Transportation updates

Transportation updates Pearland Parkway extension[/caption]

1. Pearland Parkway extension
The newest extension of Pearland Parkway will soon be open to traffic. The segment—which stretches from 4,500 feet east of Oiler Drive to Dixie Farm Road—is expected to open in early August after inclement weather delayed the project by about four months. The extension, part of a larger plan to eventually connect the thoroughfare to League City Parkway, will be four lanes of concrete curb-and-gutter roadway with raised medians. A bridge crossing at Cowart’s Creek was also constructed as part of the project. Traffic signals at Oiler Drive and Dixie Farm Road are awaiting power and testing, and are about 90 percent complete.
Timeline: March 2014-August 2015
Cost: $9.5 million
Funding sources: city of Pearland, Texas Department of Transportation


2. El Dorado Boulevard reconstruction
TxDOT closed the El Dorado Boulevard overpass at I-45 South on July 10 as part of its interstate widening project. The overpass will be demolished and depressed. Upon completion of the project, motorists on I-45 will travel over the El Dorado intersection as opposed to under it. Traffic on El Dorado Boulevard will be detoured onto I-45 frontage roads until late November, officials said. The ultimate project—designed to improve mobility and safety—will widen I-45 South to 10 main lanes and six frontage roads from FM 2351 to Medical Center Boulevard.
Timeline: December 2012-second quarter 2017
Cost: $93 million
Funding sources: TxDOT


3. CR 48 widening
Construction on the TxDOT project widening CR 48 in Pearland began in early July. Nearly 2 miles of the thoroughfare will be expanded from two lanes to four lanes from FM 518 to CR 894. The roadway will include 10-foot shoulders upon completion. Webber LLC was awarded the construction bid for the project.
Timeline: July 2015-late 2016
Cost: $12.2 million
Funding sources: TxDOT




Transportation updates Friendswood Link Road widening[/caption]

4. Friendswood Link Road widening
The city of Friendswood continues construction on the Friendswood Link Road widening project is ongoing. The project—which received a Texas General Land Office disaster recovery grant—will expand the roadway from FM 518 to Blackhawk Boulevard. FM 518 to Hibiscus Lane, the portion of the project in Galveston County, will widen from two to three lanes with a dedicated turn lane, new sidewalks and improved drainage. The Harris County segment, which runs from Hibiscus Lane to Blackhawk Boulevard, will widen from two to four lanes with medians, new sidewalks and improved drainage. The project is about 54 percent complete.
Timeline: fall 2014-winter 2015
Cost: $5.3 million
Funding sources: city of Friendswood, Texas General Land Office grant


5. Friendswood roadway improvements
The city of Friendswood is in the process of its first round of various street improvements approved as part of a 2013 bond election. Four thoroughfares—Mary Ann Drive, Shadowbend Avenue, Townes and Winding roads—will have segments replaced. The surveying and geotechnical services for the project are complete, and the design plans are about 95 percent complete. The project should be ready for bid in September or October.
5a. Mary Ann Drive will have 16,001 feet of its roadway replaced.
5b. Shadowbend Avenue will have 1,224 feet of its roadway replaced.
5c. Townes Road will have 786 feet of its roadway replaced.
5d. Winding Road will have 2,133 feet of its roadway replaced.
Timeline: late 2015-spring 2017
Cost: $1.9 million
Funding sources: city of Pearland, TxDOT


6. Beltway 8 frontage roads
A TxDOT project to add frontage roads to Beltway 8 at Mykawa Road is underway. About one mile of new frontage roads will be installed. Construction on the project began in March and will extend Beltway 8 with grade separations and two, three-lane frontage roads.
Timeline: March 2015-summer 2016
Cost: $10.3 million
Funding sources: federal funds, TxDOT



7. Bailey Road widening
The city of Pearland’s widening of Bailey Road is in the bidding stage. The project requires concurrence with TxDOT before selecting a contractor, and city officials expect to award a construction contract in August. The expansion—which is designed to relieve east-west traffic congestion in Pearland—received funding as part of Houston-Galveston Area Council’s Transportation Improvement Program. Bailey Road—a two-lane asphalt roadway with ditches—will widen to a four-lane concrete curb and gutter thoroughfare from FM 1128 to Veterans Drive. The project also includes raised medians, left-turn bays, traffic signals and improved underground drainage. A 10-foot-wide path will be installed on the north side of the road for pedestrians and cyclists.
Timeline: September 2015-September 2017
Cost: $26.6 million
Funding sources: H-GAC, city of Pearland