Catalytic Projects

Description

The Wurzbach Road and Babcock Road site is one of the most trafficked intersections in the Regional Center, and is a short distance from several major area institutions, including the University of Texas Health Science Center, Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veteran Affairs Hospital, and University Hospital. In addition, the intersection services several VIA bus routes, including Route 534, one of the busiest bus routes in the Medical Center. VIA’s Vision 2040 Long Range Plan calls for the 534 bus route on Babcock Road to be upgraded to a Primo line to accommodate population growth demands. The intersection is also located less than half a mile from the Medical Center Transit Station.

The site design looks at the intersection and nearby right-of-way, as well as several adjacent parcels that could be good future redevelopment sites as the area evolves in the future. The current uses around the intersection include gas stations, a senior center, and a small office park. The roadway and intersection improvements described in this concept, along with projected higher transit use, will likely spur redevelopment of other properties at the intersection and along the Wurzbach and Babcock corridors.

The design concept workshop conducted for the Wurzbach Road and Babcock Road intersection primarily focused on enhancing the streetscape design and illustrating building concepts that fostered a safe and active pedestrian environment. Proposed streetscape improvements include building frontages that have higher degrees of transparency to promote “eyes on the street,” as well as measures to increase pedestrian safety, walkability, and use of transit alternatives ‒ all primary objectives for the Regional Center.

The main challenge in redeveloping the streetscape is that the Babcock Road right of way is approximately 100 feet wide, although it is permitted up to 120 feet wide since it is classified as a Primary Arterial Type A road in the City’s Major Thoroughfare Plan that was adopted for 2019. The roadway also consists of seven lanes at the intersection. Wurzbach Road is currently designed with approximately 80 feet of right-of-way at the intersection. There is potential for this roadway to be expanded to 86-feet of right-of-way since the roadway is classified as a Secondary Arterial Type A in the City’s Major Thoroughfare Plan. The current conditions of the streetscape demonstrate that the roadways were constructed with motorists as the primary users. Consequently, the wide roadways and minimal presence for traffic-calming devices makes the environment unfriendly and intimidating for pedestrian use.

Vision

The vision for Wurzbach Road and Babcock Road is to support the Regional Center’s goal of being more pedestrian and bicyclist friendly while also emphasizing needed improvements to motor vehicle and mass transit circulation. As mentioned, the streetscape of Wurzbach Road and Babcock Road was designed primarily to facilitate the efficient movement of cars. The vision is to transform the intersection and immediate streetscape to be more welcoming to a variety of users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders.

In order to increase safety for pedestrians and enhance transit potential at the site, the vision focuses on retrofitting Babcock Road to incorporate dedicated center bus lanes and bus stops. Dedicated bus lanes emphasize the presence and importance of public transit and increase the efficiency of bus routes, since interference with vehicular traffic would no longer be an issue. The dedicated bus lanes are purposely located in the center of the roadway to not only emphasize the importance of the public transit, but to also create a safe refuge for pedestrians crossing this wide and relatively high speed roadway. Including the dedicated bus lanes will reduce the amount of traffic lanes from three in each direction and one center turn lane to only two traffic lanes in each direction. Reducing the amount of vehicular traffic lanes and separating the vehicular traffic with dedicated center bus lanes, coupled with more pedestrian activity on the street if adjacent sites are redeveloped to better engage the street, will help reduce the speed of motorists because it creates the sensation that they are moving within a more enclosed space, which will cause them to be more aware of their surroundings.

The concept of adding dedicated center bus lanes creates an emphasis on the presence of public transit, but in order to create more of an active streetscape it is especially important to enhance the experience of pedestrians by adding prominent crosswalks. The reduction in traffic lanes frees up right-of-way space that can be used to widen sidewalks, add more landscaping and potentially incorporate existing landscaping into the design of any proposed redevelopment. Landscaping, including street trees, is a key component for creating a walkable environment because it beautifies the corridor and makes the space enjoyable. It also provides protection and relief from the environment during the very hot Texas summers.