Research Forest Drive will be widened to six lanes between Interstate 45 and Shadowbend Drive through funding from the Woodlands Road Utility District.
The district, which is funded through an ad valorem tax on commercial businesses in Town Center and the village centers, will provide the $4 million for the project and be reimbursed by the county based on a future road bond election, said Commissioner Ed Chance of Precinct 3.
“Construction costs are down dramatically and we needed to get that road built two years ago,” said Chance. “More lanes means more capacity, better traffic movement and less congestion.”
About 50,000 cars a day use the major east-west thoroughfare through The Woodlands. Construction on the project is expected to begin in May and take a year to complete, Chance said. Most of the right-of-way for the project will be taken from the outside lanes and disruption to traffic should be minimal, similar to the recent expansion of Woodlands Parkway, Chance said.
The Woodlands RUD is a special district created in 1991 to serve as a financing mechanism to expedite road construction in the community on major thoroughfares and arterial road. It is financed through a property tax of 47 cents per $100 of assessed value on commercial properties in Town Center and at the village centers, said Mike Page, an attorney for the Woodlands RUD.
Since 1991, the RUD has issued about $75 million in bond to build road and has leveraged state and federal funds for the projects.
“It’s mission is to build only major roads and arterial feeders,” said Page.
The RUD has some surplus funds and decided to offer to expedite the Research Forest project for the county. The county will reimburse the RUD through a proposed $335 million road bond that will be put before voters in the future.
“We have cash reserves to expedite the project while the county goes through the election process,” Page said.
In another matter, the county received $69,000 in federal funds to upgrade and expand its traffic signal synchronization system in South Montgomery County. The system, which uses cameras to monitor traffic at intersection, may be upgraded to the latest technology, which uses lasers to detect traffic movement. The system may also be expanded to include more traffic lights, Chance said.
The synchronized lights, which are designed to improve traffic movement, are located on Woodlands Parkway, Lake Woodland Drive, Grogan’s Mill Road and parts of Research Forest Drive, Chance said.
The county will be required to pay a nearly $48,000 match for the federal funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
New Road Improvements in The Woodlands
Montgomery County Commissioners Court approved two new road projects for The Woodlands – the expansion of Research Forest Drive and an update to the traffic light synchronization system along major thoroughfare. Following are key features of each project.
Research Forest Expansion
• Expanded from four to six lanes
• From Interstate 45 to Shadowbend
• Funded through a $4 million bond from The Woodlands Road Utility District, which will be reimbursed by the county through a future road bond.
• Construction to begin in May and take a year to complete
Traffic Light Synchronization
• Upgrades existing system from cameras to laser
• Adds new traffic lights to the system
• Synchronization on Woodlands Parkway, Lake Woodlands Drive, Grogan’s Mill Road and parts of Research Forest
• Funded from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, with a county match
Source: Montgomery County