TOP STORY
In August, construction on a $20 million project from TxDOT will begin along FM 1960 between where the roadway intersects with Hwy. 249 and Cutten Road. The project will include an added through lane, turn lanes, sidewalks and trac signals. Roadwork ahead
Timeline: August 2022-December 2024 Cost: $20 million Funding sources: 80% federal, 20% state
New turn lane Raised median
1960
249
WILLOWBROOK MALL
The FM 1960 project segment includes a railroad crossing.
The project aims to improve accessibility to Willowbrook Mall.
EMILY LINCKECOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
EMILY LINCKECOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
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SOURCE: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATIONCOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
on Texas’ most congested roadways in 2020, Willowbrook’s stretch of FM 1960 plummeted down the list to No. 1,306. However, this change in ranking does not necessarily mean the road’s trac issues are gone forever, said David Schrank, a TTI senior research scientist and pro- gram manager. “What we saw in 2020—a COVID[-19] year—was the roads that have a lot of commuter trips—especially in areas where work from home was proba- bly prevalent—fell way down the list,” Schrank said. “FM 1960 is more of a suburban connection to get to roads like [Hwy.] 249 and [I-]45, so it proba- bly t into this category.” Theproject TxDOT’s project centers around adding a through lane east- and west- bound on FM 1960 from the Willow- brook Mall center entrance to Cutten, eectively upgrading this section into an eight-lane divided roadway. Addi- tionally, dual left-turn lanes and a ded- icated right-turn lane will be added, and all turning lanes on FM 1960 between Centereld Drive and Cutten will be lengthened. Other features of the road once com- pleted include new pavement, con- tinuous sidewalks, added mast arm trac signals and a new storm sewer to improve drainage, Perez said. About 80% of the project’s funding will be federal funds, and 20% will
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The project will widen FM 1960 between Hwy. 249 and Cutten Road from six to eight lanes with a raised median and sidewalks. Expansion on the horizon
Abustling corridor Average daily trac counts on FM1960 near Hwy. 249 have uctuated over the last 10 years peaking at 70,829 in 2015. Overall, trac has risen over the last decade from56,000 cars in 2011 to between 65,000-70,000 annually from 2014-2019, prior to the pandemic. In 2016, TxDOT ocials estimated tracalongtheWillowbrookstretchof FM 1960 costs commuters 300,000 hours of time and more than $52 million in gas and other expenses each year. “These improvements will help mobility along the corridor while cer- tainly enhancing safety in the area,” Perez said. One of the largest occupants of this area of FM 1960 is Willowbrook Mall, which houses 162 businesses. “It’s a much-needed project,” said Sandy LaClave, senior general man- ager of the mall. “As anyone who lives or works in the area knows, trac on FM 1960 between ... [Hwy.] 249 and Cutten is heavy throughout the day, and the added lanes will certainly help alleviate the congestion.” In 2019, the segment of FM 1960 between Hwy. 249 and I-45, stretching 8.26 miles, was rated the 27th most congested roadway in Texas, accord- ing to a Texas A&M Transportation Institute report. In the TTI’s most recent report
EXISTING SECTION
Partial sidewalk
Raised median
Partial sidewalk
PROPOSED SECTION
Continuous sidewalk
Raised median
Continuous sidewalk
SOURCE: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATIONCOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
come from the state. The bidding pro- cess will begin in June, and construc- tion is expected to last 28 months. In 2009, TxDOT presented a plan for FM 1960 that included a grade separation, or overpass, above the area’s railroad. The public did not like this idea, however, Perez said, and it was scrapped. The current project premiered in 2011, and funding was received in 2017. After TxDOT released its 2011 proj- ect outline, Cy-Champ PUD members formulated alternative plans and pre- sented them to TxDOT, but ultimately, those plans were not adopted. “Our plan included improvements
to turn lanes and driveway entrances to improve moving, turning traf- c out of the way of through lanes,” Walkoviak said. “The property owners were willing to participate with those improvements.” The Willowbrook-area project has been delayed multiple times since 2018, when bidding was rst sched- uled. The project was pushed in 2020 and again in April 2021 due to delays with land acquisition and utility relo- cations and adjustments. As of Jan. 4, TxDOT ocials were hopeful the project will be bid in June. “It should be noted that there are a number of private utilities that need to
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