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Hwy. 249, Grand Parkway direct connectors to be completed this summer
BY CHANDLER FRANCE
A project adding four direct connectors between Hwy. 249 and the Grand Parkway is scheduled to be completed this summer.
began in March 2020. The majority of the foundation for the connectors has been laid as of early January, with remaining work including nishing the columns, beams and deck of the roads, according to HCTRA information. Bruce Hillegeist, president of the Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce, said he believes the direct connectors are necessary to improve tra c because of the growth the Tomball area has seen. “Having those direct connectors at [Hwy.] 249 and Grand Parkway, it cre- ates an ease of tra c ow. We [need] to have that,” Hillegeist said. “As highways are built, as tra c comes, business and community grows.” Tomball City Manager David Esquivel said along with better access, the project is also likely to draw more developers. Two projects already slated include the Grand Parkway Town Center—a 65-acre
MAKING CONNECTIONS
The project to add four direct connectors between Hwy. 249 and the Grand Parkway is scheduled to be complete by the end of summer, according to the Harris County Toll Road Authority. Once completed, northbound drivers on the tolled lanes of Hwy. 249—also known as the Tomball Toll- way—will be able to enter eastbound and westbound Grand Parkway lanes, and those traveling east and west on the Grand Parkway will have direct access to southbound Hwy. 249 tolled lanes. “When completed, the project will alleviate the need to utilize Bou- dreaux [Road] to connect between [the Grand Parkway] and Tomball Tollway, reducing a considerable amount of frontage road tra c,” the HCTRA said in a statement provided to Community Impact Newspaper . The $92 million HCTRA project rst
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Timeline: March 2020- summer 2022 Cost: $92 million Funding source: Harris County Toll Road Authority
CHANDLER FRANCE COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
N SOURCE: HARRIS COUNTY TOLL ROAD AUTHORITY COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
mixed-use development at the southwest corner of Hwy. 249 and the Grand Parkway—and a 240-acre light industrial, distribution and retail development by Lovett Industrial at
Rocky Road and the Grand Parkway. “All of that going on at the same time; it is exciting for anybody,” Esquivel said. “Developers look at that as this is the hot place to be.”
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TOMBALL MAGNOLIA EDITION • JANUARY 2022
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