New development spurs Longmire Road expansion

The city of Conroe is undertaking two road expansion projects to help mitigate traffic expected for a future development project by the Howard Hughes Corporation and a future Willis ISD elementary school.

The city will expand Longmire Road from two to four lanes from FM 3083 to League Line Road. The expansion also includes the addition of designated turn lanes at major intersections.

While the $14.6 million expansion is technically two separate projects, they are being designed together to minimize cost, said Thomas Woolley, Conroe assistant director of projects and transportation.

The expansion creates a viable north-south corridor on the west side of I-45, which Woolley said is likely to be used by residents of a planned 2,000-acre development by the Howard Hughes Corporation.

“We are trying to get ahead of the curve with all of the development going on,” Woolley said. “We need to get this thing done now before [the road] gets overrun, get behind the eightball and have to play catch up.”

The city is also extending M.P. Clark Road, located north of Longmire Road, from its current terminus to FM 830. The road currently ends just north of League Line Road, and is located near Longmire Road.

The project is expected to cost $7.6 million. No construction schedule has been established.

“There is a new school being proposed there plus it runs through the west side of the Howard Hughes development, so we are trying to take that corridor all the way to [FM] 830,” Woolley said.