Although parcel acquisition has held back construction of the project, construction could begin in October on the Grand Parkway underpass at FM 2920, according to Grand Parkway construction firm Zachry-Odebrecht.

"It's the most challenging piece in the whole segment of F-2," said Jhon Beltran, segment manager for segment F-2. "We're going to be working all the way until the last day [of construction]. It's going to be really challenging."

The underpass is one of seven zones being worked on simultaneously within the 12-mile F-2 segment from Hwy. 249 to I-45, Beltran said.

Linda Merritt, public information officer for Zachry-Odebrecht, said FM 2920 will remain open during the construction of the underpass thanks to the use of temporary pavement.

"That is a major artery in this region and that will remain open," Merritt said.

Segments F-1, F-2 and G are scheduled for completion by the end of 2015, connecting Houston's third outer loop from Hwy. 290 to Hwy. 59, Beltran said. He provided an update on segment F-2 to the Klein ISD board of trustees Sept. 8.

Beltran said construction could begin on zone 3—which includes the FM 2920 underpass—in October and complete the section by October 2015.

He said work is well underway on zone 1, from Boudreaux Road to Gleannloch Forest Drive, where construction has started on as many as seven bridges. Zachry-Odebrecht expects the section to be completed by early 2015.

Construction could also be completed early in 2015 on zone 7, from the Springwoods Village area to I-45, he said. The project includes on and off ramps to Holzwarth Road that should provide motorists easy access to the ExxonMobil campus.

"We're supposed to be done by February, but I think we'll be done [with zone 7] much sooner than that," Beltran said. "In the next two months, you're going to start to see signs, you're going to see light poles [and] you're going to see signalization."

Beltran said zones 4 and 5—from FM 2920 to Rothwood Drive—have also progressed well. Clearing started in zone 5, with an anticipated completion date sometime between January and March of next year, while about 90 percent of the parcels have been acquired for zone 4—from FM 2920 to Hildebrandt Road.

"That's a section we're going to be hitting very soon, as soon as next week," he said.

Construction has been slower on the remaining sections of segment F-2, Beltran said. The acquisition of one parcel for zone 2—from Gleannloch Forest Drive to FM 2920—has slowed progress of the project. The section includes a sound wall from FM 2920 to Champion Forest Drive and is scheduled for completion by May 2015.

"The schedule is very, very challenging to say the least," Merritt said. "There are many uncontrollable elements to the schedule. We move forward as best we can, but sometimes that logical progression has other plans."

For more information of Segment F-2, visit www.grandparkway99.com.