Montgomery County Commissioners Court unanimously approved a $350 million road bond election for May 9—even with public concerns being raised about the effect a proposed Woodlands Parkway extension would have on traffic in The Woodlands.

If the bond is approved by voters, the $350 million would be divided among every precinct in the county, with Precinct 1 receiving $80 million, Precinct 2 receiving $80 million, Precinct 3 receiving $105 million and Precinct 4 receiving $85 million, said Nelda Blair, co-chairperson of the Montgomery County road bond committee.

The bond amount is not expected to result in a tax increase based on current growth rates and assessed property values, Blair said.

To allay concerns about the Woodlands Parkway extension, however, the committee presented two options to court—the approved $350 million option and a $365 million option. The $365 million proposal would have provided an additional $15 million in funding to Precinct 3 to be used in an expansion of Woodlands Parkway to six lanes between Kuykendahl Road and FM 2978.

However, commissioners court did not approve the additional $15 million on the motion of Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley.

"[The] Woodlands Parkway [extension] is not a surprise to anyone," Riley said. "So we should have been planning, or somebody should have been planning, about east of FM 2978 while I was talking about what I would do west of FM 2978. So I don't think we are going to entertain the $15 million for that expansion."

Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack said spending the allotted $22 million on a Woodlands Parkway extension "seems foolhardy," and said there is substantial resident opposition to the project.

"I just don't think now is the time or the place to spend that money on that project, and if we are I think we should at least consider the effect it can have on the residents of Precinct 3 in the interior of The Woodlands," Noack said. "It would be sad if one project kills the bond that is so desperately needed in this community."

Following the vote, The Woodlands Township director Gordy Bunch said he was hopeful that mitigating the effect of Woodlands Parkway could be a compromise, but that without consideration for the additional funds he believed The Woodlands residents could oppose the bond.

"I am sad to see that they wouldn't even consider that [funding]," Bunch said. "I think the residents of The Woodlands are going to get organized and they are going to oppose based on the facts that there was no consideration of the impact on our community, and the vast majority of the projects are outside of The Woodlands. The last bond election that passed, zero dollars went into The Woodlands."

While Commissioners Court approved and allotted funding to specific mobility projects, Blair said the projects are not set in stone and may change if unexpected needs arise.

Precinct 2 projects funded by the bond total $80 million. A sample of the local projects include a $22 million, 6-mile Woodlands Parkway extension, a $9.7 million Nichols Sawmill Road extension spanning 3.5 miles, a $5 million FM 1774 overpass at FM 1488 and $6.6 million to resurface several roads, including Coe Loop, Decker-Prairie Rosehill, Hardin Store, Nichols Sawmill, Old Hempstead, Honea Egypt, Dobbin Huffsmith and Roberts Cemetery roads.