TRANSPORTATION UPDATES
COMPILED BY EMILY DAVIS AND HANNAH ZEDAKER
RECENT UPDATES
THE WOODLANDS
KNOLL OAKS LANE
BIRNHAM WOODS DR.
R O B I N S O N R D .
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5
45
1
3
ALDINE WESTFIELD RD.
4
SAWDUST RD.
LAZY LN.
FULLER BLUFF DR.
HOW ITWORKS Drivers must move over or slow down to pass emergency vehicles The Texas Department of Public Safety continues to enforce the Move Over/ Slow Down law. The law passed in 2003 requires driv- ers to either move over a lane or slow down for vehicles that are stopped on the side of the road with activated emergency lights. Those vehicles include police, fire, emergency medical services, DPS troopers and tow trucks, according to the law. If the road has multiple lanes traveling in the same direction, the law states drivers must vacate the lane closest to stopped vehicles. If drivers do not have an opportunity to change lanes, they must slow down to 20 mph below the speed limit when passing the stopped vehicles, according to the law. Last year, more than 41,000 warnings and citations were issued to those found violating the law, according to DPS. Enforcement is needed “in light of the numerous vehicle crashes that occur in Texas and across the nation on a daily basis and the unfortunate fact that many still violate the state law that has been in effect for 15 years,” DPS Director Steven McCraw said in a news release last year. Violations can result in a fine of up to $200, or $500 with property damage. If violation results in an injury, drivers could face jail time and a maximum fine of $2,000, according to the law. “We encourage motorists to show the same courtesy to fellow drivers stopped along the roadways,” McCraw said.
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GOT ANXIETY?
SPRING
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concrete pouring between Fuller Bluff and Lake Bend Shore Drive as of mid-January, and utility relocations were scheduled for late January. Timeline: September 2018-September 2019 Cost: $2.5 million Funding source: Montgomery County Precinct 3 4 I-45 bridge improvements at Rayford and Sawdust roads The Texas Department of Transportation will fully replace the I-45 bridge deck where it crosses Rayford and Sawdust roads, replace the support materials under the bridge on the northbound side and patch the support column where I-45 crosses Spring Creek. TxDOT Public Infor- mation Officer Emily Black said replace- ment of the northbound and southbound bridge decks were completed in January, but the crew still needs to replace the southbound support materials and repair the column at Spring Creek to wrap up the project. Timeline: Jan. 2, 2019-March 2, 2019 Cost: $405,277 Funding source: TxDOT 5 Elan Boulevard widening The project will widen Elan Boulevard from two to four lanes from Aldine West- field Road to Birnham Woods Drive and will also widen Aldine Westfield from two to four lanes from Elan to Knoll Oaks Lane. The project will also add a traffic signal to the intersection of Elan and Aldine Westfield. As of mid-January, crews are preparing to install the new traffic signal, Precinct 3 officials said. Timeline: August 2018-May 2019 Cost: $2 million Funding source: Montgomery County Precinct 3
1 Woodlands Parkway widening Woodlands Parkway will be widened from six to eight lanes fromwest of I-45 to a half- mile west of the Grogan’s Mill Road over- pass. The project will add one lane in each direction with right-turn and acceleration lanes at major intersections. The eastbound lanes of Woodlands Parkway opened to motorists inmid-December, and crews were working on the westbound lanes in January, according to Precinct 3 officials. Timeline: February 2018-April 2019 Cost: $6.7million Funding source: Montgomery County Precinct 3 2 Rayford Road expansion This project will widen Rayford Road from four to six lanes between Lazy Lane and the Grand Parkway, construct a six-lane bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks, install new traffic signals and add a raised median. Crews were working to install the storm drainage system as of mid-January. When drainage system con- struction is complete, road widening work will proceed, according to Precinct 3 officials. Eastbound and west- bound temporary lane closures will occur from Richards Road to the Grand Parkway weekdays from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. throughout the duration of the project. Timeline: April 2017-summer 2019 Cost: $50.6 million Funding source: Montgomery County Precinct 3 3 BirnhamWoods Drive widening BirnhamWoods Drive will be widened from two to four lanes from north of Fuller Bluff Drive to north of Elan Boulevard. Traffic signals will be added to the inter- sections of BirnhamWoods and Legends Run Drive as well as BirnhamWoods and Elan, according to Precinct 3 officials. Crews were nearing completion on the
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All information on this page was updated as of 01/22/19. News or questions about these or other local transportation projects? Email us at wdlnews@communityimpact.com.
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The Woodlands edition • February 2019
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