Texas Department of Transportation officials are seeking public input on three proposed routes for the southern portion of the Hwy. 36A project.
The southern portion of the project is expected to run from FM 1994 south of Needville to I-10 west of Katy with the goal of improving north-south mobility and connectivity, per project documents.
What you need to know
TxDOT officials presented eight alternatives for the southern route in summer 2025, which garnered more than 4,900 participants who submitted over 680 comments with common themes including environmental resources, farmland and historic preservation.
Through the screening process, three reasonable alternatives have been identified to move forward for further study, including:
- Reasonable alternative 4, which was carried forward due to lower environmental impact and fewer potential displacements
- Reasonable alternative 8, which was refined to align with the draft Fort Bend County Thoroughfare plan and is now reasonable alternative 8A
- Reasonable alternative 9, which was developed in response to public comment to evaluate use of existing infrastructure
The details
Reasonable alternatives 4 and 8A would consist of a new highway with four lanes, with two lanes going in each direction separated by a grassy median, project documents show. The alternatives include intermittent frontage roads as well as a 10-foot-wide shared-use path.
Meanwhile, reasonable alternative 9 would include an elevated highway above the existing Hwy. 36 or Spur 10 with two lanes going in each direction.
Funding for the project has not been identified at this time although proposed costs include:
- $3.79 billion for reasonable alternative 4
- $3.71 billion for reasonable alternative 8A
- $4.95 billion for reasonable alternative 9
Get involved
The public is invited to submit comments through Sept. 4 with several submission opportunities, including:
Also of note
TxDOT officials proposed five alternative routes for the northern portion of the project from I-10 west of Katy to Hwy. 290 west of Waller, Community Impact reported.
Stay tuned
A final route for the south portion is expected by summer 2028, followed by the north section in late 2029, per TxDOT’s website. Construction for the southern portion is slated to begin in 2037.
