The breakdown
Council members voted 4-1, with council member Ron Raymaker opposed, to pass the resolution during City Council on Dec. 11, which requests that the H-GAC remove the project from its 2025-2028 Transportation Improvement Plan.
The resolution states, "the proposed widening of Grogans Mill Road may lead to increased traffic volumes, elevated noise levels, and potential environmental impacts that could adversely affect the residents and businesses of Shenandoah."
The resolution also requests that members of The Woodlands Township and Montgomery County work with the city for a solution to traffic congestion problems in the area.
In their words
- "This is the issue that the residents of that section of Grogans Mill are concerned with, and eventually the impact of that on our part, the impact that that expansion would have on our end when we have a lot of traffic issues now," Mayor John Escoto said
- "I don't really have a dog in this fight other than when it gets to Grogans Mill and we have the turn way, it definitely does need to be wider there," Raymaker said. "It's not part of the H-GAC plan, because this [resolution] is like, all or nothing; but I just wanted to add that I only need the parts that help out Grogans Mill."
Township board member Shelley Sekula-Gibbs spoke to the Shenandoah City Council on Nov. 13, where she requested the city pass a resolution against the widening of Grogans Mill.
"We want to protect our residents from being like [FM] 1960 so I'm here tonight to ask you to do what our board failed to do, which it which is pass a resolution in a future meeting where you discuss and decide if this is in your best interest," Sekula-Gibbs said.
The township previously deferred action against sending a similar resolution to H-GAC regarding Grogan's Mill on Oct. 22., citing a lack of details regarding the need.
