As the Westwood Magnolia Parkway Improvement District is putting final touches on the long-awaited expansion of Honea Egypt Road, it now turns its attention to widening nearby Egypt Lane.
Talk of expanding Honea Egypt Road began as early as 2013, but delays due to waterline construction along the road by the San Jacinto River Authority pushed the timeline back. The roadway was expanded from two to five lanes, including a middle turn lane, from north of FM 1488 to where it meets Sendera Ranch Road—about a 1-mile stretch. “There was a bottleneck from FM 1488 up to the Fish Creek Thoroughfare that was really bad in the evening hours after people got off from work,” WMPID board member Carl Gerhardt said. “The road widening has cleared the traffic congestion in that area.”
The final project task is to install a temporary signal light where Honea Egypt Road branches into Sendera Ranch Road, which is near the Woodland Oaks community. The WMPID has requested LJA Engineering Inc. to conduct an analysis to see if a permanent signal is needed at the intersection. Overall, road construction and signal work for the project cost $2.6 million.
Future projects
Just to the east of the newly expanded road, the design process for Egypt Lane is almost complete. The district is examining last-minute details and possible adjustments based on a water drainage report and is awaiting approval from Montgomery County, Gerhardt said. The next step is to acquire the right of way.
“Once [right-of-way is] acquired, construction is estimated to take about nine months, including utility relocations that need to happen before roadway changes can take place,” Gerhardt said.
