Study's long-term plans address I-45 congestion

The Houston-Galveston Area Council's long-term needs study for south Montgomery County identified major projects that could be implemented over the next six to 25 years, projects designed to move traffic better north and south, and east and west. The proposals amount to $1.23 billion worth of projects.

"For the west side of I-45, [the goal was] connectivity, north and south," said James Noack, Montgomery County Precinct 3 commissioner. "For the east side of I-45, it was about better developing the network itself. There is limited mobility, and getting from Rayford Road to Hwy. 242 is a challenge."

Among the proposals in the long-term study is establishing a connection to the ExxonMobil campus in Spring. According to the study, that could be accomplished by developing an eight-lane extension of Holzwarth Road north from the Grand Parkway, connecting with a bridge over Spring Creek, then to an expanded Sawmill Road.

Proposed improvements on the east side of I-45 include widening Aldine Westfield Road to four lanes and extending it north past Hwy. 242, and widening Tamina Road to four lanes while extending it east past the San Jacinto River.

H-GAC Chief Transportation Planner Thomas Gray said the long-term projects that were proposed would be necessary to implement over time to address the anticipated growth in south Montgomery County.

"These [projects] require more advanced planning," Gray said. "These are things we know we need but cannot contract out immediately."

He said some of the projects have costs associated with them, but funding would likely need to be accumulated for them over time.

A challenge facing improved mobility east of I-45, and in areas such as the Rayford Road corridor, is a lack of previous planning for transportation. Road planners would need to work with local real estate developers to improve mobility access in the area, Noack said.

"When you look at Rayford Road, the planning was poor," Noack said. "The county should have taken a more active role [in planning] back then."

The long-term plan also encourages the Texas Department of Transportation and H-GAC to conduct a major investment study to investigate the need for and feasibility of adding additional capacity to the I-45 corridor.