Although plans are at a stand still now on the expansion of Cane Island Parkway, City of Katy Mayor Don Elder said he hopes to receive the green light from state and federal officials by summer.
The parkway will eventually run north from FM 1463—at the point of the road's eastern curve—to Hwy. 90 and potentially farther north in future years. The City of Katy, Texas Department of Transportation and Fort Bend County will fund different sections of the road.
"It is meant to help trucks going in and out of [West Ten Business Park]," Elder said of the future road's north section.
TxDOT's improvements include the construction of westbound and eastbound entrance and exit ramps to serve at I-10 and an overpass, as well as the conversion of the two-way frontage road.
"The project was supposed to start four years ago, but it has been a convoluted deal," Elder said. "It is a much-needed project."
Initially, the project included only exit and entrance ramps at I-10, said Byron Hebert, finance director for the City of Katy. A recent study, however, recommended a complete overpass. Because I-10 is a federal road, the work requires more than state support.
Once the project receives federal approval, construction will begin on the overpass and road from I-10 to Hwy. 90.
"We are anxious to get started," Hebert said.
Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers, said the county, along with a private developer, plans to pick up construction of the road and extend it south to FM 1463 from I-10 to relieve traffic on the farm-to-market road. He said it is the best solution in a scenario where the lack of an overpass and ramps at FM 1463 and I-10 would be too costly for short-term completion.
"FM 1463 is a real problem from a traffic stand point," Meyers said. "You have about a one-and-a-half mile travel on the frontage road if you want to get on I-10."
The county is in the process of acquiring right of way and negotiating with home owners whose properties fall near the road's projection, and the southern sections are still under design, but they will mirror the north's four-lane boulevard style.
