TRANSPORTATIONUPDATES Tomball City Council discusses adding raisedmedian toWestMain Street as part of reconstruction project
COMPILED BY ANNA LOTZ & KAYLI THOMPSON
ONGOING PROJECTS
105
1774
362
Community Development Director Nathan Dietrich presented an update to Tomball City Council on Feb. 21 regarding a long-awaited $28.61 mil- lion project to reconstruct FM 2920 through downtown, also known as Main Street. The project for which the city has committed $3 million would span from Willow Street to Business 249. Kyle Bertrand, a civil engineer for Gunda Corp. working on the project, said a full reconstruction could start in approximately 2 1/2 years and take 24-36 months to complete. In the four-block span between Oak and Elm streets, raised medians are planned to replace the middle turn lane, Bertrand said. This four-block section is the only one that would have a raised median, he said. Council Member Derek Townsend Sr. said he is concerned about what raised medians would do to area businesses and future parades, such as how some of the larger vehicles and floats in a parade would fit with a raised median. He said he believes it would be difficult to access businesses with the raised median dividing the road as well. “I’m not a fan of raised medians, period, because it’s killed [FM] 1960. ... There’s businesses and buildings that have been shuttered,” Townsend said. “I don’t want that to happen to our downtown.” Council Member John Ford asked why the median had to be raised. Mayor Gretchen Fagan said a raised median would keep people from crossing anywhere but at the traffic
249
Tomball City Council members discussed raised medians Feb. 21, which are planned to replace the middle turn lane on FM 2920 as part of a proposed improvement project through downtown.
UPGRADING MAIN STREET
N
Hwy. 249 extension The Texas Department of Transporta- tion is continuing work on Segment 2 of the Hwy. 249 tollway extension. The final segment of the multiagency tollway extension is expected to wrap up from FM 1774 in Plantersville to Hwy. 105 in late 2023, according to the project team, as a two-lane, non- tolled highway. Timeline: November 2018-late 2023 Cost: $280.1 million Funding source: TxDOT
Proposed Main Street reconstruction
Main Street proposed raised median
249
BROWN RD.
2920
N
SOURCE: CITY OF TOMBALL/COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
1774
1488
signals, and the presence of a raised median gives pedestrians some place to stand more safely while crossing. FM 2920 improvements have been in the works through downtown since a Livable Centers Study was conducted by the Houston-Galveston Area Council in 2009, Community Impact Newspaper reported. Kelly Violette, executive director of the Tomball Economic Development Corp., worked as Tomball’s city planner at the time the study was conducted, Community Impact Newspaper reported. Violette said Feb. 21 raised medians were recommended as part of the study. “That was a traffic control sug- gestion, bringing that raised median and widening the sidewalks, trying to reduce the speed of traffic in that
little downtown area. ... In 2009, we had four times the number of crashes just within that four-block area than we did in the state,” Violette said. City Manager David Esquivel suggested looking into removable raised medians. “We need to be looking at every- thing that is going to affect our town. ... We need to think about the effects of our community,” Townsend said. During the Feb. 21 meeting, Diet- rich also showed options for aesthetic enhancements along Main Street, including pavers, elevated options for traffic lights, pedestrian lighting, benches, trash cans and trees. Residents can learn about the project during a town hall meeting 6-8 p.m. March 31 at 501 James St.
N
FM 1488 widening TxDOT is widening a portion of FM 1488 west of the city of Magnolia between the Waller County line near Joseph Road and FM 1774 in Magnolia. The road will be widened from two to four lanes and was 34% complete as of a Feb. 28 report from TxDOT. Timeline: November 2020- first quarter 2023 Cost: $30.24 million Funding source: TxDOT
ALL INFORMATION ON THIS PAGE WAS UPDATED AS OF MARCH 11. NEWS OR QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE OR OTHER LOCAL TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS? EMAIL US AT TOMNEWS@COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM.
X-Ray on site ~Workers Comp Management Sports & Immigration Physicals ~ DOT Physicals Infections, cuts, scrapes, headaches, fever, flu, animal bites, allergic reactions, rashes, dehydration, ...andmore!
PCR and Rapid COVID Testing By Appointment
Wishing You & Yours Health and Happiness This Holiday Season. medellauc.com 346-808-3670 X-Ray on site Workers Comp Management Sports & Immigration Physicals DOT Physicals Safely Treating a Variety of your medical concerns MEDELLAUC.COM — 346�808�3670
MAGNOLIA CLINIC � 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. daily 18535 FM Rd 1488 #210, Magnolia, TX 77354
VINTAGE PARK CLINIC � 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. daily 10130 Louetta Rd., Ste. L, Houston, TX 77070
11
TOMBALL - MAGNOLIA EDITION • MARCH 2022
Powered by FlippingBook