Fort Bend County Grand Parkway Toll Road Authority is designing westbound and eastbound connector roads from the Westpark Tollway to the Grand Parkway's northbound roads, Mike Stone of Mike Stone Associates Inc. and of the Toll Road Authority said in an email.
Both connectors will be one lane with shoulders, Stone said. Construction is expected to begin in mid-2020 and will last about 30 months.
“There are currently no timelines for any additional direct connectors connecting Westpark Tollway and Grand Parkway at this time,” he said.
The total cost for the design and construction is estimated to be $46.5 million, Stone said. Fort Bend County Assistance District No. 1, Fort Bend County Assistance District No. 9 and the Harris-Fort Bend Emergency Services District No. 100 will contribute $17 million to the project, Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers said.
“The construction of new direct connectors between the Grand Parkway and Westpark Tollway have been MOVED UP by several years—these flyovers will let drivers bypass the lights and traffic backups underneath the Grand Parkway and FM 1093!” Meyers wrote in a blog post.
According to the post, these connectors were about five years away from receiving funding from the Toll Road Authority, so Meyers worked with the entity to secure funding ahead of schedule and accelerate the construction.
The design for the project was nearly completed as of Oct. 10, Stone said. The next steps are to bid the project for construction and sell bonds to finance the construction.
Texas Department of Transportation oversees the Grand Parkway, but the Toll Road Authority has an agreement with TxDOT to operate and maintain the Grand Parkway from immediately north of the Westpark Tollway to immediately south of Hwy. 59, Stone said. TxDOT will review the project’s plans before construction starts.
