents from frequent flooding? 

https://abc13.com/braeswood-place-flooding-houston-projects-brays-bayou-white-oak/11061757/

[Houston19514]

15 minutes ago, Eastdwntwn said:

Can someone point me to flood mitigation plans for Brays Bayou? Did the plans change after the flooding in the last five years? I know there are a lot of folks much more knowledgeable than me on here. Are the upgraded bridges, re-shaping of the contours, and widths of the bayou going to protect residents from frequent flooding? 

https://abc13.com/braeswood-place-flooding-houston-projects-brays-bayou-white-oak/11061757/

https://www.hcfcd.org/Activity/Active-Projects/Brays-Bayou/C-11-Project-Brays/Project-Brays-Construction-Updates

[hindesky]

Almeda St. bridge is open but only one lane each way. It's quite a bit higher than the old bridge.

[samagon]

75th street bridge is open, not sure when, but I'm guessing last week as they still have traffic barrels strewn about, and lots of work still to do on sidewalks, and other small things.

[bobruss]

I guess now we just sit back and wait for the next big rain event to see how effective all of the work, and money, that has been poured into this project to help mitigate flooding pays off. With the addition of detention properties with the capacity  to hold approximately 3.5 billion gallons of water, the widening and contour changes in the bayou, and the structural changes to most of the bridges, I feel very positive about it and hope that we'll have excellent results.

I know the citizens of Meyerland, Braes Heights, the med center, Riverside Terrace are all hoping for its success.

[Eastdwntwn]

34 minutes ago, bobruss said:

I guess now we just sit back and wait for the next big rain event to see how effective all of the work, and money, that has been poured into this project to help mitigate flooding pays off. With the addition of detention properties with the capacity  to hold approximately 3.5 billion gallons of water, the widening and contour changes in the bayou, and the structural changes to most of the bridges, I feel very positive about it and hope that we'll have excellent results.

I know the citizens of Meyerland, Braes Heights, the med center, Riverside Terrace are all hoping for its success.

How much of the work was done after the last big rain event that caused widespread flooding (I think Harvey)? 

[phillip_white]

1 hour ago, bobruss said:

I guess now we just sit back and wait for the next big rain event to see how effective all of the work, and money, that has been poured into this project to help mitigate flooding pays off. With the addition of detention properties with the capacity  to hold approximately 3.5 billion gallons of water, the widening and contour changes in the bayou, and the structural changes to most of the bridges, I feel very positive about it and hope that we'll have excellent results.

I know the citizens of Meyerland, Braes Heights, the med center, Riverside Terrace are all hoping for its success.

You can only do so much downstream if the developers continue to pave over everything that previously absorbed a portion of the rainfall upstream. Hopefully the groundwater retention requirements for new large developments within COH will more than offset the burden of new suburban development.

[bobruss]

1 hour ago, Eastdwntwn said:

How much of the work was done after the last big rain event that caused widespread flooding (I think Harvey)? 

For one thing they've rebuilt and raised Buffalo Speedway, Greenbrier, Almeda, Ardmore, Calhoun is partially finished, Telephone, 75th street bridges and contouring and widening on all the land adjacent to these bridge projects. I also believe that the detention pond just east of 610, came online since Harvey. I'm not aware of bridges west of Buffalo Speedway that might have been rebuilt.

[bobruss]

34 minutes ago, phillip_white said:

You can only do so much downstream if the developers continue to pave over everything that previously absorbed a portion of the rainfall upstream. Hopefully the groundwater retention requirements for new large developments within COH will more than offset the burden of new suburban development.

You're absolutely correct, however what's been done should vastly improve the current situation. Thats why I wish we could control the land use outside of our boundaries as far as development goes. That's the key to our dilemma. They need to quit building these monstrous box warehouses, parking lots, shopping centers, and neighborhoods on these watersheds. Or make them pay exorbitant taxes on water runoff. Perhaps that would give some second thoughts on what they build and how they manage water runoff in these new communities. They're profits shouldn't cost us inside the city, to manage they're water runoff.

But just as I write that I can see old Ross sitting there getting ready to say now wait a minute. You can't tell anyone what they can and can't do with their property. 

Those landholders want to make a profit on their land. Developers want to develop and the city has no control. So what do we do.

 

[Houston19514]

I think the Project Brays has already proven itself to be quite successful.

[phillip_white]

1 hour ago, bobruss said:

You're absolutely correct, however what's been done should vastly improve the current situation. Thats why I wish we could control the land use outside of our boundaries as far as development goes. That's the key to our dilemma. They need to quit building these monstrous box warehouses, parking lots, shopping centers, and neighborhoods on these watersheds. Or make them pay exorbitant taxes on water runoff. Perhaps that would give some second thoughts on what they build and how they manage water runoff in these new communities. They're profits shouldn't cost us inside the city, to manage they're water runoff.

But just as I write that I can see old Ross sitting there getting ready to say now wait a minute. You can't tell anyone what they can and can't do with their property. 

Those landholders want to make a profit on their land. Developers want to develop and the city has no control. So what do we do.

 

Exactly. But the problem with even dreaming of controlling sprawl is that most of the new development is not only outside COH, but also Harris County.

[Houston19514]

2 hours ago, bobruss said:

You're absolutely correct, however what's been done should vastly improve the current situation. Thats why I wish we could control the land use outside of our boundaries as far as development goes. That's the key to our dilemma. They need to quit building these monstrous box warehouses, parking lots, shopping centers, and neighborhoods on these watersheds. Or make them pay exorbitant taxes on water runoff. Perhaps that would give some second thoughts on what they build and how they manage water runoff in these new communities. They're profits shouldn't cost us inside the city, to manage they're water runoff.

But just as I write that I can see old Ross sitting there getting ready to say now wait a minute. You can't tell anyone what they can and can't do with their property. 

Those landholders want to make a profit on their land. Developers want to develop and the city has no control. So what do we do.

 

 

13 minutes ago, phillip_white said:

Exactly. But the problem with even dreaming of controlling sprawl is that most of the new development is not only outside COH, but also Harris County.

Or we could require they include detention, which we do in Houston and Harris County. 

Is detention required in Fort Bend County?   It depends on the location of your site. If your site is located within a Municipal Utility District or in a Levee Improvement District chances are you will not need to detain the developed flows from the site. Usually those types of Districts have already accounted for full development flows based on the Land Plan authored by the Developer. Otherwise, detention will be required in accordance with the Fort Bend County Drainage Criteria Manual.

Montgomery County was a leader in upgrading regulations on development, becoming one of the first communities in Texas to adopt the new Atlas 14 standards. Commissioners voted in October 2018 to implement the new standards, which went into effect Jan. 1, 2019, and were amended in the Montgomery County Drainage Criteria Manual. This is for drainage criteria analysis and design of detention ponds, taking into account the new 100-year flood event rainfall rate of 16 inches per 24-hour period vs. the old rate of 12 inches per 24-hour period.

Waller County:  Individual developers must provide infrastructure required to meet Waller County’s stated objective of zero net increase in runoff rates and no negative impacts. Practically, this will mean that developers will provide adequate on-site detention volume to off-set increased runoff rates and must provide compensating storage volume for all fill placed in the 1% annual chance (100-year) and 0.2% annual chance (500-year) floodplain.

Austin County also appears to require detention.

[Ross]

4 hours ago, bobruss said:

You're absolutely correct, however what's been done should vastly improve the current situation. Thats why I wish we could control the land use outside of our boundaries as far as development goes. That's the key to our dilemma. They need to quit building these monstrous box warehouses, parking lots, shopping centers, and neighborhoods on these watersheds. Or make them pay exorbitant taxes on water runoff. Perhaps that would give some second thoughts on what they build and how they manage water runoff in these new communities. They're profits shouldn't cost us inside the city, to manage they're water runoff.

But just as I write that I can see old Ross sitting there getting ready to say now wait a minute. You can't tell anyone what they can and can't do with their property. 

Those landholders want to make a profit on their land. Developers want to develop and the city has no control. So what do we do.

 

I have no problem with requiring detention so that runoff from a development doesn't impact others negatively. I don't think developers should get to harm others, and requiring detention that retains 24 inches of rainfall on the property seems reasonable. What I've objected to in the past is telling property owners that they can't demolish their buildings because others find them attractive, or trying to force someone to include space for GFR when it's not likely to be economically viable. I found the historic districts to be an abomination because it changed the rules in midstream, and also require some really stupid stuff, like being able to return the building to it's original state. That one is completely ridiculous. The key is to not get emotionally invested in property you do not own.

[hindesky]

Buffalo Speedway bridge is now open.

[BEES?!]

That grass looks comfy. I could take a nap on it for sure. Or play some putt putt

[hindesky]

Calhoun St bridge is gone.

[hindesky]

Almeda St. bridge is now open. Don't know about the bike trails underneath.