Res 2025-183 requesting Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) approval of a proposed non-radioactive hazardous materials (NRHM) transport route, generally located along FM110

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As mentioned in Process, Step #2, the City must develop a route proposal. The written proposal must address all of the federal standards and factors listed in 49 CFR Section 397.71(b), which calls for the following criteria to be addressed: Population density, type of highway, type & quantities of NRHM, emergency response capabilities, results of consultation with affected persons, exposure and other risk factors, terrain considerations, continuity of routes, alternative routes, effects on commerce, delays in transportation, climatic conditions, congestions & accident history. The following sections address these requirements. United States Census Bureau (Census) identified the population in the City to be 67,553 on April 1, 2020. The estimated population by the Census on July 1, 2023, is 71,569. The highest population densities in the City occur in the central, west, and northern portions of the City. The proposed NRHM route (route) occurs in the least dense population portions of the City but does include some medium density sections of the City. Attachment 1, Figure 2 displays the population densities relative to the route and Attachment 1, Figure 3 displays the zoning districts relative to the route. The route includes portions of Interstate 35 (1-35), State Highway 21 (SH 21), State Highway 80 (SH 80), Ranch Road 12 (RR 12), and Farm -to -Market 110 (FM 110). 1-35, SH 21, SH 80, FM 110, and RR 12 are owned and operated byTXDOT. Analysis of types and quantities of NRHM specific to the City of San Marcos were not conducted for the route analysis. However, the City of Austin is currently undergoing the process of designating an NRHM route through their city limits. Their designation route study identified the NRHM that passes through their study area, which includes Hays, Travis, and Williamson counties. Since the majority of the NRHM identified in this study utilize 1-35, the results of this study can reasonably be considered applicable to the transportation of NRHM that passes through the city limits of San Marcos, considering the relatively short distance and shared thoroughfare (i.e., 1-35). This study identified approximately 4.1 million tons of hazardous materials that were transported through the study area, of which the vast, majority include the following: petroleum refining products (43 percent); liquefied gases, coal or petroleum (21 percent); miscellaneous industrial organic chemicals (10 percent); miscellaneous industrial inorganic chemicals (5 percent); industrial gases (4 percent); chemical preparations, not elsewhere classified (2 percent); storage batteries or plates (2 percent); asphalt coating or felt (2 percent); chemical or petroleum waste (2 percent); and surface active agents (2 percent)'. 'Technical Analysis Report. City of Austin Non -Radioactive Hazardous Materials Route Designation Study. January 2020.