Pipeline construction for the San Jacinto River Authority groundwater reduction plan continues, with crews nearing two-thirds of project completion, said Mark Smith, SJRA GRP administrator.



"We should reach substantial completion by early spring," Smith said. "Our plan is to begin delivering water in June 2015. We have less than a year to go."



Construction near The Woodlands High School along Research Forest Drive has been completed, with the exception of some shoulder restoration. However, recent rains and a cement shortage have delayed progress along Grogan's Mill Road near several Conroe ISD schools, Smith said.



The SJRA expects segments along Grogan's Mill Road between Sawmill Road and Blue Fox Road to open Sept. 12, and it expects the section south of Blue Fox Road to open as late as October, SJRA spokeswoman Ronda Trow said.



The SJRA has temporarily stopped work on Grogan's Mill Road intersections with Millpark Drive and Sawmill Road to minimize the impact on back-to-school traffic but will resume construction on those intersections in October, Trow said.



SJRA construction segments north of Sawmill Road on Grogan's Mill Road have been opened, Trow said. The SJRA will work with CISD to have additional police officers at major intersections to direct nearby school traffic.



To meet an agreement with Montgomery County, the SJRA has also initiated talks with The Woodlands Township regarding the landscape restoration in areas affected by construction. The SJRA seeks to fulfill the agreement by funding restoration efforts and allowing the township to coordinate the restoration efforts. The SJRA will meet with Montgomery County Precinct 3 to ensure the arrangement meets the terms of the original agreement.



"The idea is The Woodlands is [the authority] who has maintained those medians all along, so we want them to be satisfied with the restoration efforts," Smith said. "They are preparing an estimated cost for the restoration of those areas that we disturbed, and we are going to do an agreement between [the township] and the SJRA."



Construction in Oak Ridge North has made progress and is expected to becomplete by March 2015, Smith said.