The bulk of the construction to extend Woodtrace Boulevard to FM 2978 will begin in 18-24 months, or around 2025, Montgomery County Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley said in a Nov. 9 interview.
“And I hope it’s a whole lot sooner than that, but I’m afraid it’s going to be at least 18 months before we see construction,” Riley said.
Riley said the portion of the project that has already been worked on is at the intersection of Woodtrace Boulevard and Dobbin-Huffsmith Road. From Dobbin-Huffsmith Road to FM 2978, the base material for the road is in.
“It’s not a so-called road right now,” Riley said about the portion of the project from Dobbin-Huffsmith Road to FM 2978. “It’s a road that you can use as a construction road.”
In a nutshell
The Woodtrace Boulevard extension project will construct a four-lane road extending Woodtrace Boulevard to FM 2978, Community Impact previously reported. The project is broken down into three sections:
- From FM 2978 to Dobbin-Huffsmith Road
- From Dobbin-Hufsmith Road through the Shea Homes development
- From the Shea Homes development to Hwy. 249
Riley said this project will improve east to west traffic tremendously.
“It’s going to take most of the traffic off of Hardin Store Road,” Riley said.
By the numbers
Riley said the entire project will cost around $100 million and Precinct 2 is working out a partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation in which Precinct 2 funds things such as the design and engineering while TxDOT funds the construction.
“[TxDOT] wants that connection as bad as us,” Riley said. “So they’re willing to help us with the construction of it if we can do all the rest of the design and engineering.”
The Westwood Magnolia Parkway Improvement District is also donating around $8 million to help fund the first phase of the project, according to prior Community Impact reporting.
What else?
Riley said the hardest part of the project will be the portion from Hwy. 249 to Dobbin-Huffsmith Road.
“There’s two railroad crossings that we have to build overpasses over, and that’s going to take a [lot of] time ... just trying to get the permits, get the design and engineering done for these overpasses,” Riley said.
View a map of the Woodtrace Boulevard extension below. This map is an estimated route and may not reflect the final path of the road.
