An expansion of Keenan Cut Off Road and construction of a new fire station are in design to accommodate growth from two new Montgomery ISD schools and the additional development the schools are expected to attract to the Montgomery area.
The road expansion project is in response to projected growth in the area and additional traffic from MISD’s two new schools—Keenan Elementary School and Oak Hill Junior High School—which are scheduled to open this fall, MISD Chief Operating Officer Bobby Morris said.
“We place schools where we are experiencing the greatest population growth,” he said. “The southeast quadrant of our school district is growing faster than any other part of our district.”
The estimated $10 million project will expand the majority of the roadway from two to four lanes and includes a continuous left-turn lane. It also includes construction of an overpass bridge over the BNSF Railway tracks to improve safety for school traffic and school buses, Montgomery County Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley said.
Funding for the project will come from the successful $280 million Montgomery County 2015 road bond, and crews could break ground in 2019.
“In good conscience, I can’t let them just keep crossing the railroad tracks at that intersection,” Riley said. “It scares me to death when I see these school buses come off of FM 2854 onto Keenan Cut Off Road and make that [immediate] 90-degree turn, have to stop, then go and make another 90-degree turn as soon as they cross the railroad tracks. That is just an accident waiting to happen.”
However, some residents have expressed concern about the project at Montgomery County Commissioners Court meetings about the amount of right of way needed for the expansion. The county has started the process of acquiring right of way from nearby property owners and recently sent notification letters to the owners of those properties.
To alleviate those concerns, Riley said the county will only expand the roadway from two lanes to two lanes with a left-turn lane between FM 149 and the end of the 177 Lake Estates subdivision.
Morris said another safety feature for students and parents is the approximate 1-mile of space built into the new school parking lots to allow parents to safely wait for students inside the parking lot rather than the side of the road.
“We made those car rider lines as long as possible to get as many people as we could off the road,” he said.
The Montgomery Fire Department will also expand its presence in the area, and the department is turning its attention to Keenan Cut Off Road, east of Forest Hills Drive, as the site of its sixth station, Montgomery Fire Chief Brian Edwards said.
The contract to build the approximately $2.4 million station will go out for bid this month. Construction could start as early as July and be completed by July 2018.
