A project to expand Northpark Drive in Kingwood to improve safety and mobility on the heavily trafficked corridor is one step closer to reality.

The Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority was granted roughly $28.4 million in federal funds from the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s Transportation Policy Council on March 22, according to a March 27 news release. LHRA oversees the property tax revenue collected within Kingwood's Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone 10.

The $86.17 million Northpark Drive project will be completed in two phases, and it will expand the roadway from four to six lanes between Hwy. 59 and Woodland Hills Drive, Community Impact Newspaper previously reported.

Phase 1 will create an overpass at the BNSF railroad tracks while expanding the roadway between Hwy. 59 and Russell Palmer Road. Construction on Phase 1 is anticipated to begin in 2020, TIRZ 10 board chair Stan Sarman said via email.

Phase 1 will cost approximately $38.8 million and be funded by bonds issued by TIRZ 10 as well as roughly $15.4 million from the city of Houston, Sarman said. Houston City Council approved allocating $6.6 million for the initial project design at its meeting March 27.

H-GAC’s funding will go toward Phase 2 of the project, with funds becoming available in fiscal year 2023, according to the release. Phase 2 will expand a portion of Northpark Drive between Russell Palmer Road and Woodland Hills Drive, add storm water detention areas, elevate the road above the 500-year flood plain, build a pedestrian bridge and reconstruct two bridges over the Kingwood Channel, according to the release.