Road bond paves the way for county mobility improvements

Montgomery County Residents approved the first Montgomery County road bond in 10 years during the Nov. 3 election. Its passage comes on the heels of a controversial $350 million bond referendum that was turned down by voters during the May election.

With $280 million in road bond funds at its disposal, the county plans to expand FM 1097 in Precinct 1, Fish Creek Thoroughfare in Precinct 2 and Rayford Road and Woodlands Parkway in Precinct 3 as well as a variety of other projects throughout the county.

Montgomery County Precinct 1 covers portions of Conroe, Willis and Montgomery and is expected to receive $64 million in bond funds. Precinct Commissioner Mike Meador said he first plans to purchase the right of way necessary to expand FM 1097 from two to four lanes and add a continuous turn lane from I-45 to Anderson Road.

Meador said purchasing the right of way now would ensure the project would be ready to leverage Texas Department of Transportation funds from Proposition 7, which was also approved by voters statewide Nov. 3.

“With the expected [population] growth in the next three or four years we have to get started right now. We can’t wait,” Meador said. “With Proposition 7, TxDOT is going to end up with some money, and my plan is to use some funds to pay down the [FM 1097] project—which moves you up on TxDOT’s [construction] schedule.”

Precinct 2, which covers Magnolia and portions of Montgomery and The Woodlands, will prioritize an expansion of Fish Creek Thoroughfare from two to four lanes between FM 2854 and Sendera Ranch Road, as well as an expansion of Keenan Cutoff Road where Montgomery ISD is planning two new schools, Commissioner Charlie Riley said.

Precinct 2 is also slated to receive $64 million in bond funds.

“We are ready to go on 90 percent of our [mobility] projects,” Riley said. “We could begin the design phase and construction phase so we can start putting product on the ground as soon as possible.”