Construction on a dual bridge over Spring Creek on Kuykendahl Road is expected to be complete by May 17, according to Harris County Precinct 4.
The $6 million project is a joint effort by The Woodlands Road Utility District No. 1 and Montgomery and Harris counties to enhance traffic flow to and from the Village of Creekside Park.
“This is one of the bottlenecks in the county,” Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle said. “The Kuykendahl bridge is very important because, today, new homes in The Woodlands are being built along our Kuykendahl Road and Gosling Road stretches. In order to service our Creekside Park residents, we need to expand the bridge so the communities on both sides of the creek can continue to thrive.”
Kuykendahl Road already has one two-lane, two-way bridge crossing Spring Creek. Once the second bridge is constructed, the existing bridge’s lanes will become northbound lanes and the new bridge will serve as the southbound connector. Both sections will have pedestrian accommodations.
The original design of the bridge makes it difficult for residents of Timarron Lakes to turn left out of their neighborhood and onto Kuykendahl Road, said Nancy Becker, Creekside Park Village Association president.
She said Kuykendahl and Gosling roads are key north-south roadways leading to the Grand Parkway.
“The Woodlands is home to many corporations, and those employees use I-45, Gosling Road and Kuykendahl Road to commute to and from work,” Becker said. “The bridge and roadway are overloaded during certain times of the day. The completion of this bridge and the roadway associated with it will expedite traffic flow and also make the bridge safer.”
Similar design principles will be applied to Gosling Road to construct a dual bridge over Spring Creek.
“The Creekside Park residents I have spoken with are concerned with the timeline of the Gosling Road bridge,” Becker said. “Currently, it is slated for several years away based on the information currently available to the public. The bridge and approaching roadways need to be expedited.”
The $7 million Gosling Road bridge project will also be funded by Harris County Precinct 4 and Montgomery County as well as the Texas Department of Transportation. A timeline for the project has not been identified as of press time.
The Kuykendahl Road bridge project bid was awarded June 30, and the notice to proceed was issued Oct. 10, said Pamela Rocchi, director of Harris County Precinct 4 Capital Improvements Division. Since then, an on-site project office has been established, and construction is underway.
The right of way clearing effort on the south side of Spring Creek is nearing completion, while the right of way clearing effort on the north side of Spring Creek began in November.
The project extends roughly 5,100 feet on Kuykendahl Road beginning north of Pine Plains Drive in Harris County and ending south of Flintridge Drive in Montgomery County.
The project is on schedule to be completed May 17. The contract allows for 270 days for installation.