KEY:
ROBINSON ROAD projects Expected
Existing road Roads to be removed Future road New traffic signals
The first in a series of major projects along Robinson Road is expected to begin construction this year. Here are the changes officials expect to see along Robinson over the next 10 years.
Cost
ROBINSON ROAD REALIGNMENT AT HANNA ROAD (expected within two years, cost TBD)
45
R O BI N S O N R D .
POSSIBLE WIDENING OF ROBINSON ROAD from two to four lanes between Westwood Drive and Hanna Road (expected within 10 years, cost TBD)
WOODLANDS PARKWAY/ ROBINSON ROAD OVERPASS Ramps will carry traffic in one direction between the interchange and frontage roads.
Precinct 3 portion
$4.5M
Oak Ridge North portion
ESTIMATED $1.8M
N
SOURCE: CITY OF OAK RIDGE NORTH/COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
TRANSPORTATION First phase of Robinson Road planned improvements could begin this year BY BENTHOMPSON
have been de ned by the consulting engineers in terms of tra c delay and level of service,” said Joe Sherwin, Oak Ridge North’s director of public works and engineering, in an email. The notion of reshaping portions of Robinson Road has carried through civic steering documents in Oak Ridge North since the s, most recently in the Comprehensive Plan and Master Thoroughfare Plan. The Houston-Galveston Area Council’s South County Mobility Plan also included recommendations for improving Robinson, which was evaluated as “severely over capacity” within Oak Ridge North based on - tra c counts. Retired Mayor Jim Kuykendall and former City Manager Vicky Rudy both emphasized changes to Robinson Road during their terms over the past decade, and current Mayor Paul Bond said he anticipates it being a focus while he holds o ce as well. “Once they get that construction underway and completed, hopefully that will alleviate some of the issues with Robinson Road,” Bond said.
rst phase of construction. The cost and funding for future project phases is yet to be determined. FUTURE PROJECTS Other major Robinson Road enhance- ments expected within the next decade include the addition of an eastbound le turn lane and tra c signal at the city Commerce Park, and the realign- ment of Robinson’s intersection with Hanna Road and the Union Paci c Corp. railroad tracks, resulting in a single signaled intersection there. Following the rst phase of road work on the interchange and Westwood intersection, the Hanna and Commerce Park projects are anticipated in the next two years. Adding two lanes on Robinson Road between Westwood Drive and Hanna Road has also been considered in the city’s long-term plans and could be implemented within the next decade depending on tra c needs a er the other projects are complete. “Each phase will accomplish a portion of the city’s Comprehensive Plan, which calls for improving tra c on Robinson Road. Improvements
overpass and intersection project, is now cleared to begin its portion of work given the city’s nalized acquisitions. The redesign includes two new signaled intersections on the east and west ends of the I- overpass, with realigned lanes and ramps connect- ing to each junction. Three of the four ramps will be adjusted to carry tra c in only one direction between the overpass and I- frontage roads. The southeastern ramp includes a two-way section providing access to o ces and undeveloped space south of Robinson. The redesign also includes widening Robinson at Westwood Drive and Patsy Lane to two east- and westbound lanes with one center turn lane on both sides of the intersection. Precinct estimates construction at . million for its portion of the interchange work. A county design engineer last year estimated the city’s share of expenses at . million for the
The rst of several projects along Robinson Road in Oak Ridge North could move forward later this year, providing a step toward tra c relief for commuters and city residents traveling the overburdened thoroughfare. The rst phase of construction, centered on the city’s I- interchange and Robinson Road-Westwood Drive intersection, is expected to cost about . million and will be mostly funded through Montgomery County’s road bond. At its July regular meeting, Oak Ridge North City Council unanimously approved the three right of way purchases at Robinson and Westwood needed for construction on that portion of the road. The acquisitions totaled nearly ,. Montgomery County Precinct , which entered into an interlocal agreement with the city to complete the
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The Woodlands edition • August 2019
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