Ongoing Projects
1. The city of Pearland began construction on a second left-turn lane heading southbound at the intersection of Pearland Parkway and FM 518 in May. Bidding on the project closed Jan. 26, and the City Council awarded the contract to WadCon LLC at its Feb. 27 meeting.
Estimated timeline: May-August 2017 Cost: $310,000 Funding sources: city of Pearland
2. Beginning in June, the city will reconstruct Orange Street, widen the road from 25 to 33 feet and put in new concrete curbs, gutters, sidewalks and improved drainage between Hwy. 35 and Schleider Drive in Pearland.
Estimated timeline: June 2017-August 2018 Cost: $5.4 million Funding sources: city of Pearland
Upcoming Projects
3. Brazoria County approved a $97.2 million contract to Pulice Construction Inc. for the construction of toll lanes on Hwy. 288. The project will install four toll lanes—two lanes in each direction—in the grassy median of the freeway. The project will extend from CR 58 to Clear Creek. The FM 518 intersection will be reconstructed with additional turn lanes from the access ramps, FM 518 from Business Center Drive to Smith Ranch Road will be widened and mainlane bridges of Hwy. 288 will be reconstructed too.
Estimated timeline: June 2017-July 2019 Estimated cost: $97.2 million Funding sources: Brazoria County, TxDOT
4. The project will expand Max Road in Pearland to a four-lane boulevard with storm sewers, outfalls and detention, a traffic signal and a shared-use path from Hughes Ranch Road to Reid Road along W. Broadway Street.
Estimated timeline: November 2017- February 2019 Cost: $7.38 million Funding sources: city of Pearland
New Projects
The Texas Department of Transportation is resurfacing FM 2351 from Friendswood Drive to the Brazoria County line near Corporal Steven Schulz Sports Park. The project, which is routine road maintenance, will mill the existing pavement and overlay new asphalt, providing a smoother road and extending the roadway’s life. Angel Brothers was awarded the contract.
Estimated timeline: March–August 2017 Cost: $890,750 Funding sources: TxDOT
TxDOT is resurfacing Hwy. 288 and will replace the existing asphalt on the northbound and southbound lanes from McHard Road in Pearland to Hayes
Creek near FM 1462 in Alvin, which is about 9.5 miles long. The highway resurfacing project will be performed at night and will likely cause lane closures and traffic. Work zones will move every evening until the project is complete.
Estimated timeline: April 2017–January 2018 Cost: $5.1 million Funding sources: TxDOT
How it works
How does TxDOT prioritize construction?
Although the Texas Department of Transportation funds construction for highways and other major roads in the state right of way, metropolitan planning organizations are the ones that prioritize project construction.
Texas has 25 MPOs that create transportation policy, forecast mobility needs, administer regional transportation planning, and approve state and federal funding for local and regional projects.
MPOs identify need-based projects by scoring them on safety, mobility, environmental quality, economic development, and asset management and operations. Then the MPO determines the funding and shovel-readiness of a project. If no funding is available and the project is not ready with right of way or environmental clearance, then it is shelved.
Once a project is approved by the MPO, it is added to the four-year Statewide Transportation Improvement Program or TxDOT’s 10-year Unified Transportation Program.
