TRANSPORTATIONUPDATES
COMPILED BY VANESSA HOLT AND JOEWARNER
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HOW ITWORKS Distracted driving still an issue in Texas Although state law prohibits texting while driving, according to the Texas Department of Transportation 1-in-5 traffic accidents in the state involve distracted driving. In effect since 2017, the lawmay contribute to the 6%decrease in crashes involving distracted driving in the past two years, according to TxDOT. TxDOT has two campaign—“Head’s Up, Texas” and the #EndTheStreakTX initiative—to help educate Texas drivers about the law and remind themof the dangers of distracted driving began this summer. The goal is to eliminate deadly accidents on Texas highways. There has been at least one traffic- related death in Texas every day since Nov. 8, 2000. The campaigns asks all Texans to commit to driving safely to help end the streak. “Our message is no longer just a public safety suggestion to urge Texans to avoid distraction while operating a vehicle; it is to remind themof the law that now forbids such activity, TxDOT Executive Director James Bass said in release. “One life lost is one toomany and distracted driving is completely preventable.”
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RECENTUPDATES 1 Rayford Road expansion
installed and operational when the lanes opened, Precinct 3 officials said. Timeline: September 2018-August 2019 Cost: $2.7million Funding source: Montgomery County Precinct 3 3 Gosling Road widening The project to widen Gosling Road to four lanes from south of Flintridge Drive to the Village of Creekside Park is in the design phase. The project includes widening the southbound bridge over Spring Creek. Har- ris County Precinct 4 will oversee the joint project withMontgomery County Precinct 3. Timeline: TBD Cost: $4million (Montgomery County), $5.8million (Harris County) Funding sources: Montgomery County Precinct 3, Harris County Precinct 4 4 FM2978 widening The project will widen FM2978 from two to four lanes with a center turn lane fromFM 1488 to south of Dry Creek in Phase 1 and from south of Dry Creek to Conroe-Hufsmith Road in Phase 2. The existing bridge over Spring Creek will also be widened. As of July, Phase 1 was 32% complete, and Phase 2 was
52% complete. Work on the bridge was 39% complete, according to Emily Black, a public information officer for the Texas Department of Transportation. Timeline: September 2018-second quarter 2021 (Phase 1), January 2018-fourth quarter 2019 (Phase 2), October 2018-third quarter 2020 (bridge) Cost: $21.3million (Phase 1), $12.9million (Phase 2), $7.6million (bridge) Funding sources: TxDOT, federal funds RECENTLYCOMPLETED 5 Woodlands Parkway widening Montgomery County Precinct 3 officials announced July 2 that theWoodlands Parkway widening was complete and new westbound lanes were open. The project widened the road from six to eight lanes from just west of I-45 to a half-mile west of Grogans Mill Road. It also added one thru lane in each direction and a right turn lane in each direction at intersections along that stretch, Precinct 3 officials said. Timeline: February 2018-July 2019 Cost: $6.8million Funding source: Montgomery County Precinct 3 N Map not to scale
The project will widen Rayford Road from four to six lanes between Lazy Lane and the Grand Parkway, construct a six-lane bridge over the Union Pacific Corp. railroad tracks, install new traffic signals and add a raised median. As of July, drainage pipe installation from the Union Pacific bridge to Brookchase was completed, and crews were completing the outside lanes fromRayford Bend to the bridge, Montgomery County Precinct 3 officials said. Timeline: April 2017-late 2019 Cost: $53million Funding source: Montgomery County Precinct 3 2 BirnhamWoods Drive improvements The project to widen BirnhamWoods Drive from two to four lanes north of Fuller Bluff Drive to north of Elan Boulevard was substantially complete in early August, Precinct 3 officials said. In July, crews finishedmedian work and striping the lanes. Signal poles at the intersections of BirnhamWoods and Elan Boulevard as well as BirnhamWoods and Legends Run were
All information on this page was updated as of 7/17/19. News or questions about these or other local transportation projects? Email us at wdlnews@communityimpact.com.
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The Woodlands edition • August 2019
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