Crews with the Texas Department of Transportation and Harris County Precinct 4 are working on improvements at the border of Harris and Montgomery counties to help connectivity from Spring Creek to FM 1488 near the outskirts of The Woodlands.

TxDOT Public Information Officer Emily Black said the area has seen explosive growth in the past few years, which is the main reason for widening FM 2978 between FM 1488 and Spring Creek.

The project, which has two phases and also includes widening the bridge over Spring Creek to four lanes, has a total cost of about $33.3 million, according to information from TxDOT. 

“With that growth comes more people and more cars on the road, so that congestion in there is why we’re working on expanding the capacity of that road,” Black said. 

TxDOT crews began work on the northern portion of FM 2978 in September after a series of delays. The traffic count on phases I and II of the project—north of Spring Creek—has grown from about 17,000 vehicles per day in 2013 to 24,392 vehicles per day in 2017, Black said.

Both phases of the FM 2978 project as well as the bridge construction began earlier this year, however it was originally set to begin in 2016.

The project also includes the widening of portions of the road south of Spring Creek. When completed, the southern portion of the road—referred to as Husmith-Korhville Road—will have four lanes that reach Spring Cypress Road. 

The overall project is slated for completion in late 2021, following delays due to conflicts in relocating utility lines and Hurricane Harvey recovery, Black said.