The city of Sugar Land is moving forward with the final phase of the Hwy. 6 widening that will expand the road to eight lanes between Brooks Street and Lexington Boulevard. The city awarded Brown and Gay Engineers a $130,000 contract in late 2013 to conduct an environmental assessment for the project.

"We should be wrapping up the environmental assessment later this spring or early summer, then we will be submitting it to TxDOT," City Engineer Chris Steubing said. "We are looking to award the final design contract in October as we get into our [next] fiscal year."

The Texas Department of Transportation is expected to complete its review of the environmental assessment in 12-18 months, Steubing said. Once approved, the city expects to complete the final design of Phase 3 by early 2015.

The Hwy. 6 expansion project has been conducted in three phases. Phase 1 of the project—a triple-left turn lane at the Hwy. 59 interchange—was completed in 2010. Phase 2, which widened the highway between Kensington and Town Center boulevards to eight lanes, was completed the following year.

Phase 3, which was approved in 2010, will widen the remaining segments of Hwy. 6 between Brooks Street and Lexington Boulevard. As the expansion continues, the project must align with the Federal Highway Administration's state highway requirements that were set in mid-2013. The FHWA requires an environmental assessment before an expansion of a state-owned road begins.

An on-street bicycle lane is also required by FHWA standards. Since Hwy. 6 is a highly traveled road, however, city officials are working with the Houston-Galveston Area Council to design and construct a hike and bike trail adjacent to Hwy. 6 that will tie in to the city's hike and bike master plan. The trail will satisfy the requirement while providing a safer alternative for pedestrians and cyclists, said Doug Adolph, assistant director of communications with Sugar Land.

The overall cost of the project is estimated at $7.59 million, not including the cost of implementing the adjacent hike and bike trail, according to the H–GAC.