TRANSPORTATION
242
Shenandoah considers outcomes for David Memorial Drive project
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PLANNED EXTENSION
METROPARK DR.
BY CASSANDRA JENKINS & JESSICA SHORTEN
Bleyl said funding needs to be settled by Sept. 6 or a bid cannot be awarded. It will take one year to build the road, including the Conroe portion. As of July 12, the city of Conroe had not taken any action on its portion of the interlocal agreement, and Montgomery County signed the agreement on July 11. Bleyl said one of three outcomes could happen in the summer. One possibility is that the interlocal agreement is signed and the project moves forward as planned, he said. How- ever, if the city of Conroe decides not to sign the agreement at all the project will not move forward. Another option is changing the current agreement to take out the city of Conroe’s cost portion, Bleyl said. In that case, the city of Shenandoah and Montgomery County can begin construction on their portions of the project. Under the third option, Conroe will not have to fund its cost until scal year 2024-25, Bleyl said. “The construction could start and be worked on within the city of Shenandoah and Montgomery County portions,” Bleyl said. “If Conroe chose to move their portion out another year then [the project] could be nished, if the funding was approved the following year.” Shenandoah Mayor John Escoto said the ball is now in Conroe’s court. “The city of Shenandoah is committed to continue work- ing with our funding partners to see this project through to its fruition,” he said at a June 14 meeting.
A project to extend David Memorial Drive to Hwy. 242 may be postponed due to the city of Conroe’s constrained budget after costs for its city-funded Hyatt Regency hotel exceeded projections by more than $10 million, according to Conroe o cials. The road is being extended north to Hwy. 242 through a collaboration between the cities of Con- roe and Shenandoah, Montgomery County, and Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital. John Bleyl, the city engineer for Shenandoah, said the design work for David Memorial Drive is complete, and the engineering department submitted a construction bid June 8 to the city of Shenandoah for approval. The con- struction bid is a little over $7.4 million, he said.
DAVID MEMORIAL DR.
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PROJECT CHECKLIST The David Memorial Drive extension project includes an interlocal agreement between several entities.
City of Conroe signs interlocal agreement Montgomery County signs interlocal agreement City of Shenandoah signs interlocal agreement The design phase is completed The project goes out for bid
A bid is awarded
Construction starts
SOURCES: CITY OF SHENANDOAH, CITY OF CONROE, MONTGOMERY COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT, JOSEPH PEART COMMUNITY IMPACT
David Memorial Drive will be extended beyond its current end point to Hwy. 242. (Vanessa Holt/Community Impact)
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THE WOODLANDS EDITION • JULY 2023
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