Community Impact Newspaper[/caption]1. Texas Parkway widening
Texas Parkway widening[/caption]Construction on the project to widen Texas Parkway in Missouri City from Cartwright Road to Fort Bend Parkway resumed June 8. The widening project was delayed and at a standstill because of utility lines in the project area that needed to be removed. The remaining work on the project before all lanes can be opened to traffic includes the construction of sound walls. The roadway widening is expected to be complete in August. The 1.5-mile project will widen the existing two-lane, continuous left-turn roadway to a four-lane divided roadway.
Timeline: January 2014-August 2015
Cost: $8.5 million
Funding sources: Texas Department of Transportation
2. Hwy. 6 expansion
The design phase for Phase 3 of the city of Sugar Land’s plan to expand Hwy. 6 from three to four lanes between Brooks Street and Lexington Boulevard is expected to begin in late July. Construction on the project is anticipated to begin in August 2016 and will take 150 days from the notice to proceed to complete.
Timeline: August 2016-early 2017
Cost: $7.59 million
Funding sources: City of Sugar Land, TxDOT, Federal Highway Administration
3. Austin Parkway improvements
The first component of the Austin Parkway improvement project in Sugar Land—the reconstruction of Jim Davidson and Lee Duggan drives at Sugar Land Regional Airport—is complete. Construction on the next component of the project—improvements to Austin Parkway and Lakefield Boulevard—started in June. This portion of the project includes the reconstruction of a total of 2,803 linear feet of 8-inch concrete pavement and the replacement of a total of 3,000 linear feet of 12-inch water line. A 10-foot-wide concrete trail on the northbound side of Austin Parkway will also be constructed as part of the project. On June 23 both southbound lanes of Austin Parkway closed between Autumn Lakes and Commonwealth Boulevard. There will be two-way traffic on the existing northbound lanes, which will remain until the southbound lanes are completed. At that point, traffic will be diverted to the southbound lanes while work is done on northbound lanes.
Timeline: March 2015-August 2016
Cost: $3.4 million
Funding sources: city of Sugar Land
4. Vicksburg Boulevard extension
Vicksburg Boulevard extension[/caption]Construction to extend Vicksburg Boulevard from Aldridge Drive to Lake Olympia Parkway in Missouri City is on schedule for completion by January 2016. The contractor is in the process of preparing for roadway construction. All underground utilities have been installed. The project includes the construction of a mast arm turn signal and turn lane improvements at Lake Olympia Parkway, a four-lane boulevard roadway, bicycle lanes in both directions, sidewalks, streetlights and accompanying drainage structures.
Timeline: January 2015-January 2016
Cost: $3.3 million
Funding sources: Fort Bend County, Missouri City Development Authority, municipal utility districts Nos. 47 and 48
5. Turtle Creek Drive reconstruction
Turtle Creek Drive reconstruction[/caption]The project to replace water lines and the road surface on Turtle Creek Drive from Hilton Head Drive to Mission Valley Drive in Missouri City started May 11. The contractor started work on the north end of the project near Hilton Head Drive and has replaced about 800 feet of water lines. Once the contractor replaces the water lines, the removal and replacement of the roadway will begin. There will be alternate lane closures along the roadway throughout the duration of the project.
Timeline: May 2015-June 2016
Cost: $2.2 million
Funding sources: city of Missouri City
6. Jenny and Highlands drives reconstruction
Construction started in early April on the reconstruction and utility improvement project for Jenny and Highlands drives in Sugar Land. The project includes the reconstruction of sections of Jenny and Highlands drives and sections of Settlers Way from Frontier Drive to Windmill Street. About 13,000 linear feet of pavement and 1,742 linear feet of water lines will be replaced as part of the project. The water line improvements were completed in spring. Reconstruction of pavement has started and will continue through February 2016. During this time, one side of the streets will be closed while construction is being done.
Timeline: April 2015-February 2016
Cost: $2.56 million
Funding sources: city of Sugar Land
7. University Boulevard extension
The design phase for the final phase of the University Boulevard extension in Sugar Land was completed in May in coordination with Union Pacific Railroad, Nalco Champion and the Imperial Development. The project was made available for bidding June 25. A contractor for the project has not yet been selected, but construction on the project is set to begin later this summer. The final piece of the extension will include a direct connector to Burney Road within the Imperial Sugar Land development, which will allow University Boulevard to continue as a four-lane divided roadway across Hwy. 90 and the Union Pacific railroad at street level. A bridge will be constructed over Oyster Creek to connect the University Boulevard extension with Burney Road. The project also includes the construction of a shared bike path and adjacent sidewalk.
Timeline: summer 2015-spring 2016
Cost: $9 million
Funding sources: city of Sugar Land, Fort Bend County, Sugar Land tax increment reinvestment zone district
8. Hwy. 90 widening
The widening of Hwy. 90 from just west of Hwy. 6 to just east of the Grand Parkway in Fort Bend County will be available for contractor bidding in October. Construction on the widening project is expected to begin in either November or December. The project will widen Hwy. 90 from four to six lanes and also include the construction of two sound walls. Project construction will be completed in five phases.
Timeline: winter 2015-winter 2016
Cost: $8 million
Funding sources: TxDOT
