Montgomery County joins Harris County, TxDOT in Hwy. 249 expansion study

All signs point to the expansion of Hwy. 249 slated to become a six-lane toll road between Spring Cypress and FM 1774. On Jan. 23, the Montgomery County Toll Road Authority on unanimously entered into negotiations with Harris County and the Texas Department of Transportation for the development of the project.

The Toll Road Authority consists of the four Montgomery County Commissioners, including Pct. 2 Commissioner Craig Doyal, who has been a longtime advocate for the project.

"All this does is open the doors to start talking to them [TxDOT and Harris County] to see if we can make this work," Doyal said.

The measure approved by the Toll Road Authority allows the group to negotiate with Harris County and TxDOT for construction, maintenance and operations of the proposed toll road along the Hwy. 249 corridor.

"We will be negotiating who is going to build it, operate it and how it will be funded," Doyal said.

One of the key components that will be analyzed in the coming months by the Montgomery and Harris County Toll Road authorities will be traffic counts along Hwy. 249 to determine if enough toll revenue can be generated in order to make the project financially viable.

Recently-passed legislation has enabled TxDOT to seek private partnerships in order to fund the construction of three major thoroughfares in the greater Houston area, including Hwy. 249. Doyal has estimated the cost of the six-lane expansion from Spring Cypress to FM 1774 could be between $250 million and $300 million.

At least two major hurdles of the project have already been cleared: right-of-way and environmental clearance.

"The right-of-way is already in place, environmental clearance has already been substantially done," Doyal said. "It's a project that lends itself very readily to construction. If the [traffic] numbers bear out that it is financially warranted, then we'll move forward with Harris County and TxDOT."

Montgomery County Commissioners Court

Alan B. Sadler Commissioners Court Building, 501 N. Thompson, Ste. 402, Conroe, 936-539-7812, www.mctx.org