Members of Missouri City gathered Jan. 30 for the groundbreaking of the Vicksburg Boulevard extension from Aldridge Drive to Lake Olympia Parkway.

The $3.8 million project—funded by the Missouri City Development Authority, Fort Bend County and Municipal Utility District Nos. 47 and 48—is headed by Conrad Construction and is expected for completion in 2016.

Missouri City Councilman Don Smith said the extension includes a four–lane boulevard roadway with sidewalks, bike lanes, streetlights and a drainage structure. The extension will also include a decorative light signal at the intersection of Vicksburg Boulevard and Lake Olympia Parkway.

The extension is expected to help Fort Bend County and Missouri City improve its mobility, said Richard Morrison, Fort Bend County Precinct 1 commissioner.

"We need to increase our mobility and this is going to help us do that," Morrison said.

James Norcom III, director of Vicksburg homeowners association, said the city has talked about the project for about 10 years and it signifies the progress and change Missouri City has seen.

"Vicksburg has changed a lot," he said. "This is just another part of [change]. I do not see anything negative about it."