Jersey Village City Council members and city officials gathered Feb. 18 to discuss which easements will need to be acquired to allow for necessary water and sewer utility relocations in regards to the upcoming Hwy. 290 expansion.

Segments 6 and 7 of the Hwy. 290 expansion project—which will run from Beltway 8 to the FM 1960 and Hwy. 6 interchange—are slated to begin construction by the end of 2013. This section of the project will expand the corridor to four lanes in each direction and add two managed lanes through the City of Jersey Village.

"We're proposing to relocate our utilities outside of the TxDOT right of way within this project," said Danny Segundo, Jersey Village public works director. "The city will purchase a 10-foot easement outside of TxDOT's right of way, and we have already started that process."

The city will be relocating approximately 4,800 linear feet of water lines and about 1,300 feet of sanitary sewer lines. A majority of the water and sewer lines that conflict with the expansion are located between Senate Avenue and Beltway 8. The cost of relocating these utilities is estimated to be about $932,000.

There is a 20-inch water line that travels under the Beltway and ties in to the City of Houston near Hempstead Road that also needs to be encased, which will be done with a "boring" technique as opposed to open trench work, Segundo said. The encasement is expected to cost about $634,000. No service interruptions are expected during construction, said Frank Brown, principal with Brooks and Sparks Inc.

The city has also hired Brooks and Sparks Inc. for engineering and surveying services, Blackburn and Carter LLC for noise abatement concerns in regards to Hwy. 290 construction and, last month, Gerald A. Teal for appraisal services. According to the public works department, 15 businesses located within 11 parcels along the Hwy. 290 corridor will be affected by the city's easement acquisition. With these purchases, 10 businesses are expected to have to close or relocate, Segundo said.

"I am concerned about the temporary loss [of sales tax] over the next several years owing to the construction and the willingness, or lack thereof, of people to navigate road closures," said Mike Castro, city manager. "We will try and make the best of that situation."