1. Kuykendahl Road bridge
A dual bridge will be built on Kuykendahl Road over Spring Creek in an effort to mitigate traffic congestion between Montgomery and Harris counties. The project bid was awarded in June, and the notice to proceed was issued Oct. 10. Since then, a 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 early November. The scheduled completion date is May 17, barring any unforeseen circumstances beyond the contractor’s control. Timeline: early October-May 17 Cost: $6 million Funding sources: The Woodlands Road Utility District No. 1, Montgomery County Precinct 3, Harris County Precinct 4
2. Gosling Road bridge
Similar to the Kuykendahl Road bridge project, a dual bridge will be built on Gosling Road over Spring Creek. The project is a future joint participation effort between Harris County Precinct 4, Montgomery County Precinct 3 and the Texas Department of Transportation. An engineering study and design effort will be implemented once Montgomery County has identified a funding source for its pro rata share of the costs, and a construction timeline will be established once all phases of project development have been planned. Harris County will request the project to be included in the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s Transportation Improvement Plan once the 2017 call for projects has been announced. After that, TxDOT funding for construction purposes will be in place. Timeline: TBA Cost: $7 million| Funding sources: Harris County Precinct 4, Montgomery County Precinct 3, TxDOT
3. David Memorial Drive extension
This Shenandoah Municipal Development District project will extend David Memorial Drive from Shenandoah Park Drive to Hwy. 242. Shenandoah City Council awarded the contract bids during its Sept. 28 meeting for the project as well as for wetland mitigation efforts on the construction site. Construction on the extension began in October and is scheduled to be complete by February or March. Timeline: October 2016-March 2017 Cost: $2.3 million Funding sources: Shenandoah Municipal Development District
4. Sawdust Road medians
Montgomery County Precinct 3 created access management lanes on Sawdust Road between Grogans Mill Road and Borough Park Drive through the installation of medians. This was Phase 2 of a larger project to improve mobility along the Rayford-Sawdust Road corridor. Phase 1, which focused on creating access management lanes on Rayford Road, began at the end of 2015. Both phases were completed in mid-November. Timeline: October-mid-November Cost: $15,000 Funding sources: Montgomery County Precinct 3
5. Rayford Road widening
The Montgomery County Precinct 3 road bond project will widen Rayford Road from four to six lanes between Lazy Lane and the Grand Parkway. In addition, an overpass will be constructed over the Union Pacific Corp. railroad tracks. Precinct 3 is 80 percent finished with the right of way acquisition process and expects to complete that process by the end of December. The Montgomery County Engineering Office has reviewed 95 percent of design plans. Project bids will be solicited Dec. 19 and Dec. 27 and reviewed in mid-January. Timeline: early 2017-late 2019 Cost: $60 million Funding sources: Montgomery County Precinct 3
Why is there a State Highway Fund shortfall?
In Texas, funding for new roads and maintenance comes from a number of sources.[/caption]
In Texas, funding for new roads and maintenance comes from a number of sources, including fuel taxes and vehicle registration fees, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. These revenue streams make up the State Highway Fund—the fund TxDOT uses to pay for existing and new roadways.
However, because state and federal fuel taxes have not been raised since the early 1990s, revenue from these sources has remained steady while road congestion costs have increased.
Each year, Texas has a $5 billion shortfall for road maintenance and mobility improvements, according to TxDOT.
In 2014 and 2015, Texas voters approved propositions 1 and 7, respectively, measures to transfer taxes paid by oil and gas production companies and general sales tax revenue from the state into the State Highway Fund. It is estimated the measures will transfer at least $4.2 billion annually to the fund, beginning with the 2017-18 fiscal year.
To bridge the rest of the gap, TxDOT and state legislators are considering other revenue sources in this upcoming legislative session, such as increasing the fuel tax or partnering with private entities.
