Progress continues on the long-awaited widening of FM 2978, which will break ground this year.
The Texas Department of Transportation expects construction to begin this spring on the southern portion, from Dry Creek to Hufsmith Conroe Road, while work on the northern section should begin later this year.
The 6.5-mile widening project was selected by the Houston-Galveston Area Council for funding in 2013, H-GAC Program Manager David Wurdlow said. However, the project’s origins extend back more than a decade.
“Every project is unique, but minor delays are frequent,” he said. “The Transportation Policy Council awarded federal funds to build the project in 2013, but part of it is just getting everything ready.”
The project will use land within an existing 120-foot right of way for the extra lanes and shoulders to minimize displacement, TxDOT officials said. About 17 acres of nearby right of way will be converted into four detention ponds and noise barriers will also be constructed.
The project will cost about $25 million with $8.2 million allotted for the southern portion and $16.8 million for the northern, TxDOT Public Information Officer Deidrea George said. Funding for the southern portion comes from Proposition 1, which was approved by voters in November and provided $278.7 million for Houston-area transportation projects.
The northern portion will be funded through both federal and state money.
George said work on the southern section is expected to take 18 months to complete. The northern section should take about 30 months to complete once construction begins. The additions will make the road safer, improve emergency response times and alleviate congestion, she said.
“The expansion is needed to increase capacity necessary to accommodate the larger traffic volume,” George said.
Wurdlow said the expansion will help accommodate growth in a rapidly growing region of the Greater Houston area.
“It’s a rapidly growing part of our region,” Wurdlow said. “[H-GAC] just completed a mobility study for the south county area early this year. Fortunately, we already had committed to this project and it was just assumed part of the project.”
