League City intersection project
A major project at I-45 and FM 518 began Sept. 16, affecting traffic until the end of the year.
The Texas Department of Transportation’s project will add double left- and right-turn lanes to east- and westbound FM 518 at I-45.
Additionally, TxDOT will increase the number of lanes on the north- and southbound I-45 frontage roads to six, including double left- and right-turn lanes and dedicated U-turn lanes, according to a League City news release.
When complete, FM 518 will have 10 total lanes running under the I-45 overpass, including two dedicated left-turn lanes in each direction and three through lanes in each direction, the release reads.
The work is part of the $100 million TxDOT project to widen I-45 from south of NASA Parkway to north of Hwy. 96.
“The important aspect of this project—as with many of our other [I-]45 projects from this one all the way down to the project before the Galveston Causeway—is to not only address the traffic flow on the main lanes of 45, but to also address congestion on the intersecting roadways,” TxDOT Public Information Officer Danny Perez wrote in an email to Community Impact.
The work will provide “much-needed traffic relief” at the intersection, but the construction will cause increased congestion, according to TxDOT and League City.
“Additional through lanes will provide additional capacity to allow for more vehicles to move through the intersection,” Perez wrote.
Work started on the north side of FM 518 between Lafayette Lane and North Wesley Drive. Traffic lanes on this section of FM 518 transition to one lane in each direction with additional lanes open at the I-45 intersection, the release reads.
To help keep traffic flowing at the intersection of FM 518 and Lafayette Lane and Hobbs Road, left turns are prohibited in all directions. The traffic signal at the intersection will be offline during this part of construction.
“We have coordinated with ... League City on signal timing to optimize the functionality of the intersection, and ... messaging has encouraged motorists to seek alternative routes, [which] has reduced the ... congestion,” Perez wrote.
Turner Street and Butler Road Phase 2 reconstruction
About 1,800 feet of Turner Street from Hobbs to Butler roads and about 4,300 feet of Butler from Turner to about 400 feet south of Sedona Drive will be reconstructed with concrete curb and gutters. An additional 1,800 linear feet of an 8-inch water line will be added along Butler between Tempe Street and Sedona as part of the project.
Timeline: October-TBD
Cost: $7.31 million
Funding source: League City
Hobbs Road extension to FM 517
Hobbs Road will be extended to the south to connect with FM 517. The new road will be about 1,880 feet long and four lanes wide. League City will construct only two of the four lanes, and the remaining two will be constructed later. The final design is underway.
Timeline: fall 2023-TBD
Cost: $3.93 million
Funding source: League City
