H-GAC pursuing Montgomery County Precinct 2 mobility study as population expected to double by 2040

Montgomery County Precinct 2 residents can submit input on transportation issues in Precinct 2 through May 14 as part of a mobility study underway by Precinct 2 and the Houston-Galveston Area Council. When complete, the mobility study will result in a transportation plan that will recommend short-, medium- and long-range transportation projects that will be implemented according to funding, H-GAC officials said. The H-GAC and Precinct 2 hosted a webinar to gather public input for the mobility study April 22.

“Without [Commissioner Charlie Riley], the study would not be taking place. He realized that the development in and around [the] Hwy. 249 toll road will be tremendous and that the precinct would need a mobility plan to develop a transportation network to serve not only the existing residents but future residents,” said Carlene Mullins, project manager for the study with the H-GAC, during an April 22 webinar.

The study process began in September and is anticipated to last 18 months, resulting in a final report with project recommendations in March or April 2022, said Barbara Koslov, senior transportation consultant with Gunda Corp., which is part of the project team for the mobility study.

The study intends to make recommendations for developing a safe, well-connected and efficient multimodal transportation system; promoting orderly growth; providing adequate mobility for people, goods and services; and coordinating public and private investment, Koslov said. This will be done by analyzing the precinct’s existing mobility network, looking at existing and future land use, considering future growth and receiving public input.

Study findings

Precinct 2 spans 278 square miles, including portions of Conroe, Magnolia, Montgomery, Shenandoah and The Woodlands with a 2018 population of 139,053 residents, according to H-GAC information.

Study findings predict the precinct’s population will more than double by 2040, according to information presented during the April 22 webinar. H-GAC information estimates Precinct 2’s population will rise from 139,100 residents in 2018 to 291,100 residents in 2040 and to 342,000 residents by 2045.

H-GAC data also shows 56% of residents in Precinct 2 traveled more than 30 minutes to work in 2018. Koslov said the study seeks to find reasons for this extended travel time.

Traffic congestion is among the issues in Precinct 2 the study has already identified.

“The roads are designed to carry x number of cars over a certain period of time. If there are more cars traveling on that roadway than it was designed for, then it’s operating over capacity,” Koslov said. “In 2045, you’ll notice almost every thoroughfare is [overcapacity], which means we’re going to have congestion and potentially gridlock throughout the whole precinct. So that’s not sustainable. We need to look at what’s causing the congestion.”

Other concerns identified include school traffic, hospital access, and the lack of north-south and east-west connectivity, Koslov said.

Additionally, safety along the roadways is a concern in Precinct 2, she said.