The Texas Department of Transportation is moving forward with a $98 million widening of FM 1960. The expansion will alleviate congestion on a roadway projected to see an additional 24,500 cars per day by 2040, TxDOT officials said.
TxDOT plans to complete environmental studies by 2017 and begin construction by 2022 with a 36-month timeline, TxDOT public information officer Danny Perez said. However, funds from mobility propositions 1 and 7—passed in November—could expedite the construction timeline, he said.
“Congestion has continued to increase along the corridor as there has been more development and more people and businesses moving into the area,” Perez said. “Such an expansion will add capacity and allow for improved traffic flow.”
Expanding the east-west thoroughfare that cuts through the middle of the Lake Houston area is necessary to address safety concerns and cope with anticipated population growth, said Jenna Armstrong, president and CEO of the Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce.
“We can’t be reactive,” Armstrong said. “We’re already suffering through not having done something already, so I think that we’re trying to play catch up a little bit. We don’t have the luxury to say, ‘Let’s let it ride.’”
Project details
The project expands the existing four-lane undivided roadway to a six-lane divided highway between FM 1960 Business and Lake Houston, adds sidewalks on both sides of the road and calls for the creation of an overpass across West Lake Houston Parkway, Perez said.
This proposal is similar to one presented by TxDOT in 2005. The project was put on hold due to lack of funding sources, he said.
The project was also delayed amid concerns that an overpass across West Lake Houston Parkway would take customers past many businesses in the area, like the stores in The Market at Lake Houston—a retail center anchored by H-E-B and Lowe’s. Raised medians, which restrict midblock left-turns and crossing maneuvers, was also a concern for business owners, Armstrong said.
However, with increased gridlock over the last decade, many business owners originally against the West Lake Houston Parkway overpass have come to support it, Armstrong said.
Today, 47,000 cars pass through this portion of FM 1960 each day. That number is projected to increase to 71,500 by 2040, according to TxDOT traffic counts.
“What we’re hearing now as the roads have become more congested—and we’re projecting more people in our area being on those roads—is that being gridlocked in traffic, they’re not able to turn into their business either,” Armstrong said. “They’re stuck on FM 1960. And this will help ease the flow.” [polldaddy poll=9407912]
Cristina Swanson, owner of Atascocita Lake Houston Florist, said she has mixed feelings about the project. Her business is located on the southeast corner of West Lake Houston Parkway and FM 1960.
“It’s concerning, but it’s good for the neighborhood because we need it,” Swanson said. “Traffic is pretty bad in the evening, especially at 6 [p.m.] on this intersection.”
Effect on businesses
Once environmental studies are completed in 2017, TxDOT will begin detailed design work and right of way appraisals on the north and south sides of FM 1960. Based on the proposal, 10 businesses or homes could be displaced when TxDOT acquires an additional 48 acres of right of way, Perez said.
“The proposed project would require approximately 50 feet of additional right of way throughout the project limits,” Perez said. “The additional right of way is proposed from a combination of southside and northside properties depending on the location.”
USA Tire and Wheel, which is located at the intersection of FM 1960 and Moonshine Hill Road, could be displaced after the expansion. Owner Efrain Mirales, who grew up in Humble and graduated from Humble High School, said he hopes he will not have to move his business.
“If I was asked to move out of here it would be a big impact, not just for me, but we have five employees here,” Mirales said. “Everybody would lose their jobs.”
TxDOT offers financial assistance for businesses and homes that are displaced by projects, Perez said. Mirales said he believes a compromise could be met.
“Depending on how it goes, we’re going to make the best of it,” Mirales said. “We have to find some other ways or modify the building.”
Preparing for the project
With a 36-month construction timeline looming, Harris County is working to complete several smaller road projects that will alleviate the additional congestion caused by construction, said Jeremy Phillips, senior director of infrastructure for Precinct 2.
The county is constructing and expanding more road connections to Beltway 8 and Hwy. 59 that could help area drivers compensate for limited use of FM 1960, Phillips said.
The expansion of Woodland Hills Drive to four lanes between North Lake Houston Parkway and Eagle Ridge Elementary School, where the road now ends, is under construction. Woodland Hills Drive becomes Lockwood Drive south of Beltway 8.
A new four-lane boulevard will then be constructed between Eagle Ridge Elementary School and Rankin Road, where Woodland Hills Drive picks up again. The $22.8 million project is a joint effort between Harris County precincts 1, 2, and 4 to be completed before the end of 2017.
“If I was asked to move out of here it would be a big impact, not just for me, but we have five employees here. Everybody would lose their jobs.”
—Efrain Mirales, owner of USA Tire and Wheel
Along West Lake Houston and Will Clayton parkways, Harris County Precinct 2 is planning intersection improvements, such as additional left-turn lanes and traffic signals along major roads.
In addition, Harris County Precinct 4 is studying Wilson Road between the portion of the road north of Beltway 8 and Atascocita Road. The $10.2 million project would expand the road from two and three lanes to four lanes.
“FM 1960 is another way that people access Hwy. 59 and even Beltway 8,” Phillips said. “Trying to get these projects done before construction starts on a significant project like 1960 is in our best interest to lessen the impact on the area as TxDOT goes under construction.”
Cooperation between the Harris County precincts, TxDOT, business owners and residents before and during the FM 1960 project is important to alleviating the traffic woes of Lake Houston-area residents, Armstrong said.
“It’s extremely important that all of the entities work together,” Armstrong said.“That’s the thing we’re trying to work on is making sure everybody is at the table who’s going to be affected and everybody that has to plan around FM 1960 and that construction.”
