$81M Greenhouse Road tunnel set for 2026 construction From the cover
The big picture
Greenhouse Road underpass The Greenhouse Road connection will travel under the Union Pacic railroad crossing to the Hwy. 290 underpass. Greenhouse Road extension and construction Hwy. 290 Overpass reconstruction
Project details Construction is set to run through 2030. $81M estimated cost
According to project details shared by Harris County MUD 500 and Caldwell Companies, the new underpass will include an expanded overpass on Hwy. 290, a tunnel structure underneath the Union Pacic railroad and additional sidewalks and pedestrian crossings. As previously reported by Community Impact , Greenhouse Road will be expanded to a six-lane roadway with 10-foot-wide hike and bike lanes along both sides of the roadway. The project has been under design and gathering funding for nearly 20 years, but according to Harris County Precinct 3 ocials, funding for the entire estimated $81 million project has been secured as of November 2025. The cost of the project is being shared between multiple agencies, including Harris County Precinct 3, Harris County MUD 500, Harris County Toll Road Authority, the Houston- Galveston Area Council and the Texas Department of Transportation. The project was also supported by local agencies such as Harris County Emergency Services District No. 9. “Drivers will now have an underpass to get from north of 290 to south of 290, and this is especially important to allow emergency vehicles to bypass trains coming through the area and avoid delay,” Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey said. Ramsey’s oce said the project is set to go out for bid on construction in February 2026.
5 agencies covering project cost
10ft wide hike and bike lanes
Sidewalks along underpass Greenhouse Road tunnel
6 lane roadway
290
Cypress residents currently use underpasses such as Fry Road to get to the Towne Lake development.
JAMAAL ELLISCOMMUNITY IMPACT
Greenhouse road extension Median
BARKER CYPRESS RD.
GREENHOUSE RD.
N
SOURCE: HARRIS COUNTY MUD 500COMMUNITY IMPACT
Average daily trac growth Some of the busiest intersections are on either side of where Greenhouse Road is set to cross under Hwy. 290.
Why it matters
The impact
According to the Towne Lake development’s master plan–which is overseen by development rm Caldwell Companies–there are still just over 85 acres of land along Hwy. 290 and the proposed Greenhouse Road extension marked for commer- cial and mixed-use development. “It is just hugely important. It shortens the emergency services response times between the north side of Hwy. 290 and the south side of Hwy. 290 and it’s provides just an unbelievable trac relief between Barker Cypress and Fry Road, which have been at just terrible level of service levels for many, many, many years now,” Caldwell Companies President Peter Barnhart said. According to Harris County Precinct 3 Com- missioner Tom Ramsey’s oce, several other projects are set to happen around the construction of Greenhouse Road in order to help with trac ow such as reconguring the underpass at Baker Cypress Road and Hwy. 290.
When it comes to addressing transporta- tion issues in the Cypress area, the biggest challenge is not having a city to advocate on a more local behalf of residents and businesses, Cy-Fair Chamber of Commerce President Leslie Martone said. “There’s so many things and so many factors at play, and without a city that manages it and does all of the coordination we’re lost,” Martone said during the Nov. 6 meeting. “So it’s really up to us to do that as a chamber, to be passionate about that; and I think that’s why it’s important to continue to have these conversations and hold people accountable.” Martone expressed gratitude for the proj- ect nally having more denitive timelines and funding.
Vehicles on Barker Cypress Road at Hwy. 290
0 20k 40k 60k 80k
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
Vehicles on Fry Road at Hwy. 290
10k 15k 20k 25k
5k 0
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
SOURCE: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATIONCOMMUNITY IMPACT
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COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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