Update Aug. 22
The San Jacinto River Authority will open Grogan's Mill Road from S. Millbend Drive to Sawmill Road no later than Sept. 5, pending any weather delays, the SJRA said in a statement.
The agency will return at a later date to complete construction at the Millpark Drive and Sawmill Road intersections with Grogan's Mill Road, and will work with Conroe ISD to have additional police officers at major intersections to direct school traffic, according to the SJRA. School returns to session on Aug. 25.
Construction near The Woodlands High School along Research Forest Drive is expected to be complete by the Aug. 25 deadline, the SJRA said.
Original Story
Pipeline construction along Grogan's Mill Road, near three Conroe ISD schools and a bus barn, has been delayed. Completion of different portions of the roadway have been delayed until September and October, according to the San Jacinto River Authority.
The SJRA announced that pipeline installation along Grogan's Mill Road between S. Millbend Drive and Grogan's Park Drive, which lies near Knox Junior High School, Hailey Elementary School and Wilkerson Intermediate School, will not meet the initial Aug. 25 deadline, said SJRA spokeswoman Ronda Trow.
The SJRA began installing pipeline along the portion of Grogan's Mill Road in early June almost immediately after CISD schools started summer vacation. The SJRA planned to complete construction during the summer months to minimize its impact on school traffic. The SJRA expects similar construction near The Woodlands High School along Research Forest Drive to be complete by the Aug. 25 deadline, Trow said.
The delays stem from inclement weather, a shortage of construction materials, and concurrent construction at The Woodlands First Baptist Church at Grogan's Mill and Sawmill roads, Trow said.
The SJRA will open the Grogan's Mill Road southbound lanes of South Millbend Drive to the entrance of First Baptist Church by the time school begins, but construction activity south of that section is the portion being delayed, Trow said.
"We are going to leave the detour access to the church open until after the church is finished with a portion of parking garage construction," Trow said. "We can't close that access because that is the only way [workers] are bringing the construction trucks in there. That is the only way the people are able to come in for church as well because there is no other access into their site at this time."
The SJRA estimates construction between Sawmill and Blue Fox roads will be complete by September. The intersections of Grogan's Mill Road at Millpark Drive and Sawmill Road, along with the segment between Blue Fox to Sawdust roads will be complete in the in October.
Conroe ISD representatives said in a statement that parents should plan for potential delays due to the pipeline construction on Grogan's Mill Road.
Meanwhile, sections of the pipeline along FM 2978, Research Forest Drive and the northern portion of Grogan's Mill Road are installed, with a few exceptions, and will be tested by October, Trow said.
"We have to test the pipes to make sure there is not any leaks, and to make sure everything is running correctly," she said.
The SJRA has also made progress on Oak Ridge North sections of pipeline construction, largely because construction in that section is located along an easement, rather than along city roads, Trow said.
Construction in Oak Ridge North is expected to be complete by March 2015, according to the SJRA. However, a new construction project along Maplewood Drive will likely begin in 2015. The SJRA will hold town hall meetings this fall to inform affected residents about Maplewood area construction plans in advance.
