In an effort to curb congestion across the state and prepare for growth, the Texas Clear Lanes initiative aims to relieve traffic flow problems in high-traffic areas, including Richmond.

“We know that the state of Texas has a population of approximately 27.7 million people, but we also know that the state demographer has told us that we are looking to grow the state of Texas in the next 35 years, and by 2050, it’s projected that we are going to have 54 million Texans in the state of Texas,” said J. Bruce Bugg Jr., a commissioner for the Texas Department of Transportation, during a press conference held March 8.

TxDOT commissioners approved $2.5 billion in funding for projects in five of the state’s largest cities March 28 as a part of an update to the 2017 Unified Transportation Program.

Of that funding, $998 million is expected to go toward projects in the Greater Houston area, including improvements to the I-45/I-69 interchange where many Richmond commuters find themselves bogged down in traffic.

Fort Bend County could also bring a mobility bond to voters in November to help alleviate congestion. County Judge Robert Hebert said Fort Bend County commissioners have until August to make a list of project priorities they would like to see in the bond.

He said the county commissioners have already worked up a list of projects they would like to see happen, and now the task is to narrow the list down to the price of $200 million to $220 million so that it would not affect the county’s tax rate. The Commissioners Court will have a workshop in June to discuss the issue.

“If it comes together by Aug. 1, I can assure you we’ll put something before the people,” Hebert said.

I-69

Under the Clear Lanes initiative already underway and previously funded, the reconstruction of the Loop 610/I-69 interchange is estimated to start this summer. The project is estimated to be complete in spring 2022.

With the latest UTP updates and an estimated let date—the date a project is available for bidding—of 2020, TxDOT is working to get projects going, including a widening of I-69 South to 12 mainlanes from I-45 South to Hwy. 288 and reconstructing the I-69/Hwy. 288 interchange.

There are plans to reconstruct I-69 South to 10 mainlanes from Hwy. 288 to Spur 527 and construct three I-69 gateway bridges at McGowen, Tuam and Elgin streets.

In 2021, TxDOT plans to send a project out for bid for the reconstruction of the interchange, including the I-45 and I-69 mainlanes at I-69 South.

Perez said the 2020 and 2021 letting projects are a part of the North Houston Highway Improvement Project.

“Our traffic analysis shows that the NHHIP improvements as a whole (when all the downtown sections are completed) will increase average speeds for the downtown network by over 20 miles per hour during peak hours,” Perez said. “The analysis was based on year 2040 traffic.”

Fort Bend Mobility

Hebert said as Fort Bend County grows, mobility is a top priority next to public safety, which overlaps it as well.

“As the growth continues, we’ve added almost 400,000 people since I took office in 2003, so mobility is a big issue,” Hebert said.

He said the county spends about $50 million on roads each year and is starting construction on some of its 2013 mobility bond projects after a couple of years of initial steps, including right of way acquisition and design.

“Fort Bend County is a high-growth county, the 10th largest county in Texas, and we have 25,000 to 35,000 new residents every year,” Hebert said. “That’s a city the size of Rosenberg moving into the county every year, so in five to six years, we’ll blow through [a] 1 million population.”

Although not from the 2013 bond, some of the county’s biggest projects are an expansion of FM 1093 west of the Grand Parkway through Fulshear and the beginning of a second phase of expanding FM 1463 to help traffic flow more easily to I-10.

“They’ll probably let later this year and could be finished by the end of next year, maybe a little bit later,” Hebert said. “We’re looking at 2019 as the startup date for the completed project. The road’s long overdue.”

Fort Bend County Assistant Engineer J. Stacy Slawinski said the county has about 45 mobility projects being managed by the engineering department at this time.

“All of our projects are designed to improve traffic flow,” Slawinski said. “All the projects that we’re working on right now we’ll be adding lanes or wider lanes with shoulders, so they’re all designed to improve mobility. There’s not one in particular that’s better than the other.”

Hebert said the county wants to put out a mobility bond to voters in 2017 because it takes several years to go through the process of getting the project started.

“I think we’re staying close to the growth,” Hebert said. “We’ll never be ahead of the growth because I’m not going to ask the voters, nor are the voters going to approve, in my opinion, speculative road building in advance of growth unless there’s an exceptional need.”

Fort Bend County Precinct 1 Commissioner Vincent Morales and his staff have reviewed the precinct to determine mobility project needs.

“My staff and I have evaluated highest areas of need in both incorporated and unincorporated parts of Precinct 1,” Morales said. “Obviously as the commissioner with the most undeveloped land mass—transportation and mobility are key as economic development rapidly continues.”

Morales said he and his team have narrowed down an as-yet unavailable list of projects to be considered.

“We started with a list of approximately 26 projects,” Morales said, “and together with our consultant and the county engineering department, we have made some tough choices to get that list to 16.”

Additional reporting by Amy Denney