Seabrook reviews TxDOT ‘Green Ribbon’ landscaping for SH‑146 as residents object to rock-heavy strips

Seabrook council and Open Space Controls Committee members heard a presentation Thursday on the TxDOT‑managed landscaping along State Highway 146, including design tradeoffs, costs and maintenance responsibilities. Clark Condon project manager Brandon Whitaker walked the council through renderings, plant palettes and irrigation plans and answered citizen questions.

The project traces to 2016 consultant work by SWA to develop Seabrook‑specific branding and conceptual designs, Gail said. An Advanced Funding Agreement (AFA) split visible elements and costs: TxDOT covered logos, coping and certain structural items while the city agreed to pay for pavers, riprap infill, built curbs and nautical bollards. Riprap material bids came in far above early estimates, prompting cost reductions and use of the TxDOT Green Ribbon funding path to preserve some planting and irrigation where allowed.

Brandon Whitaker said the construction drawings were developed to meet TxDOT standards and constraints, including pipeline easements, transmission‑line setbacks and bridge column offsets that limit the width and location of planting beds. "We only have so much of a palette that they would allow being, that they're funding a portion of this," he said, adding that where TxDOT allowed plantings his team used native material and drip irrigation. He confirmed, "All the plant material will have irrigation." The irrigation system will rely on bored sleeves under the roadway and drip lines to minimize spray onto traffic.

Staff described the maintenance transition: TxDOT will maintain the work during construction and for the AFA maintenance period, which for this agreement is 12 months, after which maintenance responsibility transfers to the city. Gail said the city will revisit potential additional maintenance and associated costs during the next budget process. As an order‑of‑magnitude example, Brandon cited a much larger Pearland highway project whose annual maintenance ran roughly $1.415 million, noting scale and scope vary widely.

Several attendees pressed for more planting and less riprap. One resident who had raised the issue previously said she was frustrated not to have been consulted and objected to what she described as "a bunch of rocks," saying, "I didn't vote for a bunch of rocks. I voted for a green space." The resident also reported weeds already emerging in riprap near the Seabrook bridge channel and warned of potential environmental impacts if herbicides are used.

Brandon and staff said budget constraints from TxDOT and preapproved design elements limited how much could be changed within the TxDOT contract and that any later additions beyond TxDOT commitments would require a separate agreement and city funding. "If we do want to add change after the fact, we'd go through the same process" with TxDOT and would need additional consultant work and a new agreement, Gail said.

Council members and residents asked for details on plant species, irrigation design and bed preparation; staff agreed to provide plant cut sheets, tree varieties and as‑built irrigation drawings to aid future maintenance planning. Staff also said trash and litter removal for landscaping installed beyond typical TxDOT work would be a city responsibility.

The city will consider the maintenance tradeoffs — native, lower‑maintenance seeding versus a more manicured planted look — when finalizing budget requests. The workshop closed with a motion to adjourn.