Upon completion in late 2023, the old Hwy. 146 bridge over Clear Creek will be widened from two to three lanes in both directions between Red Bluff Road and Hwy. 96. Additionally, two express bridges will be constructed—one with two northbound lanes and the other with two southbound lanes—so motorists can bypass Seabrook and Kemah, according to TxDOT.
By that time, Seabrook will have seen progress on several projects citywide, including the development of retail shops, restaurants, apartments, single-family homes, trails and hotels.
Development is partly due to the attention Hwy. 146’s widening is bringing to Seabrook, city leaders said.
“While it’s a major disruptor, it’s also a major game changer for how our economy and our community is viewed,” Seabrook Economic Development Director Paul Chavez said of the Hwy. 146 project.
Hwy. 146 progress
Before the widening of Hwy. 146 began in February 2019, Seabrook went through hardships as dozens of businesses adjacent to the highway had to be displaced to make room for the project. While some relocated, many closed down and never reopened, Community Impact Newspaper previously reported.
When construction began, Houston-based contractor Webber had until early 2024 to complete the project. In early 2021, Webber Senior Project Manager Will Bradley announced construction was ahead of schedule and would finish in May 2023.
However, the contractor hit snags, delaying the expected completion date to late 2023, TxDOT Public Information Officer Deidrea George said in an email.
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“We thank the traveling public for their patience as we continue to work diligently to deliver this important project back to them safely and efficiently,” she said.
One part of the project that took longer than expected was relocating underground utilities at Repsdorph Road and East Meyer Avenue. Complexities resulted in the work finishing in March 2022 when it was projected to wrap up in mid-2021, Cook said.
Additionally, there have been other changes residents have to get used to. Residents driving south on Hwy. 146 used to turn east to get to Kroger on El Mar Lane, but the widening project has severed that option, Cook said.
“For a smaller community, it’s just been a challenge,” she said, noting city leaders feel residents’ frustrations.
There are ongoing backups along the highway as well. The contractor has closed the overpass at Red Bluff Road, making motorists use the frontage road. During rush hour, traffic backs up quickly, Cook said.
The construction is also affecting the boating community.
Boaters who want to get between Clear Lake and Galveston Bay must pass beneath Hwy. 146. Normally there are two channels open, but due to the construction, the channels have been intermittently closed for the past year and a half, which slows water traffic, said Philip Kropf, a local recreational boater who has been monitoring the Hwy. 146 project since before it began.
Kropf said contractors have a few more items to finish around the water.
“Then there’s really no more impacts on the water traffic,” he said. “It’s getting close.”
Development interest
Despite the project’s challenges, city leaders said there are about 60 parcels of real estate—13 of which are right along Hwy. 146—available for development that will see increased interest as Hwy. 146’s completion nears.
Widening Hwy. 146 shaved many parcels along the corridor into fractions of what they once were. This caused the Seabrook EDC to market the idea of developers combining adjacent parcels together to make them large enough for development, Cook said.
For instance, the owner of the Miramar Shopping Center along the east side of Hwy. 146 between Hialeah Drive and El Mar Lane also owns parcels nearby along the highway. He has expressed a desire to combine those parcels to allow for the development of a Taco Bell and Popeye’s, Cook said.
However, it is not so easy with other adjacent parcels—some of which are owned by different people. Some of the parcels have nearly doubled in price due to the widening project, she said.
“It’s going take probably years to redevelop,” Cook said, noting there will be competition among developers. “It is a good problem to have.”
The highway’s expansion will also bring new traffic to Seabrook with TxDOT projecting an average of 61,167 vehicles daily along Hwy. 146 just south of NASA Parkway by 2040—a 40% increase compared to 2020. So instead of the city accepting whatever development comes its way, there will be competition, and Seabrook officials will be able to pick and choose what comes to the city, Chavez said.
“We really are in a prime spot right now,” Chavez said.
In the works
There are other Seabrook developments not directly tied to Hwy. 146 in progress as well.
The Edge is a nearly fully approved project in design. Developed by HS Development Co., The Edge’s construction could begin as early as the first quarter of 2023.
Set near the roundabout of Repsdorph Road west of Hwy. 146, the $80 million, 19.5-acre project will include apartments, retail shops and other commercial buildings built by mid-2025 around a central plaza with direct Hwy. 146 access, said Gary Johnson, Seabrook resident and project manager for HS Development Group.
The plan is to open fast-food restaurants close to Hwy. 146 with The Edge, but the developer is not limiting itself; sit-down restaurants are also an option, Johnson said.
“It can be whatever we want it to be depending on what the market does for us,” he said.
Another major project is a hotel development along NASA Parkway. It will feature hotels, including a Compass by Margaritaville; 20,000 square feet of waterfront restaurants; and 12,000 square feet of event venue space, all overlooking Clear Lake with parking below, city officials said.
“We definitely think it’s going to be a plus in revitalizing not only the lake, ... but it’ll also revitalize Seabrook,” Cook said of the development.
From an economic development perspective, these developments will bring additional sales and property tax dollars into the community in addition to money-spending visitors, Chavez said. The widening of Hwy. 146 expands Seabrook’s reach in terms of how many people might visit the city, and more people means more dollars, Chavez said.
Johnson expects Seabrook’s development to take off in a couple years.
“Seabrook has kind of been a sleepy town, ... but with [Hwy.] 146 finishing, ... it’s going to blossom,” he said.
On top of these developments, Seabrook is looking to upgrade Main Street in the Old Seabrook District to better accommodate walkability and traffic connection with Hwy. 146. The city is exploring grant and partnership possibilities to fund the design and implementation, Chavez said.
The completion of the Hwy. 146 widening will garner more interest in such developments, officials said.
“If you could go to someone who was here 15 years ago and show them what’s happening now, I think they’d be very shocked, and they would definitely notice a major change in our community,” Chavez said.
