Katy Edition | February 2022

Nine Katy projects will be funded by the $33 million transportation package. MOBILITYMOVES FORWARD

according to city documents. Three projects will begin in 2022 as well as ve in 2023 and one in 2024. The rst two projects will break ground in May, while the third will begin in October, per city ocials. Each project includes a drainage element, such as a sewer system. The second of three phases of the Boardwalk District’s road system, including Lakeview Way and part of Boardwalk Drive, was recently com- pleted. The district is an in-progress mixed-use district, which will feature oce, retail, dining and entertainment. Phase 3 of the Boardwalk District project will extend Katy Fort Bend Road, making a new entrance. The $2.37 million project will begin in May and nish in February 2023, according to city ocials. “We’re going tomake a newentrance into the Boardwalk District, coming from Katy Fort Bend Road, crossing a ditch,” City Engineer David Kasper said. “It’ll be a more grand entrance ... coming from the north side.” Another boardwalk project will extend Prairie Parkway from Board- walk Drive to Kingsland Boulevard. That $1.86 million project will take place fromMay to December. In October, the First Street widening project will begin at Bartlett Road and extend to Avenue D. It will also include replacing a bridge over the Cane Island branch of Bualo Bayou, according to the Jan. 10 City Council meeting. Five projects will begin in 2023—wid- ening Pederson Road, Pitts Road, Cane Island Parkway and Morton Road; and realigning Pitts Road. The project to widen Pederson Road from the Katy Freeway to Hwy. 90 will cost $4.25 million. When complete, the road will be widened to a four-lane concrete roadway with storm sewers. Pitts Road, costing $1.66 million, will gain two lanes from Cane Island Park- way to Morton Road. Cane Island Park- way, costing $1.87million, will gain two lanes from Swift Way to Franz Road, according to city ocials. “There is going to be a lot of con- gestion for a little while—but then it’s going to be great,” Hebert said. Additionally, the intersection realignment project will align the new Pitts Road in Cane Island with the existing Pitts Road north of Morton Road, according to a presentation at the Jan. 10 meeting. It will include a new concrete boulevard, a trac signal and a storm sewer system. Meanwhile, the project to widen Morton Road from Katy Hockley Road to Pitts Road will break ground in April

KATYDEVELOPMENTAUTHORITY CASHFUNDEDPROJECTS

CLAY RD.

2855 Boardwalk extension (Phase 3) Phase 3 of the Boardwalk District will extend Katy Fort Bend Road, creating another entrance. The road will cross a ditch from the north side of the development. Timeline: May-February 2023 Cost: $2.37 million 1

KATY HOCKLEY CUT OFF RD.

MORTON RD.

SWIFT WAY

Pitts andMorton roads intersection realignment This realignment will connect the two unaligned sections of Pitts Road. It will include a concrete boulevard, a trac 6

Prairie Parkway extension This project will extend Prairie Parkway from Boardwalk Drive to Kingsland Boulevard. Timeline: May-December Cost: $1.86 million 2 First Street widening The First Street widening project will begin at Bartlett Road and extend to Avenue D. It will also include a bridge. Timeline: October-July 2023 Cost: $2.71 million 3

TOWN PARK BLVD.

CANE ISLAND PKWY.

BARTLETT RD.

FRANZ RD.

signal and a sewer system. Timeline: January 2023- August 2023 Cost: $2.35 million

KATY HOCKLEY CUT OFF RD.

1ST ST.

MORRIS OLIER WAY

PEDERSON RD.

1463

COMMERCE PKWY.

Pitts Road widening The Pitts Road project will add two lanes from Cane Island Parkway to Morton Road. Timeline: September 2023-April 2024 Cost: $1.66 million 4 Cane Island Parkway widening This project will add two lanes to Cane Island Parkway from Swift Way to Franz Road. Timeline: October 2023- June 2024 Cost: $1.87 million 5

LANDBLVD.

KINGSLANDBLVD.

CANE ISLAND PKWY.

1463

W. FIRETHORNE RD.

MAP NOT TO SCALE N

SPRING GREEN BLVD.

Morton Road widening This project will widen Morton Road from a two-lane road to a four-lane undivided road from Katy Hockley Road to Pitts Road. A new bridge is also included. Timeline: April 2023- June 2024 Cost: $7.66 million METROBONDFUNDEDMOBILITYPROJECTS 7 Pederson Road widening This project will widen Pederson Road from two to four lanes with storm sewers from the Katy Freeway to Hwy. 90. Timeline: August 2023- May 2024 Cost: $4.25 million 8

Katy Hockley widening This project will widen Katy Hockley Road to four lanes from Morton Road to Clay Road with a storm sewer system. Timeline: June 2024- 9

September 2025 Cost: $7.72 million

SOURCE: CITY OF KATYCOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER

Katy City Council kicks o$33Mmobility package BY LAURA AEBI

improvements in all three counties.” The four projects funded by MET- RO’s GMP bond include realigning the intersection of Pitts and Morton roads and widening Morton, Katy Hockley and Pederson roads. Meanwhile, the ve KDA cash- funded projects include Phase 3 of the Boardwalk Drive project; extending Prairie Parkway; and widening First Street, Pitts Road and Cane Island Parkway. According to Hebert, the KDA cash funds and METRO funds are both col- lected through the city’s agreement with METRO. Now, those funds are being used to facilitate projects in the northwest side of Katy. Projections made for Katy ISD

by demographic rm Population and Survey Analysts in a November 2021 report said much of the area’s future growth will take place in its northwest portion, where the transportation proj- ects will be taking place. “The city is rapidly growing, and while trac congestion is unavoidable, the city is trying to ... take proactive steps to ensure that the population growth is accommodated in its infra- structure planning,” Hebert said. Project plans Mobility needs grow as the area becomes more densely populated, and the selected projects aim to address existing and future congestion in the city’s most tracked thoroughfares,

The city of Katy will spend $33 mil- lion on nine transportation projects over the next three years that aim to increase mobility, decrease congestion and prepare for growth, ocials said. On Jan. 10, Katy City Council approved a $33 million transporta- tion package funded by Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County and the Katy Development Authority. The funding consists of $23.05 mil- lion from the city’s General Mobility Program agreement with METRO and $10.47 million from cash funds. “This is a great opportunity for us to do a lot of mobility projects,” Katy City Administrator Byron Hebert said. “We’re doing major infrastructure

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