The report, released annually, takes a look at the most congested roadways across the state of Texas, using speed data and traffic volume information to calculate total delay hours.
Of the 15 Cy-Fair area road and highway segments to be make the top 1,000 most congested list in 2019, 10 saw decreases in delay hours per mile. The highest drop was seen along the portion of Hwy. 290 between Hwy. 6 and Beltway 8, which saw a decrease from 433,196 delay hours per mile in 2018 to 316,985 delay hours per mile in 2019. Drops were also seen on parts of FM 1960, Beltway 8, Hwy. 249, Hwy. 6 and Jones Road, among others.
Congestion worsened on several roads, including stretches of Telge Road and North Eldridge Parkway north of Hwy. 290, as well as along the portion of FM 529 between Hwy. 6 and Hwy. 290.
Congestion cost—which includes loss of productivity as drivers wait in traffic as well as fuel wasted due to stop-and-go conditions—decreased along similar patterns. Congestion cost on the portion of Hwy. 290 between Hwy. 6 and Beltway 8 decreased from $40.8 million in 2018 to $31.5 million in 2019.
Although Hwy. 290, FM 1960 and Hwy. 6 all saw improvements, they remain among the most congested roadways in the state. Hwy. 290 between Hwy. 6 and Beltway 8 was ranked No. 33; FM 1960 between Hwy. 290 and Hwy. 249 was ranked No. 39; and Hwy. 6 between Hwy. 290 and I-10 was ranked No. 99.
Many roads that saw decreases between 2018 and 2019 still remain more congested than they were in 2017, including the stretches of Hwy. 290, FM 1960 and Hwy. 249 in Cy-Fair. The part of Hwy. 290 between Hwy. 6 and Spring Cypress Road dropped from rank No. 452 in 2018 to No. 555 in 2019, but was ranked outside of the top 1,000 in 2017.
Crews with the Texas Department of Transportation opened new lanes along Hwy. 290 throughout 2019. The overall project involves widening Hwy. 290 from three to five lanes between Hwy. 6 and Loop 610, from three to four lanes between the Grand Parkway and Hwy. 6 and from two to three lanes between the Grand Parkway and the Waller County line. TTI officials previously told Community Impact Newspaper they expected the project to provide congestion relief on other area roads as commuters who previously looked for alternate routes would start to move back to Hwy. 290.
A related TxDOT project is underway to build a new flyover bridge connecting FM 1960 and Hwy. 6 over Hwy. 290 that will entail major lane closures through November 2020.
