Fort Bend County to construct right-turn lane near Seven Lakes High School to ease congestion

Editor's note: The construction for this project was initially estimated to begin in the first quarter of 2022. It is now expected to begin in June of 2022. The story has been updated to reflect this.

A right-turn lane will be constructed at South Fry Road to turn onto Katy Gaston Road in Katy to help ease traffic congestion in front of Seven Lakes High School.

The construction is estimated to cost $375,000 and was previously expected to start construction in the first quarter of 2022. Currently, it is now expected to start construction in June of 2022, so as to not interfere with the school year at Seven Lakes High School.

This decision was based on conversations that were had between the county and the school district. It is currently close to going to bid, according to Assistant County Engineer Ike Akinwande.

“We estimated it'll take about 60 calendar days for the construction to occur,” Akinwande said.

The project is being funded by Fort Bend County’s 2020 mobility bond. The road will be 100 feet long and will aim to ease some of the congestion that occurs from traffic stemming from the high school, Akinwande said.

“Mostly what we do for the right-turn lanes is trying to relieve some of that congestion by providing a little bit of storage and opportunity for people to make that right turn instead of stacking otherwise to make that turn,” Akinwande said.

According to Akinwande, the construction should not cause any major detours for people who routinely drive on that road.