Construction is moving forward on Phase 3 of the Sugar Creek drainage project in Sugar Land. City Council approved a design for work along Longwood Drive and the Sugar Creek Country Club golf course to reduce street ponding in the area, while a construction contract was approved March 15. The project will involve storm drain improvements along Longview Drive and underground pipes will run along the homes on Bendwood Drive that back up to holes six and nine on the golf course. The existing lake will be expanded and a new lake will be built, according to Sugar Land senior engineer Shashi Kumar. “[The project] is going from an open drainage system concept to an underground concept and moving the alignment further away from the homes as well as the foundations,” he said. Kumar said the golf course will lead construction done on its own property—to be reimbursed by the city—which he said would last from May to September. The city would begin work on Longview Drive after the golf course finishes, and Kumar said that portion of the work could last eight to 12 months. Kumar said he did not expect any streets would have to completely close to conduct the drainage work. The city originally budgeted $10,230,000 for the Longview Drive and golf course work, according to the 2016-20 Capital Improvement Plan. But Kumar said the alternative design would add about $2 million to the construction cost. “We do have sufficient funds to do this piece [of the drainage project],” he said. The drainage project started in 2005 after a study of the Sugar Creek Watershed determined flood control mechanisms were needed, according to city documents. Together, the Longview Drive and country club work are one of five components within Phase 3. Residents on Bendwood Drive opposed the original design for the Longwood Drive work because they worried an open drain system behind their homes would affect property values as well as aesthetics. One resident expressed his support for the new design to City Council and thanked staff for gathering residents’ input. “I’d like to thank the council for bringing this [new design] forward,” Bendwood Drive resident John Loper said.