Creating Partnerships with Local Communities to Manage and Preserve Corridors: Technical Report (0-5606-1)

There is a serious need in Texas for better integration of land use and transportation planning, and better coordination of land use and transportation decision making. Coordinated local-state partnerships in corridor management and preservation would go a long way toward addressing this disconnect and lack of integration. In light of the state's ever-increasing growth and land values, it is critical for TxDOT, like many other state DOT's to work with communities to ensure that existing and future on-system corridors are managed and/or preserved as part of long-range comprehensive planning efforts and as development occurs. The objective of the research is to develop methods and guidelines where corridor management and preservation can be accomplished through coordinated application of local and TxDOT regulations. The research will assess the role of locally adopted transportation plans, regional transportation authorities, and MPO's in corridor management and preservation. It will detail regulatory components, zoning overlay districts, current practices, and case studies in Texas and throughout the United States for these activities. The research will review methods and tools for acquiring and preserving right-of-way in the context of expediting the environmental clearance process and review how corridors are prioritized, designated, and adopted for management or preservation.