Upcoming Improvements to Rayford Road Foreshadowing Faster Traffic Flow

County Commissioner James Noack for Precinct 3 of South Montgomery County has funded a project contracted to Zarinkelk Engineering Services, Inc. This project, in TxDOT right-of-way, has been implemented to mitigate traffic congestion along Rayford Road heading west to Sawdust Road and north onto the frontage road for I-45 north. This will be a stress reliever for residents and people who work east of I-45 and Oakhurst Drive.

In recent years there has been a surge of development in Southeast Montgomery County. New businesses by way of store fronts, office space and more near Magnolia Fair Way, a new residential neighborhood, have increased the population considerably. The construction of the Grand Parkway causes traffic congestion south on I-45 and west on Rayford Rd. People traveling into the Woodlands and north toward Conroe suffer from this congestion. Commissioner Noack’s office developed some affordable solutions to alleviate the problem area until the South County Mobility Plan can be realized. The cost effective project is a simple solution yielding large returns in traffic flow. This project will extend the dedicated turning lane to I-45 frontage road heading north. Also constructing a dedicated acceleration lane north on the frontage road. thereby creating more capacity for vehicles transitioning to head north, which has another benefit of creating more room for people heading straight through to Sawdust Road. This project is not included in the South County Mobility Plan.

The last bond election put to a vote May 9th 2015 was struck down by voters for the second time. Voters also opposed a $200 million road bond in 2011. Some people speculate that the Woodlands Parkway Extension killed the May 9th bond. There’s two sides to this coin. Business owners find the expansion a blessing and a tax revenue boost from the increase of shoppers at their stores and patrons to their restaurants. Residents who commute to Houston or surrounding business centers do not find solace in traffic by expanding Woodlands parkway to 249. The May 9th proposed bond entailed 350 million dollars, which would have funded 77 projects aimed at curbing the traffic issues for Montgomery County. Out of the 77 projects included in the South County Mobility Plan, many of which are in Precinct 3.

For a further detailed rundown of a draft version of the plan click here.

After a special session commissioners court convened and discussed the bond. In doing so the commissioners created a prioritized list of projects that would have the most impact in their respective precincts. The new $280 million bond will go to a vote in November. As expected the Woodlands PKWY expansion to 249 was removed. $84 Million will be going to Precinct 3 for transportation improvements. An official finalized project list is expected in October.

For a further detailed rundown of a draft version of the project list click here.

The truth of the matter is our neck of the woods is no longer a small town, but rather a emerging economic work horse. People are flocking to Montgomery County and we have to be ready. Part of that preparedness includes infrastructure improvements. The roads we currently drive on are outdated and ill-equipped to deal with the volume of traffic. I for one am tired of the traffic in our area. How about you?