Montgomery County held a public meeting June 14 at the Magnolia Event Center to present information and answer questions about the proposed FM 149 extension project, which would extend FM 149 south of the Lake Creek Bridge to connect to Hwy. 249.
“One of the needs is the proposed congestion,” Senior Project Manager Blair Stocker said during the presentation. “What we’re finding is that congestion in future years will be pretty extensive. Another need is there’s no direct connection going east-west.”
The big picture
According to the project packet, the proposed FM 149 extension project would:
- Replace the Lake Creek relief bridge on FM 149
- Construct a new bridge over the railroad tracks and Jackson Road
- Eliminate an at-grade railroad crossing and intersection with Jackson Road
- Extend FM 149 by constructing a new 3.45-mile divided four-lane roadway connecting to Hwy. 249
Sorting out the details
- The project is estimated to cost $110 million with state and local funding used to pay for it.
- The new road connecting FM 149 to Hwy. 249 is not anticipated to be tolled, Stocker said.
What else?
The right of way for the road is proposed to be 200 feet, which will need to be purchased from all the property owners along the road’s route, Stocker said. Residential and nonresidential structures are not expected to be displaced.
“We will have to negotiate with all the property owners, we being the county basically,” Stocker said. “They will have to negotiate with the property owners on what we are proposing that we need to build the road.”
What’s next
The project is in the public input phase, after which an environmental assessment will be done before the final design begins, according to a timeline in the project packet. After the final design, the right of way acquisition will begin before construction starts.
Construction, which would last around two years, is not anticipated to begin until sometime between 2024-28, Stocker said.
Get involved
Members of the public are invited to provide comments regarding this project by:
- Mailing comments to Montgomery County Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley’s office at 19110 Unity Park Drive, Magnolia
- Emailing comments to [email protected]
- Contacting Project Manager Blair Stocker at 713-527-6367 or [email protected]
All comments must be received or postmarked by July 14.