Traffic lanes along Grogan's Mill Road that have been closed, some since October, are set to re-open May 16 beginning at 9 a.m. as the San Jacinto River Authority completes installation of water lines.





According to the SJRA, most lanes along Grogan's Mill Road between Research Forest Drive and South Millbend Drive will begin re-opening at about 9 a.m. May 16. Re-routing traffic will take a few hours, officials said, and law enforcement officials will be on site to help with the diversions.





A section of Grogan's Mill Road between Woodlands Parkway and North Millbend will remain closed with traffic being diverted to one northbound lane as crews finish construction there, SJRA officials said.





The SJRA is installing pipeline throughout The Woodlands and south Montgomery County to bring water from Lake Conroe to area residents. The project is in response to the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District's mandate that communities in the area reduce their reliance on groundwater by 30 percent by 2015.





The SJRA said that after southbound traffic is restored, there will still be additional construction to complete such as paving of some short sections, final installation of valves, completion of tunneling under The Waterway, and disinfection and testing of water lines.





Those projects will require intermittent, rolling lane closures and partial intersection closures occasionally.





Mark Smith, Groundwater Reduction Plan manager, said the SJRA worked to complete the majority of the construction along Grogan's Mill Road before the IronMan Triathlon, which is scheduled for Saturday, May 18.