Editor's note: After press time, the number of proposed projects decreased from 64 to 63. The story has been updated to reflect this change. 

The proposed $218 million Fort Bend County mobility bond slated for November includes 63 projects affecting several major roads, along with drainage improvements that will aid traffic congestion for commuters and residents of the rapidly developing county.   

County commissioners were scheduled to officially call for the proposed November bond election during a special meeting Aug. 9, after press time.

County Judge Robert Hebert said he has seen projections the county will reach 1.2 million people by 2040, with the population at 750,000 residents today. Hebert said frequent bond elections are necessary to keep road construction going and to lower the cost of construction by managing money better.

“All of our roads are—one way or another—a part of the overall county drainage system,” Hebert said. “So the sooner we can start work, the sooner we can get those roads finished at the end. That’s why we are asking the citizens for the authorization in November.”

Of the two Richmond projects included in Fort Bend County’s proposed mobility bond election slated for November, the Clay Street project is a big piece of the puzzle when it comes to the city’s overall drainage master plan, said Howard Christian, Richmond’s public works director.

“[The project] will impact everything that drains through that drainage basin,” Christian said.

The Clay Street project calls for a two-lane concrete curb and gutter roadway with a storm sewer that would run from Collins Road to Second Street. Christian said this area has low-income housing and is prone to flooding.

The proposed cost for the Clay Street project is $6.6 million, while the bond amount is set at $2.5 million. Christian said this disparity in funding will pose a huge challenge, particularly in how the city will approach the project. Christian said he expects the Clay Street project will have to be done in phases.

“The reason why it was so expensive is the drainage,” Christian said. “[But it’s also] a combination, it’s also street rehab because you’re going to be tearing up part of the street putting in these big storm basins.”

If residents approve the proposed November bond referendum, Christian said the Clay Street project could take up to 18 months to complete.

The second Richmond project would transition the 3–lane concrete roadway on Ransom Road into 4 lanes and would run from Sugar Land city limits to the Grand Parkway. Precinct 1 Commissioner Vincent Morales said he considered pulling the project from the list after Sugar Land and the city of Richmond pulled funding support but decided to keep it in design-only.

Hebert said he is adamant the mobility bond must not require a tax increase.

“It cannot impact our tax rate at all,” Hebert said. “If it does, we are not going to put it before the people.”