Bay Area Edition - July 2019

OLD HWY. 146

TRANSPORTATION UPDATES

COMPILED BY JAKE MAGEE AND GAVIN PUGH

GALVESTON BAY 146 betweenHwy. 96 and FM646. Traffic is per- mitted to drive on one lane of the newpave- ment. There have been delays on the north side of the project due to necessary utility relocations. When complete, about 2.5miles of Dickinson Avenue will be reconstructed to a two-lane concrete street with curb and gutter to better accommodate drainage. Timeline: January 2019-late 2019 Cost: $7 million Funding sources: Community Develop- ment Block Grant Program ($591,000), city of League City ($459,000) 3 Dickinson Avenue reconstruction Crews have installedmost of the road the roadway, reconstructing it fromasphalt to concrete curb and gutter, and new underground electrical work and on-street parking. The project is the first of three to enhance the aesthetics of downtown. Timeline: February-August Cost: $1.05 million Funding sources: Galveston County ($6 million), city of League City ($1 million) UPCOMING PROJECTS 4 GrissomRoad widening About 5,600 feet of GrissomRoad between Abigail Lane andWest NASA Parkway will be reconstructed froma two-lane, rural, open-ditch roadway into a four-lane, divided, urban roadway. The project is in design. Timeline: summer 2020-fall 2021 Cost: $12.2 million Funding source: city of League City 5 Turner Street and Butler Road im- provements Turner Street will be rebuilt from the new roundabout on Calder Drive towhere it in- tersects with Butler Road to the west. Butler will be reconstructed from that intersection north towhere it intersects with League City Parkway. The roads will be widened to three lanes. Timeline: Construction starts fall 2019 Cost: $4.41 million Funding source: city of League City

BIG ISLAND SLOUGH

ARMAND BAYOU NATURE CENTER

TAYLOR LAKE

146

CLEAR LAKE

HOW ITWORKS How do I report a vehicle that is emitting excessive smoke? A state programallows Texans to report vehicles with excessive tailpipe smoke. Anyone who notices a vehicle emitting heavy smoke from the tailpipe for 10 sec- onds or longer can file a report over the phone or online with the Texas Commis- sion on Environmental Quality. A report under the Smoking Vehicle Program should be filed within 30 days of witnessing the problem vehicle. The re- port should include the vehicle’s license plate number, time of day, date and the city where it was observed. The programapplies only to vehicles registered in Texas. The reporting system is not an enforce- ment program. But drivers are informed by mail that they can be ticketed and fined for operating a smoking vehicle. Violators can be fined up to $350 for the first offense, according to state law. Observers can file reports by calling 800-453-7664 or by visiting www.tceq. texas.gov and searching “Smoking Vehi- cle Program.”

351

MARINA BAY DR.

NASSAU BAY

SOUTH SHORE BLVD. 518

CLEAR CREEK

528

270

LANDING BLVD.

646

TURNER ST.

517

N Map not to scale

1 I-45 widening The contractor has completed the construc- tion of the northbound overpass at FM646, switched northbound I-45 traffic onto new paving, and has almost finished concrete pavement placement for FM646. Crews are working to flip the intersection of FM646 and I-45 so FM646 passes under rather than over I-45. The intersection flip, which is expected to be complete by early fall, is one of many projects along the interstate as the Texas Department of Transportationwidens it from ONGOING PROJECTS

six to eight lanes all the way to Galveston. Timeline: November 2016-2021 Cost: $222 million Funding sources: TxDOT ($142 million), federal government ($80 million)

2 Park Avenue reconstruction The asphalt road and base have been

removed. The project’s next phase includes pouring concrete along the road’s west side and its curbs and gutters. Traffic will remain one-way southbound during construction to allow residents easier access to businesses. The project’s full scope includes widening

All information on this page was updated as of 6/11/19. News or questions about these or other local transportation projects? Email us at baynews@communityimpact.com.

Bay Area edition • July 2019