Conroe - Montgomery Edition | January 2023

TRANSPORTATION

Top transportation stories to watch in 2023

2023 ANNUAL COMMUNITY GUIDE

East-west mobility projects slated to progress in 2023 Texas Department of Transpor- tation projects to widen portions of three east-west thoroughfares in Montgomery County—Hwy. 105, FM 1488 and FM 1097—experienced delays in 2022 that have led to the projects falling into 2023 and beyond, according to Public Information Ocer Emily Black. A $9.83 million widening and raised median project on Hwy. 105 will expand the road to four lanes through Magnolia and create a raised median closer to I-45. All three proj- ects are expected to be completed by late 2025, per TxDOT. In addition, projects to expand BY PEYTON MACKENZIE 149 105 N 45 2854 PRIORITY PROJECTS The Texas Department of Transportation has a series of projects underway to improve east-west mobility. Number of crashes (2017-21) 1,414 Hwy. 105 widening

OTHER STORIES TO FOLLOW IN 2023

Commissioners could call road bond

BY CASSANDRA JENKINS

Montgomery County commissioners will discuss the possibility of calling for a county road bond in 2023, according to Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley, who said the talks have been sporadic. The last road bond was called in 2015 for $280 million. “We all know we need another road bond,” he said in a Jan. 9 interview. “As far as us sitting down, forming a committee and putting it on the agenda to talk about it, we have not done that yet.” However, Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack said in an email Jan. 9 he is not aware of bond conversations. “While there are mobility needs across the county, timing is important; so is countywide community support,” he said. “With ination at a 40-year high, interest rates going through the roof and a recession knocking on the door, I am very skeptical about a bond right now.” Still, Riley said he hopes the committee process starts as early as the rst quarter. Commissioners Matt Gray and Robert Walker and County Judge Mark Keough did not respond for comment.

FM 1097 to four lanes from Blueberry Hills Road to Anderson Road will be nished by the rst quarter of 2024, according to TxDOT. Both series of projects have seen utility delays, Black said. Black said the projects are intended to improve safety along the east-west corridors of Mont- gomery County. For example, there were 1,414 crashes from 2017-21 on Hwy. 105, data shows. “The ultimate goal of these projects is to provide a safe and reliable corridor for drivers in this increasingly expanding area,” Black said. “We have a lot of focus on the Montgomery County area as it is one of the fastest growing in the region, and we want to ensure our roadways are able to keep up with that growth.”

from FM 2854 to I-45 has been underway since October 2021, according to TxDOT, and is expected to be completed in the rst quarter of 2024, which is a delay from its original date of June 2023. Black said in a Dec. 20 email the delay comes from cement shortages and design changes made to the project by the city of Montgomery. Other east-west mobility proj- ects across Montgomery County making progress in 2023 include three projects on FM 1488 from the Waller County line to I-45, which

FM 1097 widening

LAKE CONROE

1097

425

ANDERSON RD.

FM 1488 widening & median

1774

1488

473

249

SOURCE: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION COMMUNITY IMPACT

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CONROE MONTGOMERY EDITION • JANUARY 2023