From the cover
CONTRIBUTIONS BY LIZZY SPANGLER BY ATIRIKTA KUMAR
Roadway plans adapt to regional growth
The big picture
Conroe
45
149
249
3
MOSTYN DR.
As several TxDOT projects move toward completion to improve mobility and safety on FM 1488 and Hwy. 242, another set of projects is beginning to take shape through Montgomery County bond funds. TxDOT began work on a project to build raised medians along FM 1488 in 2023. The goal was to improve safety by reducing access points along about 9 miles of the state road. It was 87% complete in late November, said Leo Flores, public information o cer for TxDOT Houston District’s West Harris/Montgomery area. Crashes related to left-turn movements along the FM 1488 corridor were identi ed as an issue in a 2019 study, Flores told Community Impact . “The raised medians included in this project are designed to address those safety concerns and help reduce these types of accidents,” he said. Another TxDOT project underway that uses existing right of way on Hwy. 242 to widen lanes, add turn lanes and reduce congestion is slated to be completed early in the year. Additionally, two projects to widen FM 1488 west of and through Magnolia are progressing, per TxDOT information. As these projects continue or wrap up, several other projects further west will begin under Montgomery County Precinct 2’s jurisdiction. Those projects will use some of the $480 million May road bond to improve mobility on roads feeding onto FM 1488 and FM 2978.
1
1774
2
1488
5
WOODTRACE BLVD.
4
242
2978
Magnolia
KUYKENDAHL RD. RESEARCH FOREST DR.
6
DOBBIN HUFFSMITH RD.
JOSEPH RD.
N
4 FM 1488 west of Magnolia FM 1488 is being widened from two to four lanes. • Cost: $35.35 million • Timeline: Completion was set for late 2025.
TxDOT projects
1 FM 1488 The project adds raised medians from Mostyn Drive to The Woodlands area between FM 2978 and I-45. • Cost: $10.96 million • Timeline: Completion is set for the second quarter of 2026. 2 Hwy. 242 The project uses existing right of way to widen and add turn lanes between FM 1488 and I-45. • Cost: $29.11 million • Timeline: Completion is set for January. 3 FM 1488 widening through Magnolia Between FM 1774 and west of FM 149, FM 1488 is going from two to four lanes. • Cost: $48.29 million • Timeline: Completion is set for late 2027.
Montgomery County Precinct 2 projects
5 Kuykendahl Road The project will widen the road to four lanes, add turn lanes and tra c signals. • Cost: TBD • Timeline: Clearing was underway in November. 6 Woodtrace Boulevard The project will build out an extension of Woodtrace Boulevard from Dobbin-Hufsmith Road to FM 2978. • Cost: TBD • Timeline: The project was out to bid in November.
SOURCES: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, MONTGOMERY COUNTY PRECINCT 2 COMMUNITY IMPACT
Tra c counts FM 1488 near I-45
Measuring the impact
What’s next
51,000
50,563
49,500
48,952
60,000 50,000 40,000 30,000
43,759
Rob Eissler, executive director of the Westwood Magnolia Parkway Improvement District, which will manage maintenance of the landscaping on the new FM 1488 medians, said the improvements could help reduce speeds on the corridor. “If there’s any detriment, you don’t have as many access points for the businesses,” he said. WMPID uses a portion of a designated 1% from sales tax revenues within its boundaries to support infrastructure projects. “We’re trying to help bring the tone down to make it … less of a racetrack,” he said. Kolton Coats, the general manager at The Adventure Begins, a comic book store on FM 1488, said he does not think the changes to the road will be a long-term issue. “As the construction has moved further past our front door we are noticing less accidents outside the shop, and most of the initial issues ... have been adjusted to and accounted for,” Coats said.
The clearing phase for the Kuykendahl Road project is underway, according to Precinct 2’s website. After clearing, construction is expected to follow, Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley said. Precinct 2 will also complete the Woodtrace Boulevard extension—an east-west connector between Hwy. 249 to FM 2978. Riley said the rst phase of the project— from FM 2978 to Dobbin-Hufsmith Road—is out for bid, with construction potentially being able to start in early 2026. “We need more roads that go east and west in the county,” Eissler said. The project’s second phase is from Dobbin- Hufsmith Road to Hwy. 249. Riley said that Phase 2 is a bit more complicated than Phase 1 due in part to the two railroad crossings along its route, and he added that the phase is still in design.
0
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
FM 1488 near Kuykendahl Road
13,119
13,000
12,975
11,500
10,813
15,000 10,000 5,000
0
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
Hwy. 242 near FM 1488
22,707
22,046
19,071
25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000
16,922
16,020
0
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
SOURCE: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION COMMUNITY IMPACT
23
TOMBALL MAGNOLIA EDITION
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