Montgomery County voters will have an opportunity to head to the polls May 9 and weigh in on a $350 million mobility bond referendum representing 77 roadway projects. Commissioners unanimously approved the bond election at a Feb. 23 meeting following a proposal by the Montgomery County Road Bond Committee. The commissioners also unanimously approved the list of 77 roadway projects proposed for funding through the bond March 10. "Folks around this county are tired of congestion, long commutes to and from home and their families always being late because our roads are too crowded," Montgomery County 2015 Road Bond Committee co-chairwoman Nelda Blair said. "There is no question that we need to do something about it." Should the bond pass, Precinct 1—which largely encompasses Montgomery, Willis and a significant portion of Conroe—and Precinct 2—which includes Magnolia, Pinehurst and Stagecoach—would receive $80 million each. Precinct 4 would be allocated $85 million, and the largest slice of the funding— $105 million—would be granted to Precinct 3, which contains the highest concentration of the county's total population in The Woodlands, Shenandoah, Oak Ridge North and the Rayford Road corridor. The bond referendum will not result in a property tax increase for Montgomery County residents, Blair said. The debt accrued through the bond would be financed with revenue earned from growth in the county's tax base over the next 10-plus years, Blair said.

Local projects

If voters approve the bond, Precinct 1 will receive $80 million in funding to carry out improvement projects in the area. Precinct 1 Commissioner Mike Meador said his precinct has a budget of $1.5 million annually for road maintenance, but with about 700 miles of road in the area, major construction projects are unfeasible without a road bond election. With the allotted bond funds Meador said he plans to undertake more than 20 projects, including an expansion of FM 1097 and Walden Road as well as rehabilitation and improvement projects on more than 15 roads. Meador said plans for the FM 1097 expansion have been underway since the county's last successful bond election in 2005. Once the entirety of the project is complete, the roadway would be expanded from two to four lanes with a continuous turn lane from I-45 to Blueberry Hill. The need for the project has since been increased because of two major residential developments by Baker Hughes Corporation and Caldwell Companies that are underway in the area, Meador said. "That [expansion project] is huge," Meador said. "Caldwell Companies is coming in the north side of 1097 with 1,200 acres [of development]. Baker Hughes is on the south side of FM 1097 with 2,000 acres, and they are talking about 4,000 homes." While the FM 1097 expansion would be a Texas Department of Transportation project, Meador would use about $18 million in bond funds for engineering studies and right of way acquisition. In addition the bond would fund a $6 million widening of Walden Road to include a continuous turn lane from Hwy. 105 to Emerson Road, Meador said. "Walden [Road] is two lanes all the way in," he said. "We have a school there now, and we were able to put in a turn lane down there, but we really need to widen that out all the way down to Emerson [Drive]. That [intersection] is where [residents] go to the Yacht Club, and that is where most people go." Meador has also dedicated $1 million in bond funds to the construction of a perimeter road inside the Lone Star Executive Airport to allow residents traveling into the airport along League Line Road to reach southern portions of the property without having to exit the premises. The League Line Road extension that would connect to the airport is already under construction by the city of Conroe and Montgomery County. Precinct 2 projects that would affect Conroe and Montgomery include a $17.3 million expansion of Fish Creek Thoroughfare near the Woodforest residential development. The project would expand the roadway from two to four lanes from Honea Egypt Road to FM 2854, Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley said.

Road bond opposition

While there is general consensus that mobility improvements are needed throughout the county, opposition has formed to the bond package largely due to a controversial 6-mile extension of Woodlands Parkway from FM 2978 to Hwy. 249. The Precinct 2 project would connect The Woodlands to Magnolia. The Texas Patriots Political Action Committee and The Woodlands Township Director Gordy Bunch have publicly expressed opposition to the bond. In February the Texas Patriots and Bunch began circulating a petition urging residents to vote against the bond to keep Woodlands Parkway from becoming the next FM 1960—a thoroughfare in north Harris County known for its lack of zoning, lack of aesthetic appeal and heavy traffic. The petition has 4,568 signatures as of March 23. Bunch previously served on the road bond committee but resigned following the approval of the bond package by county commissioners Feb. 23. The Montgomery County Tea Party also opposes the bond. Bond supporters such as County Judge Craig Doyal, Meador and the Texas Conservative TEA Party Coalition, however, said that the comparison is unfounded because FM 1960 is located in an unincorporated area while Woodlands Parkway is regulated by The Woodlands Township. Several other Montgomery County officials, including Sheriff Tommy Gage, Precinct 5 Constable David Hill and former Montgomery County Tax Assessor J.R. Moore Jr., have voiced support for the bond as well. "My question is what right do we have to stand as citizens in The Woodlands and south [Montgomery] county against what is needed by people in Magnolia?" Moore said in a public meeting. However, Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack, The Woodlands Township Chairman Bruce Tough and former state Rep. Steve Toth publicly stated concerns about strong opposition to the parkway extension among residents of The Woodlands could result in a majority of voters denying the bond. "About 14,000 people voted in the last election for the bond that failed [in 2011], and roughly 6,000 of those voters resided within The Woodlands," Noack said. "I know there's a lot of people that say The Woodlands can't kill a bond. But with numbers like that, being leaders of the community, we need to think about things like that." In contrast, Meador said that the vocal opposition to the Woodlands Parkway extension has made Montgomery County residents more aware of the bond and the importance of the May 9 election to the county. He said public contention could mobilize voters who support the referendum. "I think we will have a record turnout," Meador said. "I think [opponents of the bond] have stirred up the pot of apathetic voters, and they are going to get out and vote this time."