The roughly $52 million project, which will expand Northpark Drive from four to six lanes between I-69 and Russell Palmer Road and add an overpass over the Union Pacific Corp. railroad and Loop 494, is scheduled to begin in spring 2023, according to a Dec. 9 news release.
According to Houston Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin, the project aims to alleviate congestion, enhance accessibility and increase safety in the Kingwood area. While construction had previously been projected to begin in September, officials said difficulty acquiring property needed for the project has caused delays.
“It took many months to go through the process of acquiring property for the right-of-way necessary to expand Northpark Drive,” Martin said in a statement. “As the groundbreaking date gets closer, our office will share more details regarding lane closures and other information related to construction activities.”
Officials noted the Northpark Drive overpass project first gained steam after a 2015 Kingwood Area Mobility Study concluded the project was critical to ensuring public safety.
According to the Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s 2021 Most Congested Roadways in Texas report, Northpark Drive from Sorters McClellan Road to Mills Branch Drive ranked as the 82nd most-congested roadway in the state. Officials said the planned overpass over the Union Pacific Corp. railroad and Loop 494 will provide an additional evacuation route in the case of a flooding event.
The city of Houston has contributed roughly $9.5 million toward the project with TIRZ 10 picking up the remainder of the bill, budget documents show.
