Area mobility planners have taken notice of growing traffic congestion along Gosling and Kuykendahl roads near the Village of Creekside Park. With the expected completion of the Grand Parkway a little more than a year away, experts say traffic will likely only get worse.
Traffic congestion has become enough of a concern for area residents that the Creekside Park Village Association has formed its own mobility committee.
Robert Maxwell, vice president of the transportation division at engineering and consulting firm Jones & Carter, presented results of a traffic study in May to The Woodlands Township Ad Hoc transportation committee regarding traffic along Gosling and Kuykendahl roads.
Maxwell said data was derived from an annual traffic count conducted by The Woodlands Development Company.
The number of vehicles that travel both Kuykendahl and Gosling roads during peak times near Creekside Park increased by more than 30 percent from 2012 to 2013, according to the study. As many as 1,200 vehicles use Kuykendahl and Gosling roads during peak drive times.
"That is a significant increase from 2012," said Rich Jakovac, chairman of the Creekside Park Mobility Committee. "I would estimate the numbers are going to go up by another 25 percent. They could approach 1,500 [vehicles] per hour—way beyond the capacity on those two roadways."
Maxwell said once the local segments of the Grand Parkway open, drivers are likely to use both Kuykendahl and Gosling roads as north-south access routes to and from The Woodlands, rather than I-45, which would increase congestion beyond current levels.
"[The Grand Parkway] is going have an impact here," Jakovac said. "Certainly the number of residents in Creekside is growing—it's about halfway built out. The other thing that is driving the volume is that The Woodlands has become a destination for jobs, and [the commuters] are coming up Gosling and Kuykendahl."
Both roadways are located in portions of Precinct 4 of Harris County and Precinct 3 of Montgomery County. Montgomery County Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack and Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle have indicated the expansion of Kuykendahl Road from two lanes in some places to four continuous lanes with a bridge over Spring Creek is a priority, with each county precinct having set aside money for the project.
The amount each precinct would contribute to the project is an issue that is being debated between the two commissioners.
"About 35 percent of the Kuykendahl bridge lies within Montgomery County, and I have secured $2 million that should cover Montgomery County's 35 percent," Noack said. "If Harris County is willing to put 65 percent toward their portion of that bridge, then we'll have a bridge."
Noack said the money comes from available cash, and the project would not require an increase in debt.
Mark Seegers, communications director for Harris County Precinct 4, and Cagle said the cost of the expansion project, which has yet to be determined, should be divided equally.
"Everyone has to go back and look at their own numbers," Seegers said. "Commissioner Cagle does feel like it needs to be an even split. So [Cagle and Noack] need to go back and see if they can find a resolution."
He said that although the majority of lane miles along Kuykendahl are located within Harris County, other factors could determine the funding portions, such as users of the road.
While plans are in the works for the expansion of Kuykendahl Road, improvements along Gosling may be further off due to costs.
"The Harris County side of Gosling could run between $30 million and $40 million," Seegers said. "It's not a question of need, it's a question of financing."
