The San Jacinto River Authority will re-open lanes along Research Forest Drive on Jan. 17 that have been closed since June.

The two eastbound lanes of Research Forest Drive between Shadowbend Place and Grogan's Mill Road will re-open at 8 p.m. Jan. 17. The lanes were closed and traffic diverted to the westbound lanes so that crews could install a new water pipeline. The pipeline is part of the SJRA's Groundwater Reduction Program, which includes distributing water drawn from Lake Conroe to south Montgomery County communities, including The Woodlands.

The 1.5-mile stretch that is re-opening was originally scheduled to be completed in August, h owever, the completion deadline was moved up to Jan. 1 with crews working around the clock to finish the project in half the time, according to the SJRA.

Ronda Trow, public relations director for the SJRA, said crews were delayed about two weeks because of inclement weather.

Now that the major portion of Research Forest Drive is complete, work crews will turn their attention to the northern section of Grogan's Mill Road. Crews are already installing pipeline along Grogan's Mill Road between Woodlands Parkway and South Millbend Drive.

On Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 20 and 21, there will be temporary, rolling lane closures on Grogan's Mill Road from Research Forest Drive to Woodlands Parkway for striping and installation of traffic controls.

Then on Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 9 p.m. southbound traffic will be diverted to the northbound lanes as crews begin to remove pavement for the installation of more pipeline, according to the SJRA.

The SJRA's $500 million Groundwater Reduction Program is in response to the Lonestar Conservation District's mandate that communities must reduce their reliance on groundwater by 30 percent by Jan. 1, 2016.

For further information on the project and on lane closures, visit The Woodlands Township website at www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov and click on "Road/Lane Closures."