The widening of FM 1774 in Magnolia, designed to ease the flow of traffic and increase safety, is underway after being delayed to acquire rights of way and relocate utilities. Scheduled for completion in September 2014, city officials anticipate the improved road will also bring more business and people to Magnolia.

The project, which is being led by the Texas Department of Transportation, was started about two years ago after traffic and population studies showed that explosive growth in the region would necessitate better roads, said Paul Mendes, city administrator for Magnolia.

"Traffic and growth out in this area has been tremendous over the last 15 years or so," Mendes said. "We have about a million cars a month pass through this intersection [FM 1774 and FM 1488]. That's a lot of traffic for such a small community."

Before starting construction on the widening of the road, utility pipelines such as fiber optics, cable lines, electric telephone lines and gas lines all had to be removed, Mendes said. It took about two years for the utilities to be cleared, which is why there was a delay in starting the project, he said.

Impact on businesses

To make room for the additional lanes as part of the widening, TxDOT had to acquire right of way from the businesses that lie to the south of FM 1774, causing those businesses to lose a majority of their parking, Mayor Todd Kana said. Right of way is a legal agreement that allows one entity to use another's property for public use, such as transportation purposes.

Mendes said TxDOT was unable to acquire land to the north of the road, as it is part of the railroad right of way.

Daphney Skelton's shop sits along FM 1774 and her business, Daphney's Boutique, is one of the businesses affected by the widening.

Skelton said as a result of the construction she is going to have to turn the backyard of her property into a parking lot, which will require the uprooting of a couple of trees and the pouring of asphalt, along with a number of other tasks. She said her neighbors were also looking into ways to compensate for the parking that was lost. However, despite the inconveniences the road widening currently poses to her business, Skelton said she welcomes it, as it will improve the city in the future.

"I am certainly OK with the construction, because I think it will benefit the community significantly," she said. "I love Magnolia and I want to see the city continue to grow. I see [the widening of FM 1774] doing nothing but good for the community."

As for the city helping with the loss of parking to these businesses, Kana said there is no definite plan to solve the parking problem. He did say the city is looking into building an off-site parking lot in the future that would use the Stroll in downtown and could help solve some of the parking issues.

Project impact

Magnolia has been for many years a small community with little traffic. However, with growth moving north from Houston, the area is becoming more populated, meaning there are more drivers on a road that was not designed to handle such a capacity, Mendes said.

"The growth of the area has exceeded the growth of the roads," he said. "All this growth in the area necessitates better roads. There are so many more cars, and this being the most major intersection in Montgomery County, it had to be improved."

But having an antiquated road as one of its major thoroughfares was not the only problem Magnolia faced. It was also facing a safety issue. As more people traveled on the road, it became less, Mendes said.

"It's going to be a better road, and it's going to be a safer road," he said.

Magnolia Economic Development Coordinator Tana Ross said the road improvement project would also make the downtown area safer and more accessible, as well as bring more people and business to the area.

"When congestion is relieved and traffic is flowing, drivers can take in the surroundings and this will give the area more exposure in a positive way," she said. "I am sure it will bring more people to the city, knowing there are better roads to bring them here with much improved traffic flow."