The city of Conroe discussed the idea of pushing back the David Memorial Drive extension project during a special meeting June 6 regarding projects for the fiscal year 2023-24 capital improvement program.
What happened
According to previous Community Impact coverage, the David Memorial Drive extension is a roughly mile-long project that will extend north to Hwy. 242, crossing Shenandoah, Conroe and Montgomery County. The $9.1 million project is split among the three entities.
- Montgomery County is contributing $5 million.
- Conroe is contributing $2.1 million.
- Shenandoah is contributing $2 million.
Due to the high cost of building the Hyatt Regency Conroe and Convention Center that opened in May, the city of Conroe discussed pushing several infrastructure projects to later years or into a possible bond election to accommodate for the unplanned $5.1 million loss in funds.
When the item for the David Memorial Drive extension project was introduced during the budget presentation, Council Member Marsha Porter suggested moving the project out to FY 2024-25.
Quote of note: “I think it would be a pretty easy move,” Porter said during the meeting. “I don't think anything is going to happen in 2023-24. Things are so tight. I am just looking for an area where a decision has not been made and we could push to 2024-25.”
What's next
Montgomery County signed the three-part interlocal agreement in November with Shenandoah following with a signature in April. However, Conroe's City Engineer Chris Bogert said Conroe has not signed the interlocal agreement with Shenandoah or Montgomery County despite the city of Shenandoah expecting to start construction in August after awarding the construction bid in late June or July. The city also hasn't accepted the land from Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital located off of Hwy. 242 in Shenandoah, Bogert said.
