However, business owners have said they’ve experienced power and other utility outages as a result of the work being done.
Officials with WMPID, which launched and oversees the project, said via news release that the organization “understands and shares the frustration regarding recent water and other utility service disruptions along the corridor,” in the news release. WMPID Executive Director Rob Eissler said the improvement district is working to communicate with businesses to get issues resolved.
Some context
The $7 million-$10 million construction project began in 2023 to improve mobility, safety and aesthetics on Tamina Road, a connector between FM 1488 and FM 2978, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
“The road was getting old. The county has done a good job all along keeping it up, but it needed to be rehabbed,” Eissler said in an interview with Community Impact.
Improvements to Tamina Road will include:
- Adding pedestrian walkways to provide easier and safer access to businesses along Tamina Road
- Upgraded landscaping
- Adding left-turn lanes
- Adding bike lanes
Who it affects
While Eissler said the project will eventually benefit businesses along the road, he knows that some have been negatively affected by either a driveway that has to be reconstructed or disruptions to water, sewer, gas or communications utilities.
“We really feel for the people whose businesses get affected,” Eissler said.
Courtney Nguyen, the owner of The Flour Petal Bakery, opened up her brick-and-mortar shop along Tamina Road in March, offering custom cakes and cake decorating classes. The owner said when her business’s driveway was blocked off in June, sales dropped 40%.
“We've also been dealing with daily issues like our water going out, our electricity going out and our internet going out. Every day is a new challenge on top of already fighting as a small-business owner in a declining economy,” Nguyen said.
Eissler said the disruption to pipes is partly caused by the lack of a map to where all of the underground pipes are located due to the age of when they were placed.
“Of course, it's temporary, but it sure is bothersome,” Eissler said. “We're going as quickly and as efficiently as we can. We try to minimize [the disruptions] and then repair them as soon as possible, and we sure don't want our businesses to suffer through this process.”
What are the options?
In its September news release showing project updates, WMPID said it does not own or operate water, sewer, gas, or communications utilities on Tamina Road. They are owned and operated by the respective utility providers, such as Aqua Texas.
The release states that when a line is damaged, the contractor has been instructed to immediately notify the utility provider. If the provider cannot respond quickly, the contractor may make a temporary repair to restore service and prevent site flooding.
WMPID officials said the organization will continue to coordinate with the utility owners to reduce disruptions and keep the road project moving. Eissler said while contractors should be aware of disruptions, businesses can reach out to WMPID with concerns.
A list of utility providers can be found here. Updates on the project can be found at www.westwoodmpid.org.
Going forward
The road construction phase is expected to be substantially completed by the end of the year, Eissler said.
Once that phase is completed, the median landscape phase will begin, which doesn’t yet have a confirmed timeline. However, Eissler said he doesn’t expect that project to have long-term disruptions.
“I think the only people who will be affected are people turning in the turn lane that might have to go around a truck or something,” Eissler said.
