What’s happening
The Woodlands Township gained a voting seat on the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s Transportation Policy Council in April following years of requests to join the agency for long-term regional planning for transportation projects.
The township was not previously included on the TPC due to restrictions against special-purpose districts joining the council.
Since The Woodlands is now a part of the TPC, the township will have quarterly meetings with TxDOT to discuss projects of interest in the area.
The breakdown
Township Director of Intergovernmental Relations Todd Stephens presented 17 projects which the township is now able to discuss with TxDOT.
Some of the major projects include:
- A new transit center in the vicinity of Six Pines Drive: $35.5 million
- Gosling Road widening from Mossy Oaks Road: $34.3 million
- Drainage improvements along I-45: $25.8 million
- David Memorial Drive extension to Hwy. 242: $16.2 million
“Some of these projects are identified up to 20 or 25 years in advance of potential need,” Stephens said. “And those projects stay in that planning process until the jurisdiction responsible for those projects essentially asks for those projects to move forward into the construction phase”
One project included on the TxDOT list was the widening of Grogans Mill Road from Woodlands Parkway to Research Forest Drive from four to six lanes; however, multiple board members expressed concern about the inclusion of the project for consideration.
In their words
“I've driven out there; [traffic] backs up right to the [Grogans Mill and Research Forest] intersection,” board member Shelley Sekula-Gibbs said. “The people of Shenandoah didn't want it. They spoke against that intersection being widened and overpassed. So I don't believe that there's enthusiasm on the part of the people to widen this and bring more traffic.”
“When I think of that area, I don't see a lot of land on either side of the street available to add more lanes,” board member Brad Bailey said. “I don't want to cut into the forest to be right on top of a commercial building. I don't think that's a good look.”
“I'm not saying I'm against it. I just don't know anything about [the project],” board member Kyle Watson said. “Was there a study? Did [TxDOT] think there was a need? ... I only have some hesitancy in the terms of if in three years we really need this, and because we were worried about something tonight that we're not informed on, we go to TxDOT and we ask for help and they say no.”
The action taken
The full report was deferred until a future board meeting, but several board members agreed to potentially send a letter to TxDOT to request the formal removal of the Grogans Mill widening project from future consideration.
