Thousands of new residents settle in Pearland and Friendswood every year, placing pressure on existing infrastructure.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau[/caption]

Pearland has rapidly grown from a small town of about 38,000 in 2000 to an estimated 109,000 in 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“As Pearland’s infrastructure development works to keep up with our recent growth rates, mobility is an ever-increasing priority of the city and one of the key initiatives in the Pearland 20/20 community strategic plan,” said Matt Buchanan, president of the Pearland Economic Development Corporation. “Pearland has secured millions in transportation funding and built miles of roadways with multiple additional projects in the pipeline.”

To meet the needs of this growth, Pearland will spend about $120 million on 10 road construction projects over the next three years, according to the city’s November 2016 capital projects schedule. City officials have spent $11 million on design engineering for those projects.

In Friendswood, city officials are still using 2013 bond funds for multimillion-dollar improvements to four existing thoroughfares.

As the population continues to swell, officials look to expand or improve their road infrastructure to alleviate the traffic congestion that comes with growth.

Clogged roads see improvements

  Source: city of Friendswood, city of Pearland/Community Impact Newspaper[/caption]

Pearland is leading the nation as the seventh fastest-growing city in the country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, growing by 5.3 percent between July 2014 and July 2015. Pearland was the only city from the Greater Houston area on the Census Bureau’s top 15 list of cities. And between 2010 and 2015, Pearland’s estimated population grew by more than 16 percent, according to the Census Bureau.

While much of the population boom was in west Pearland due to the Shadow Creek Ranch master-planned development, the success and growth of the area has drawn more development across the city.

“I think we’ve come a long way,” said Trent Epperson, assistant city manager, about Pearland’s web of road infrastructure projects. “There’s still going to be congestion, there’s still going to be roads to get done, and we’re just trying to establish those priorities moving beyond these current projects.”

Pearland’s major thoroughfares east of Hwy 288—FM 518, Cullen Boulevard and Mykawa Road—are one- or two-lane roads in each direction.

FM 518, the city’s east-to-west artery, peaks at more than 32,000 vehicles per day along West Broadway Street and Cullen Boulevard and tops off at nearly 38,000 vehicles per day before Dixie Farm Road, according to a longterm traffic study commissioned by the city in 2012.

With more cars on the road each year, Pearland is pouring money into developing other east-to-west access points to divert traffic off FM 518.

“We’ve got a fairly significant traffic congestion especially along [FM] 518—it’s the spine of our city. So years ago when we were looking at the future and how to alleviate traffic … we were looking at parallel roads to [FM] 518,” Epperson said.

City officials plan to extend McHard Road between Cullen Boulevard and Mykawa Road for an estimated $33.5 million. By closing the divide, commuters will have a third major east-to-west thoroughfare that runs the length of the city.

Design work began in 2014, and the city has tentatively listed the project to begin in 2018 with a 2020 completion.

Since the city must purchase 90 parcels of property for right of way access, construction may be delayed.

When the extension is completed, McHard Road could see up to 24,500 vehicles per day, up from a peak of 12,000 in 2012, according to the study.

Most of the major road projects have been planned years in advance and are funded primarily through state and federal funds. The conduit for those funds is the Houston-Galveston Area Council, which is a voluntary association of local governments spanning 13 counties in the Greater Houston area and the Gulf Coast.

“There’s a pretty robust criteria that all these projects go through to get selected through that process,” Epperson said. “These projects take a long time to deliver. We got a lot of additional steps to go through to get the projects ready for construction.”

In Friendswood, road construction projects are still underway from a $24 million bond referendum that passed in 2013, about $7.7 million of which was dedicated to roads, according to the city’s bond projects website.

“City council has shown there is a desire to maintain a certain level of our streets within the city between going after general land obligation bonds … and the 2013 bond elections.”  Friendswood city engineer Patrick Donart said. “They’re obviously supporting the funds to help maintain the roads,”

The most significant project is the Blackhawk Boulevard reconstruction project from FM 2351 to Friendswood Link Road. No new lanes will be added, but city officials plans to rip up and reconstruct the road. The 50-year-old road is a major thoroughfare and point of entry into the city.

While the bond election allocated $5.45 million for the project, city officials estimate the total cost could be as high as $8.6 million. Friendswood City Council will consider an engineering design contract in December, and construction is expected to begin by fall 2017.

“We’re definitely higher than what we had. Keep in mind on the bond election it wasn’t the water and sewer; it wasn’t the drainage. It was just the road way,” Donart said. “It’s a big number, and although the water, sewer, drainage and sidewalks aren’t must-haves, it’s a prime opportunity to do that.”

Future Growth

Pearland has come a long way from its agricultural roots as a farming town, and it still has more growth left to come.

City officials expect Pearland will reach a max population of 200,000 to 250,000 within city limits and another 40,000 in its extraterritorial jurisdiction at build-out, Epperson said.

“Our easy access to Beltway 8, State Highway 288 and Interstate 45 and a short commute for residents that commute to the Texas Medical Center or other Houston employment centers daily,” are contributing factors to Pearland’s growth, Buchanan said.

The sleepy Quaker town of Friendswood is also enjoying a population surge. The city experienced an 8.4 percent population uptick between 2010 and 2015, growing to an estimated 38,800 people.

As the growth curve continues to tick upward, officials are looking ahead at major infrastructure projects.

“I don’t know when that’s going to be. At the growth rates we’re seeing right now, probably another 20 years,” Epperson said of Pearland’s build-out.”

Pearland has developed a five-year, $545 million capital improvement plan to keep the city on track with near-term growth from 2017 to 2021.

“It gives us an opportunity to plan and adjust appropriately,” said Pearland City Council member Trent Perez. “Like any city we struggle with funding … We must make sure we’re getting the roads built with the highest needs.”

The improvement plan focuses on drainage, parks, public facilities, streets, water and sewer projects. Funding sources will include federal and state funds, water and sewer bonds, general obligation bonds and cash among other funding sources.

Mykawa Road, which is currently a two-lane road, is expected to become a major north-to-south thoroughfare. As such, the city is expecting to spend $43 million on widening it between McHard Road and Orange Street.

The city is also putting together a $114.7 million bond proposal to put forth to voters in 2018, which includes nine additional road projects.

As part of the proposal, officials are planning a $5 million expansion of W. Broadway Street between Hwy 288 and Hwy 35 to further ease congestion.

The potential bond also includes improvements to Kingsley Road, Pearland Parkway, Hughes Ranch Road, Old Alvin Road and Grand Boulevard.