Bridgeland Creek Parkway Utilizes Green Stormwater System

Prairieland Village within the Bridgeland Community near Houston, Texas is being developed utilizing green infrastructure and low-impact design principles, a newer concept in the City of Houston and Harris County. The community provides residents an immersive connection to nature with trails, lakes, and various habitats.

Bridgeland Creek Parkway serves as one of the main entrances to Prairieland Village and is located within the Cypress Creek Watershed, an area with a long history of challenges related to stormwater management. The Howard Hughes Corporation focused on implementing low-impact and sustainable features in this area, and HR Green assisted with realizing this vision.

Utilizing low-impact design and green infrastructure elements, the Bridgeland Creek Parkway thoroughfare has four lanes (two in each direction), turn lanes, and an esplanade with a trail network. HR Green designed the roadway, bioswales, drainage, utilities, traffic signals, and grading while also incorporating the project’s landscaping elements.

The project corridor has a 25-acre drainage area, and HR Green designed the one-mile roadway with the goal to:

• Allow efficient traffic movement
• Increase stormwater infiltration and recharge by utilizing sustainable elements
• Provide recreational and educational experiences within the corridor

The corridor manages stormwater flows through a tiered system utilizing vegetative swales and bio-retention basins with a traditional storm system. The bio-retention basins retain the first inch of rain for infiltration and water cleansing. Stormwater accumulation of over one inch of rainfall flows through the bio-retention basins, into storm sewer inlets, and outfalls into the regional detention basin.

The Bridgeland Creek Parkway is a welcoming new entrance for the community that incorporates sustainable features while adding recreational and educational opportunities for the community. The thoughtful low-impact design accomplished its goals while also reducing construction costs and creating a new habitat for birds, butterflies, and other fauna.