Mobility initiatives continue to pick up steam in Montgomery County as a study evaluating the effects of extensions to Old Conroe and Peoples roads to South Loop 336 moves forward.

The $32,620 study was approved by Commissioners Court on May 24 and will evaluate an extension of Old Conroe Road from Park Avenue to Sgt. Ed Holcomb Blvd. and an extension of Peoples Road from FM 1488 to Sgt. Ed Holcomb Blvd., Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley said. Both roads are located within Conroe city limits or extraterritorial jurisdiction, or land that can be annexed by the city.

Riley said the study will evaluate the effect each extension would have on traffic congestion on FM 1488 as well as construction cost factors­—such as bridges over flood plains and the San Jacinto River—to determine which road project is most beneficial and financially feasible to complete.

“We are trying to figure out which one of these roads would be the best to concentrate on right now,” Riley said. “We are looking at the impact at the intersection of FM 1488 and Carriage Hills Boulevard and looking at the impact of Old Conroe Road and FM 1488.”

Riley said the Old Conroe Road extension would benefit the Road Oak Ranch and Fosters Ridge subdivisions.

“I am trying to find another way out for folks living on Old Conroe Road,” Riley said. “There [are] more than 2,800 new homes being built [in Fosters Ridge]. There is only one way in and one way out, and that is through Old Conroe Road to FM 1488.”

Riley said the Peoples Road extension would also alleviate traffic congestion and improve safety in the Carriage Hills subdivision, which can only be accessed through FM 1488.

“Basically, it is the same thing going on with one way in and one way out,” Riley said. “With all of the development going on at that intersection, we are trying to see if we can figure out another way to get out [through] the back of Carriage Hills.”

Once built, the extension projects would provide an alternative route to I-45 for residents commuting to Conroe from south Montgomery County, said Tommy Woolley, Conroe assistant director of projects and transportation.

“The project would reduce traffic congestion on traffic on I-45 by providing an alternative north-south connection,” Woolley said.

The study is expected to be completed by Houston-based Brown & Gay Engineers by June 30.