3. Intersection of the Grand Parkway and Harlem Road

U-turns will be constructed at the intersection of the Grand Parkway and Harlem Road in 2017. The project will widen the left-turn lanes in both directions to create a total of four lanes plus the U-turns.

Timeline: January-May 2017 Cost: $2 million Funding sources: Fort Bend County, TxDOT

[caption id="attachment_191452" align="alignright" width="220"] Harlem Road widening[/caption]

4. Harlem Road widening

The project creates a four-lane asphalt road and center divider along Harlem Road from north of West Airport Boulevard to south of Plantation Drive. A traffic signal will be installed at the corner of Harlem Road and Harvest Green.

Timeline: completion in early 2017 Cost: $5.5 million Funding sources: Fort Bend County

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Safer railroad crossings made possible with elevated bridge-style intersections

Improvements to Hwy. 90A include a new raised intersection going over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks at FM 359.

The $27 million intersection upgrade began in March 2016, and completion is slated for fall 2018, according to TxDOT.

When complete, the intersection will be raised above the rail line, creating a bridge on Hwy. 90A that will connect with an elevated FM 359 so drivers can drive over the railroad tracks.

The Federal Railroad Administration estimates 94 percent of rail crossing collisions and 87 percent of fatalities are due to risky driver behavior at rail intersections. The agency found Texas intersections rank second most dangerous in the nation with 27 deaths and 42 injuries at railroad intersections in 2015.

Raising the intersection reduces collisions, prevents traffic delays and reduces maintenance costs associated with maintaining roadways over railroad crossings, according to the Federal Highway Administration's Railroad-Highway Grade Crossing Handbook.

For more information on the Hwy. 90A widening and drainage improvement project, see Page 16.