Anticipated to be bid in 2027, the project will widen the six-lane road to 10 lanes, according to project documents from Fort Bend County. This ties into city officials’ goals of funneling drivers to I-10 through expansion projects at Pin Oak Road and Pederson Road, City Administrator Byron Hebert said.
“[Our priority is] mobility, and it’s getting people through the city because of all the growth that’s happening,” Hebert said. “We’ve got to widen all our north-south roads to alleviate the traffic that’s coming through.”
Zooming in
The Texas Department of Transportation is also set to begin a $157 million project in mid-2026 to widen Grand Parkway from I-10 West to Hwy. 290. The project aims to address growing congestion levels by adding one main lane in each direction, as this section of the roadway has exceeded its capacity to support a steady flow of traffic, TxDOT Public Information Officer Leo Flores said.
Meanwhile, Fulshear City Council approved a nearly $50,000 contract with Gannett Fleming Inc. in May for a vertical alignment study to determine the feasibility of an underpass for future segments of Westpark Tollway. The proposed bowtie method would allow cars to cross Main Street and Fulshear Trace via a roundabout, while toll road traffic passed underneath.
Currently, the Fort Bend County Toll Road Authority is underway with a four mile expansion to bring the roadway’s end to Charger Way.
Additionally, Fulshear officials are focusing on revitalizing downtown with several projects on downtown streets, including Harris Street. The $3.75 million project set to complete in Nov. 2025 will replace the street’s asphalt with concrete paving, add street parking and a pedestrian plaza.
In May, Fulshear City Council also approved about $750,000 to reconstruct streets in West Downtown and add asphalt overlays on the east side with the goal of making the area more walkable and business-friendly to promote economic development, Fulshear officials said.
“Ultimately, [the projects are] going to help congestion,” Fulshear City Manager Zach Goodlander said.
The funding
Of the projects, the city of Katy is funding $29.99 million in internal roads improvements, while the city of Fulshear's Economic Development Corporations is funding the $3.75 million Harris Street project as well as various other downtown road upgrades.
Fort Bend County is funding the $8.4 million Greenbusch project and is partnering with Katy and Fulshear to help fund the Pin Oak Road widening and Huggins Drive extension.
Meanwhile, larger scale projects such as the I-10 widening and the $108.36 million FM 1463 widening projects were funded by TxDOT to help with overall traffic flow in and out of the area.
Additionally, the $157 million Grand Parkway widening and $72 million Westpark Tollway extension are funded by toll revenue from area users.
However, the Katy Ford Bend Road widening is still in the design phase so funding has not been determined.
Why it matters
Sections of I-10 and Grand Parkway both ranked among the 100 most congested roads statewide in 2024, with traffic delays increasing from the year before, according to a Texas A&M Transportation Institute study.
From Grand Parkway to North Eldridge Parkway, I-10 saw a total annual delay of 3.63 million hours, an annual cost of $•99.1 millio•n in time and gas, according to the TTI study. Meanwhile Grand Parkway saw a total annual delay of 1.48 million hours between South Fry Road and Morton Ranch Road, an annual cost of $37.55 million. The two ranked the 28th and 61st most congested roads statewide in the study, respectively.
However, Fulshear City Engineer Cliff Brouhard said even with congestion and construction in the area, he believes he’s already seen improvements.
“Things like Texas Heritage Parkway, I think, has helped [congestion] significantly,” B•rouhard said•
In addition to scheduled projects, Hebert said Katy officials are also looking to make improvements on other roads, including 10th Street, Avenue C, Franz Road and Second Boulevard.
Fulshear officials are also looking at improving east-west mobility with construction on Fulshear Bend and McKinnon roads, Goodlander said.
Texas Heritage Parkway is also expected to extend further south toward the Brazos River improving north-south mobility.
Meanwhile, drivers can expect Westpark Tollway to continue extending westward toward Simonton, FBCTRA officials said.
"There’s a lot of traffic out there today, and it’s only going to get worse as more and more homes are built out to the west of Fulshear," said David Gornet, executive director for the Fort Bend County Toll Road Authority.
