Measure aims to alleviate increased traffic

Rapid population growth and the need for improved mobility in Fort Bend County prompted Commissioners Court to call for a Nov. 5 mobility bond election.

The proposed $184.9 million bond—which would be the third since 2000—is not expected to increase the county's property tax rate, and it will fund the widening of major thoroughfares such as Hwy. 6 and Hwy. 90.

"I would imagine if the county wants to avoid gridlock in the county road system that we will be voting [on] bonds every six to eight years, as long as the growth keeps up," County Judge Bob Hebert said.

More than 625,000 people live in Fort Bend County, which is up more than 75 percent from 354,452 residents in 2000, according to U.S. Census data. The population is expected to rise to 1 million by 2020, which has county officials laying the groundwork for future growth.

"Most of the roads in Fort Bend County are put in by developers, but they can only put roads in on the land they own," Hebert said. "We end up with roads between developments that don't connect, so we have to solve that problem. Secondly, as these developments come in they go alongside existing county roads which may be incapable of handling the increased traffic volume from new houses being built."

Local projects

The $184.9 million bond is split up between the county's four precincts. If the bond passes, Precinct 1 will receive $53.4 million; Precinct 2, $47.5 million; Precinct 3, $58 million; and Precinct 4, $26 million.

Since Precinct 4 is almost built-out, it does not have as many projects on the mobility bond compared to other areas of the county, Precinct 4 Commissioner James Patterson said. Because of partnerships with nearby cities and the state, if the bond passes the county will be able to use about $390 million for projects because of joint projects in Precinct 4.

"We are putting in anywhere from 10 to 20 percent, so if we put in $1 million, we're getting $5 million of TxDOT money or $10 million in TxDOT money," Patterson said. "The projects in Precinct 4 generate a large multiplier. Of the 14 projects in Precinct 4, 10 are joint projects with a city or the state."

The proposed Hwy. 90 widening, which is a joint project between the county and the Texas Department of Transportation, will cost nearly $9 million and has three parts: from Hwy. 6 to Ellis Creek, from Ellis Creek to the Grand Parkway and from the Grand Parkway to Harlem Road.

"If you're westbound on Hwy. 90 and you pass Hwy. 6, the road makes a hard jog to the north and you're at a two-lane bridge, so you've gone from five lanes on one side of Hwy. 6 to two lanes on the other," Patterson said. "You've got a real crook there, so we're getting that out and putting a westbound lane on the bridge to make for straighter travel."

If the bond passes, $1.4 million will be used to fund an expansion of Hwy. 6 from six to eight lanes from Brooks Street to Lexington Boulevard. The project would build on work the city completed at Hwy. 59 and Hwy. 6 to improve capacity and flow at the intersection, said Doug Adolph, assistant communications director with Sugar Land.

"Dozens of people use that stretch of road every day to access a great deal of retail and to get back and forth from work," he said. "It's an important roadway, and I think people will see immediate benefits from this project."

The mobility bond also calls for widening of Burney Road from Stadium Drive to Hwy. 90; Hwy. 6 at Airport; Williams Trace Boulevard from Hwy. 59 to

Lexington Avenue; Staffordshire Road; University Boulevard from Lexington Avenue to Telfair; and two portions of Independence Road.

"With all the growth that's taken place, especially on the south end of the city where a number of these projects will be done, growth has been such that any improvements we do will help mobility," Missouri City Mayor Allen Owen said.

Financial details

Like the two bonds before it, the 2013 bond will not require a tax rate increase because the county is experiencing growth in net assessed value, which should cover the cost of the proposed projects, Hebert said. Additionally, the county has a 15 percent reserve from which it can borrow money by creating a reimbursement agreement with itself.

It takes at least two years for the county to prep road projects once approved by the voters, so the reserve fund will help expedite the process, Hebert said. The reserve money will pay for the engineering, right of way, utility work and drainage design for the first projects that will be put to bid.

"We can get the work done in advance, and we'll be paid back with interest," Hebert said. "The key is, we can't advance any money from the reserve to a project that hasn't been approved by the voters."

The bond is structured so that the county will pay 50 percent of the construction costs of the joint projects with cities, including Missouri City.

"The county is stepping up to the plate and offering to pay 50 percent of the costs," Owen said. "That's a significant contribution, and I don't know that these projects would get done without the partnership."

If the bond does not pass, in some cases the county will have to re-evaluate its ability to complete certain projects or consider constructing a two-lane road versus a four-lane road, Patterson said.

If the bond does not pass, Hebert said although nothing might change in the immediate future, it will affect the county long term.

"If it doesn't pass, in my opinion, nothing changes tomorrow, but in eight to 10 years the economic impact of not having a proactive mobility program will hit this county very hard," he said.