As the Westwood Magnolia Parkway Improvement District is putting final touches on the long-awaited expansion of Honea Egypt Road, it now turns its attention to widening nearby Egypt Lane.
Talk of expanding Honea Egypt Road began as early as 2013, but delays due to waterline construction along the road by the San Jacinto River Authority pushed the timeline back. The roadway was expanded from two to five lanes, including a middle turn lane, from north of FM 1488 to where it meets Sendera Ranch Road—about a 1-mile stretch.
“There was a bottleneck from FM 1488 up to the Fish Creek Thoroughfare that was really bad in the evening hours after people got off from work,” WMPID board member Carl Gerhardt said. “The road widening has cleared the traffic congestion in that area.”
The final project task is to install a temporary signal light where Honea Egypt Road branches into Sendera Ranch Road, which is near the Woodland Oaks community. The WMPID has requested LJA Engineering Inc. to conduct an analysis to see if a permanent signal is needed at the intersection. Overall, road construction and signal work cost $2.6 million.
Just to the east of the newly expanded road, the design process for Egypt Lane is almost complete. The district is examining last-minute details and possible adjustments based on a water drainage report and is awaiting approval from Montgomery County, Gerhardt said. The next step is to acquire the right of way.
“Once [right-of-way is] acquired, construction is estimated to take about nine months, including utility relocations that need to happen before roadway changes can take place,” Gerhardt said.
Construction on Egypt Lane will be similar to Honea Egypt Road. The project includes expanding the road from two to five lanes, including a middle turn lane and a storm sewer system to replace drainage ditches. The project spans from FM 1488 to Research Forest Drive, near Ellisor Elementary School.
The cost estimate for the Egypt Lane project is $1.8 million. It includes adjustments where it intersects with FM 1488 on the north side and Research Forest Drive on the south side to accommodate businesses and prevent any commercial dislocation, Gerhardt said.
Michael Rusk, vice president of LJA Engineering, attended the district’s March 11 meeting to discuss the current status of Egypt Lane. He said although some of the businesses located at Egypt Lane’s intersections may see potentially negative effects from the expansion, a long-term positive impact is expected.
“You’ll have a road there that is a lot more accessible, and you might actually get an increase in business now that people can actually drive down Egypt Lane,” he said. “They are going to be losing a little bit of land in some of these cases, and we’re going to be diligent in showing what they are going to be giving up, but also what they are going to be gaining.”
As soon as utilities are relocated, the district can begin advertising for construction bids, Rusk said, which would ideally take place when school is out for summer break. At previous district board meetings, school officials with Ellisor Elementary School in Magnolia ISD requested for as much work as possible to be scheduled during summer break, according to district documents.
