Nichols Sawmill Road widening gets underway in Magnolia

Montgomery County Precinct 2 is working on four different road construction projects in the Magnolia area this summer, including widening Nichols Sawmill Road, according to Commissioner Charlie Riley.

A widening of Nichols Sawmill Road started May 25, Riley said. The road will be widened from a two-lane road with no shoulders and no turn lane to two 12-foot lanes, a 3-foot shoulder on each side of the road and a 12-foot continuous left-turn lane down the middle, he said.

Riley said this segment of the project, from Nichols Sawmill Elementary School to Old Hockley Road, is the most expensive part with it being almost 2 miles. The widening will be brought up to Magnolia city limits.

In addition, Riley said the bridge on Nichols Sawmill Road is being widened with an anticipated start date of the end of summer, as the bridge widening will take place after the road widening is complete.

The two widening projects cost $2.8 million with $2 million funded by the commissioner’s budget and $800,000 from the county’s 2015 road bond—Precinct 2’s remaining bond funds.

“We save a little money and run a tight ship so we can do these kinds of things,” Riley said.

Eventually, Nichols Sawmill Road will become a four-lane road all the way through the city of Magnolia to FM 1774, but Riley said the remaining widening project will have to be funded with another road bond.

The goal is to have the widening complete, or at least 90% complete, by the time school starts in August, Riley said. There will be no detours, he said, but drivers may see some delays during construction.

Timeline: May 25-TBD

Cost: $2.8 million

Funding sources: Montgomery County Precinct 2, Montgomery County 2015 road bond