Tomball city officials anticipate the next segment of the Medical Complex Drive extension will go out for a construction bid this year, marking the next milestone for the city’s proposed major thoroughfare.

Assistant City Manager David Esquivel said Segment 4B of the project will extend the roadway from the intersection of Agg Road and South Persimmon Street to Hufsmith-Kohrville Road. Long-range plans propose Harris County crews continuing the road east to FM 2920, he said.

When all segments are complete, Medical Complex Drive will be extended through the city south of Main Street, Esquivel said.

“Holderrieth [Road] has a lot of traffic on it, so this will definitely be another outlet for that to get to [FM] 2920,” he said.

Esquivel said engineering plans for Segment 4B are 95 percent complete with right of way about 50 percent acquired for the roadway and accompanying drainage infrastructure.

“Land acquisition needs to finish, and then we go to bid for construction,” Esquivel said.

Drainage infrastructure installed as part of the project is anticipated to help convey stormwater from the older part of the city and reduce flooding, he said.

Segment 4B will connect to Hufsmith-Kohrville Road, which Harris County is working to widen to four lanes in phases from Hollow Glen Lane to FM 2920.

“With having great access with Medical Complex [Drive], I think this whole area is going to be really prone for development,” said Kelly Violette, Tomball Economic Development Corp. executive director. “I think it’s just a closing in of the infrastructure that’s needed to serve these areas.”

Segment 4B is estimated to total about $20 million, funded by city bonds issued in 2016, Esquivel said. The TEDC committed $4 million for the Medical Complex project, Violette said.

Segment 4B will take about two years to construct, Esquivel said.

In addition to improving traffic flow and diverting commercial truck traffic from Main Street, Violette said she anticipates Segment 4B will stimulate development similar to Segment 3 of the project.

The city completed Segment 3 of the Medical Complex Drive extension project in May 2016 between Lawrence and South Cherry streets, Community Impact Newspaper previously reported.

“We’re starting just the medical area in general to see some growth with [Segment 3 because of] having better access in and around,” she said. “I think Medical Complex [Drive] is going to be huge for opening this [area] up for development.”

In addition to a county extension eastward to FM 2920, future plans propose the city improving Agg Road, which Medical Complex Drive connects to, Esquivel said. Previously, plans also included an extension west of Hwy. 249 to FM 2920, but the city is no longer pursuing it due to the complexity of crossing Hwy. 249, he said.