As a special-purpose district, the township does not have authority or responsibility for public roadways. However, the item was discussed at the Oct. 16 meeting to clarify the status of the project, which officials have said has no funding tied to it or plans to initiate it, according to meeting materials.
The H-GAC's Regional Transportation Plans, or RTPs, are updated every four years, said Todd Stephens, the township's director of intergovernmental relations. The 2050 RTP process is underway, and the first public meetings took place this summer, he said.
"We are currently under the 2045 RTP, and as a reminder, an RTP is a 20-year document looking forward for potential projects that may or may not be necessary, but you want to plan for in case they are necessary, for transportation needs," said Todd Stephens, director of intergovernmental relations. "As of right now, this project is proposed to be moved out to the year 2045, so they're basically moving it to the end of the planning period."
How we got here
The topic previously came up on Oct. 21, 2024, when The Woodlands Township board of directors took no action after receiving a report on a proposal to potentially widen Grogans Mill Road between Woodlands Parkway and Research Forest Drive from four to six lanes.
The project was first proposed in H-GAC’s 2035 Regional Transportation Plan in 2007 but has not been moved forward, Stephens said. It came up again in early 2025 as part of the H-GAC’s 2045 RTP as an unfunded, proposed project.
In early 2026, H-GAC will work with local project sponsors to identify potential projects to be included in the 2050 RTP update, Stephens said. The proposed Grogans Mill widening project is expected to be reprogrammed in the RTP until at least 2045, Stephens said
The RTP guides major transportation investments, according to the H-GAC. The 2045 plan includes a recommended investment of $109 million in projects in the region, for a total of 750 proposed projects among 63 public entities. A project's inclusion in the plan does not mean it will be funded, officials said.
What’s next
According to township information, Montgomery County Precinct 3 would be the proposed project sponsor if a project were to move forward in the future, but the county has indicated the project is not currently warranted.
Additional public meetings on the RTP are expected to be held in late winter or early spring 2026, according to the meeting agenda.
