Following several years of on and off discussion, commissioners authorized the bond to go before voters Feb. 11. The last bond was held in 2015 for $280 million, and went before voters in the May and November elections before being passed.
“Communication is going to be the key to this whole thing,” Precinct 1 Commissioner Robert Walker said Feb. 11. “I think there’s been a lot of discussion for quite some time now, and I just feel like we’ve got to move forward.”
The big picture
Montgomery County commissioners agreed Feb. 11 to put a $480 million road bond referendum before voters in the May 3 election. Funds will be divided among the four commissioner precincts, with Precincts 1 and 2—both of which encompass portions of Conroe and Montgomery—anticipated to receive $120 million over the next five years to complete 32 projects.
John Robuck, managing partner at BOK Financials, the county’s bond counsel, said the bond initiative should not result in a property tax increase if it is approved by voters. Robuck said this is because the county lowered its debt service over the last several years to allow for the issuance of $120 million a year in debt using the county’s current funding collections.
According to the Precinct 1 project list, which was compiled by Commissioner Robert Walker’s office and LJA Engineering, the projects within Conroe, northern Montgomery and Willis will entail widening and rehabilitations, reconstructions, and new location route studies. However, there are no individual cost estimates as of press time for the projects.
In Precinct 1, the project list includes a four-lane design and reconstruction of Lone Star Parkway in Montgomery, as well as a study for a new segment of Lone Star Parkway that would connect Hwy. 105 to Liberty Street on the southwestern portion of the city.
One other major project will be to reconstruct a new four-lane road at Cude Cemetery Road, providing a widened connector between FM 1097 and FM 830.
“As a taxing entity ourselves, we know that we don’t and won’t go to our taxpayers proposing a bond unless we have done our due diligence, ... and I know the county has done the same,” Montgomery ISD Superintendent Mark Ruffin said. “I’m proud of the work they’ve done in really assessing the critical areas of need.”
Diving deeper
Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley will also have several reconstruction projects in the southern portions of Montgomery and Conroe. According to Riley’s project list, proposed road projects include Honea Egypt Road, Rabon Chapel Road, Old Hwy. 105 and River Plantation Drive.
Riley also said he plans to reconstruct Kuykendahl Road from FM 1488 to Research Forest Drive, which is just south of Conroe. The improvements are estimated to cost $8 million and will include:
- An increase from two to four lanes
- Adding traffic signals to Kendall Green Drive
- A turn lane extension
Another viewpoint
The bond announcement comes as Conroe, Montgomery and Willis ISDs are anticipating at least 25% enrollment growth by the 2032-33 school year, according to each district’s last demographic study.
As CISD grows with new school sites, traffic analyses are conducted, Chris McCord, CISD assistant superintendent of operations, said.
“We work [with] the appropriate entities to plan for traffic on and around the school site whether the project be external or internal,” McCord said.
Ruffin also said that any road improvement is beneficial to the district.
“So like Rabon Chapel [Road] ... the markings on that road are faded. ... If they just re-top and repaint it and stripe it, that helps the safety of our bus drivers because in a flooding situation, our bus drivers’ keys to, ‘Is this a safe road to travel?’ are being able to see the markings on the road,” Ruffin said.
WISD officials did not return a request for comment prior to press time.
For the city of Montgomery, recent growth has made roadway infrastructure and mobility a priority, Mayor Sara Countryman said.
“We need help. We’ve got a lot of people moving in, and we’ve got no new roads,” Countryman said. “One of our biggest ones is Lone Star Parkway. It’s a county-owned road, and due to all the construction and heavy use of trucks, it truly has degraded the integrity of the road. I mean, you’ll lose your teeth going down the road.”
Montgomery’s rapid growth is putting more pressure on its roads, Anthony Solomon, police chief and interim city administrator, said.
“[Police officers] see it coming sometimes faster than anybody else. [These roads] are their office,” Solomon said.
What’s next
If the bond initiative passes in the May election, bond funds will be issued annually through 2029. As of press time, commissioners have yet to discuss a course of action if the bond fails.
