Segment 1B of the Hwy. 249 extension project opened to the public March 26, allowing tollway access from FM 1488 in Magnolia to FM 1774 north of Todd Mission, according to a social media post by the TX SH 249 project team.

We are excited to announce that as of Mar. 26,2021, Section 1B is now open to the public! It extends from FM1488 in Magnolia to FM1774 in Plantersville near Todd Mission. It's a controlled-access tollway with intermittent frontage roads. Tolling will begin immediately on opening.

— TXSH249 (@txsh249) March 26, 2021

Montgomery County Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley also announced the segment opening in a March 26 Facebook post.

The Texas Department of Transportation and Harris and Montgomery county toll road authorities have been working to extend the highway since 2017, as previously reported by Community Impact Newspaper.

The opening marks the completion of the extension project’s first section. Segment 1A, extending 6.4 miles from FM 1774 in Pinehurst to FM 1488 in Magnolia, opened Aug. 8, Community Impact Newspaper previously reported.

According to the project’s website, Segment 2 of the extension will include the construction of a two-lane, non-tolled highway extending 11 miles from FM 1774 in Todd Mission through Grimes County to Hwy. 105 in Navasota. The segment is scheduled for completion in late 2023.

Kara McIntyre and Anna Lotz contributed to this report.