Montgomery County pursuing $480M road bond in May From the cover
Diving deeper
The big picture
Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley will also have several reconstruction projects in the southern portions of Montgomery and Conroe. According to Riley’s project list, proposed road projects include Honea Egypt Road, Rabon Chapel Road, Old Hwy. 105 and River Plantation Drive. Riley also said he plans to reconstruct Kuykendahl Road from FM 1488 to Research Forest Drive, which is just south of Conroe. The improvements are estimated to cost $8 million and will include: • An increase from two to four lanes • Adding traffic signals to Kendall Green Drive • A turn lane extension “We’ve done a number of things to try to make this [roadway] a better situation,” Riley said Jan. 22. “Anything we could do to clean up some of this congestion and make the traffic mobility and traffic movements easy, ... I think it’s a major project for our road bond.”
Willis will entail widening and rehabilitations, reconstructions, and new location route studies. However, there are no individual cost estimates as of press time for the projects. In Precinct 1, the project list includes a four- lane design and reconstruction of Lone Star Parkway in Montgomery, as well as a study for a new segment of Lone Star Parkway that would connect Hwy. 105 to Liberty Street on the southwestern portion of the city. One other major project will be to reconstruct a new four-lane road at Cude Cemetery Road, providing a widened connector between FM 1097 and FM 830. “As a taxing entity ourselves, we know that we don’t and won’t go to our taxpayers proposing a bond unless we have done our due diligence, … and I know the county has done the same,” Montgomery ISD Superintendent Mark Ruffin said. “I’m proud of the work they’ve done in really assessing the critical areas of need.”
Montgomery County commissioners agreed Feb. 11 to put a $480 million road bond referendum before voters in the May 3 election. Funds will be divided among the four commissioner precincts, with Precincts 1 and 2—both of which encompass portions of Conroe and Montgomery—anticipated to receive $120 million over the next five years to complete 32 projects. John Robuck, managing partner at BOK Financials, the county’s bond counsel, said the bond initiative should not result in a property tax increase if it is approved by voters. Robuck said this is because the county lowered its debt service over the last several years to allow for the issuance of $120 million a year in debt using the county’s current funding collections. According to the Precinct 1 project list, which was compiled by Commissioner Robert Walker’s office and LJA Engineering, the projects within Conroe, northern Montgomery and
Precinct 1 bond projects
Widenings
Reconstructions
Extensions
Precinct 2 bond projects There are 19 proposed projects across Precinct 2, some of which are located in southern Montgomery and western Conroe.
HIDDEN FOREST DR.
45
JOHNSON RD.
COALTOWN RD.
LAKE MOUNT PLEASANT RD.
149
STONE MOUNTAIN DR.
C
.
45
1097
ROSE RD.
CUDE CEMETERY RD.
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DR.
1486
75
FARRELL RD.
830
LONESTAR PKWY.
STIDHAM RD.
CEDAR LN.
RIVER PLANTATION DR.
SEVEN COVES RD.
1484
105
OLD DOBBIN PLANTERSVILLE RD.
MAIL ROUTE RD.
336
45
2854
S. PINE LAKE RD.
OLD HWY. 105
336
105
RABON CHAPEL RD.
336
FISH CREEK THOROUGHFARE
HONEA EGYPT RD.
1488
45
Reconstructing Cude Cemetery Road into a new four-lane road is one of Precinct 1’s proposed projects.
N
KUYKEHNDAL RD.
N
NOTE: PRECINCT 2 PROJECTS ARE ALL ANTICIPATED TO BE RECONSTRUCTIONS AND WIDENINGS.
SOURCES: PRECINCT 1 COMMISSIONER’S OFFICE, LJA ENGINEERING/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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