Long-awaited Fort Bend Parkway extension now open

Photo courtesy Johnson Development

Extension B-1 of the Fort Bend Parkway Toll Road, which connects Hwy. 6 to Sienna Parkway, has been completed. The toll road now runs continuously from Sienna Parkway in the master-planned community of Sienna Plantation to north of Hwy. 90. The extension is accessible only to EZ-Tag drivers, and it is expected to reduce drive times for Sienna Plantation residents traveling to and from locations inside Loop 610 by 10-15 minutes

After a two-year construction process, Extension B-1 of the Fort Bend Parkway Toll Road, which connects Hwy. 6 to Sienna Parkway, has been completed. The toll road now runs continuously from Sienna Parkway in the master-planned community of Sienna Plantation to north of Hwy. 90.

The extension is accessible only to EZ-Tag drivers, and it is expected to reduce drive times for Sienna Plantation residents traveling to and from locations inside Loop 610 by 10-15 minutes, said Alvin San Miguel, general manager of Sienna Plantation.

"The direct access to major employment corridors provided by the extended Fort Bend Parkway right from Sienna Plantation will be a major selling point as we continue to develop the community," he said.

The roadway completion is expected to keep traffic moving as more residents come in. The development of Sienna Southa 3,700-acre addition to the master-planned community of Sienna Plantationis expected to begin this summer with the first home sites slated to sell by spring 2015. The Johnson Development Corporation was selected as the land developer of Sienna South following the joint-purchase of the property by luxury home builder Toll Brothers and real estate private equity firm GTIS Partners.

The toll road extension was initially scheduled to open in late 2013, but the completion date was postponed to the first quarter of 2014 because of required upgrades to the parkway's toll plazas. The toll plazas had to be updated to align with the Harris County Toll Road Authority's new toll collection systems, according to the Fort Bend County Toll Road Authority.

The new 1.8-mile stretch opened in late March and comes with a $0.40 toll cost. Although traffic on the toll road must still pass through the signalized intersection at Hwy. 6, designs are underway for an overpass at the interchange to allow motorists to traverse over the state highway. Construction on the overpass is expected to begin by late 2014 and take approximately 18 months, FBCTRA officials said.

In addition to a new overpass in the coming months, the Fort Bend Parkway will also be extended farther southwest through Sienna Plantation. The design for the next extension is underway, which is expected to connect Sienna Parkway with Sienna Ranch Road, according to the FBCTRA.