With the township awarded a voting position on the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s Transportation Policy Council, new quarterly meetings set between the township and the Texas Department of Transportation, and a new Precinct 3 commissioner taking office in January, officials are looking to grow existing relationships and build new ones.
“Our area is experiencing such rapid growth that these relationships are key,” said LeaAnn Petersen, director of communications for The Woodlands Township.
Two-minute impact
On Nov. 20, township board members approved a formal extension of the contract between Houston’s Energy Corridor and The Woodlands Express for four years following a three-year pilot period which began in January 2022.
The Woodlands Express is a public transportation service partially funded by the Federal Transit Administration which takes residents to a number of stops in Houston across four main business hubs in Downtown Houston, Texas Medical Center, Greenway Plaza and the Energy Corridor.
The extension came after the township gained a voting seat on the H-GAC’s Transportation Policy Council in April following years of requests to join the agency for long-term regional planning and funding for transportation projects. The township was not previously included on the TPC due to restrictions against special-purpose districts joining the council.
“Over the past five years, The Woodlands Express Service has seen significant changes in usage and growth, marked by both expansion and the impact of the pandemic,” Petersen said.
Diving in deeper
Township officials said one of the biggest challenges facing the park and ride system is the change to work schedules following the pandemic, where more individuals have hybrid work schedules. Reduced demand led to the first ticket rate increase in the history of The Woodlands Express in February from $13 to $15 per round trip.
“We have worked hand-in-hand to improve our schedule over the past several years to ensure that they meet the needs of our current ridership,” said Ann Snyder, a member of the township’s board of directors. “That’s been very important since the very, very beginning.”
Regardless of the change, use of The Woodlands Express system has resumed the growth pattern originally seen in 2019, and the township projects 20% usage growth to areas such as the Texas Medical Center by the end of 2025.
“We found that a consistent, albeit smaller, number of riders continued using the service primarily for commutes to the Texas Medical Center,” Petersen said. “This highlights the essential nature of the service for a core group of essential workers—those that cannot work from home.”
The board is also looking to expand another service it operates during the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, as well as potential future hubs for new routes for residents to reduce traffic.
“The township is constantly monitoring the region’s changing commuting patterns to understand emerging needs and adjust service accordingly. This includes identifying new employment hubs and assessing potential demand for routes to these locations,” Petersen said. “The successful implementation of the Energy Corridor service broadened the service’s reach.”
The township also operates The Woodlands Trolley, which provides free local transportation around the Town Center and Grogans Mill area. Unlike the Express service, which is still seeing reduced ridership, the trolley service has exceeded performance expectations set even prior to the pandemic, according to data provided by the township.
The township plans to have an additional, fifth trolley up and running to accommodate growth in demand of the service by early 2026.
“The Trolley is performing better than regional ‘fixed route’ ridership levels and outperforming pre-pandemic ridership levels,” Petersen said.
Township officials said they will also be looking to build stronger relationships with TxDOT and Montgomery County, particularly with newly elected Precinct 3 Commissioner Ritch Wheeler, who will take office in January.
“We’re in one big state-funded box when it comes to transportation. So H-GAC needs to step up and help us in some of those areas to alleviate the traffic around The Woodlands so that it’s not cutting through The Woodlands,” Wheeler said.
One of the road projects currently being debated by the township is H-GAC’s proposed widening of Grogans Mill Road from Woodlands Parkway to Research Forest Drive. Conversations regarding the pros and cons of the project are still ongoing as of press time.
“We should be able to now collaborate and collectively address those traffic concerns for work for not only the county, but also the township,” Wheeler said.
In their words
“It has been a priority to have that strong working relationship with all of our regional transportation partners," said Ann Snyder, a member of The Woodlands Township board of directors.
“We will be able to do a lot of very unique and ... exciting things for The Woodlands residents," said Ritch Wheeler, Montgomery County Precinct 3 commissioner-elect.
“The ongoing impact of remote work and evolving commute patterns in The Woodlands will be crucial," said LeaAnn Petersen, director of communications for The Woodlands Township.
“We need to start working with our new commissioner about what we’re going to do and how we’re going to do it," said Brad Bailey, chair of The Woodlands Township board of directors.
Stay tuned
Petersen said township officials are actively looking into future public and private partnerships with employment centers in Houston to grow the service area of The Woodlands Express. So far, the partnerships have yielded funding for a new fleet of coach buses for The Woodlands Express, which will replace the current fleet by 2029.
Township officials said they are also engaged in quarterly meetings with TxDOT and plan to have regular discussions with Wheeler upon officially assuming office.
“The township does not have direct responsibility for our roads—but we have an opportunity to be a strong voice for our residents,” Petersen said. “Our residents continually tell us mobility is an important issue for them. Better collaboration with our regional partners strengthens that voice.”
