SJRA announces Grogan's Mill Road reopening delayed

The San Jacinto River Authority announced March 18 that the 1-mile stretch of Grogan's Mill Road between Woodlands Parkway and South Millbend Drive will not reopen until late April, rather than the end of March as was initially anticipated.

Ronda Trow, spokeswoman for the SJRA, said recent rains and cold weather have caused delays in repaving the road after all of the water pipeline was installed.

"Due to a combination of unusually cold, wet weather and poorly-draining local soil conditions, the anticipated schedule for restoration of traffic along the southbound lanes of Grogan's Mill [Road], south of Woodlands Parkway to South Millbend [Drive], is now set for the third week of April (barring any further weather delays)," Trow stated in a release.

Initially, the road was to be reopened to traffic on March 30 after more than five months of construction to install a water pipeline under the southbound roadway. During that time, southbound traffic has been diverted to one northbound lane, while all major intersections have remained open.

"In order for the contractor to pour concrete for the main lanes, the soil conditions must be dry enough to meet certain specifications," Trow said. "Frequent rainfalls over the past few months combined with unusually cold weather and poorly-draining soils have combined to prevent the soils under the roadway from drying."

The SJRA is also installing pipeline under the northern segments of Grogan's Mill Road between Woodlands Parkway and Research Forest Drive. Similar to the southern segments, southbound traffic is being diverted to a northbound lane, with intersections remaining open. Construction on that segment is expected to be complete by early May, according to the SJRA.