1. Bailey Road widening

The city of Pearland recommended a contractor to the Texas Department of Transportation to widen Bailey Road from FM 1128 to Veterans Drive. The city is expected to award the contract in late August, and construction is slated to begin in September or October. The project will expand Bailey Road from a two-lane, asphalt roadway with ditches to a four-lane concrete curb-and-gutter thoroughfare with improved underground drainage. The project also includes raised medians, left-turn bays, traffic signals and a path for pedestrians and cyclists. The project received funding as part of Houston-Galveston Area Council’s Transportation Improvement Program.
Timeline: September 2015-September 2017
Cost: $26.6 million
Funding sources: city of Pearland, H-GAC

2. Friendswood Link Road widening

Construction continues on the widening of Friendswood Link Road. The city of Friendswood project—which received a Texas General Land Office disaster recovery grant—will widen the thoroughfare from FM 518 to Blackhawk Boulevard. The portion of the project in Galveston County, FM 518 to Hibiscus Lane, will expand from two to three lanes and include a dedicated turn lane, new sidewalks and improved drainage. The segment in Harris County, which runs from Hibiscus Lane to Blackhawk Boulevard, will expand from two to four lanes. The Harris County section of the roadway will include medians, new sidewalks and improved drainage. The project is about 63 percent complete.
Timeline: fall 2014-winter 2015
Cost: $5.3 million
Funding sources: city of Friendswood, Texas General Land Office grant

3. Pearland Parkway extension

The city of Pearland project to extend Pearland Parkway—which began in March 2014—is now complete and open to traffic after inclement weather delayed completion by about four months. The city hosted a ribbon cutting for the opening Aug. 19. The new segment stretches from 4,500 feet east of Oiler Drive to Dixie Farm Road. It is the latest extension of Pearland Parkway and part of a larger plan to eventually connect the thoroughfare to League City Parkway. The project created a four-lane, concrete curb-and-gutter roadway with raised medians. A bridge crossing at Cowart’s Creek was also added as part of the project. Traffic signals were installed at Oiler Drive and Dixie Farm Road.
Timeline: March 2014-August 2015
Cost: $9.5 million
Funding sources: city of Pearland, TxDOT

4. Regency Park improvements

Construction began June 22 on paving and drainage improvements to Regency Park, the oldest concrete-paved subdivision in Pearland. The city of Pearland project will replace all streets—approximately 5,400 feet of roadway—in the subdivision. A required emergency vehicle gate will be installed to provide access through the Pearland Junior High East parking lot. Additionally a new water main system will be installed to replace the existing waterline, and curb inlets will be installed to help prevent flooding. Ongoing construction will cause one-lane closures in 600-1,000-foot segments throughout the project.
Timeline: June 2015-June 2016
Cost: $3.31 million
Funding sources: city of Pearland

5. Fite Road extension

The city of Pearland project to extend Fite Road is on hold. Along with H-GAC’s other Transportation Improvement Program projects that have yet to go to bid, the Fite Road extension is on hold because of the region’s lack of compliance with air quality requirements, city officials said. In an effort to relieve traffic congestion and create an additional route for emergency vehicles, Fite Road will be extended 0.46 miles from McLean Road to Veterans Drive. The new segment will be a four-lane, undivided concrete thoroughfare with curb-and-gutter drainage. Traffic signal improvements will be installed at the McLean Road intersection. The project is not expected to go out for bid until early next year.
Timeline: early 2016-early 2017
Cost: $4.6 million
Funding sources: city of Pearland, H-GAC