Parkway opening set
The Grand Parkway segment that connects U.S. 290 to Interstate 45 just south of The Woodlands is finally expected to open in the first week of February.
The Grand Parkway segment in the Spring, Klein and Tomball area is finally expected to open in the first week of February.
Project officials initially indicated the 23-mile portion of the loop that links U.S. 290 to Interstate 45 in Spring, known as segments F1 and F2, would be opened to traffic by the end of 2015, while segment G, which connects south of The Woodlands at I-45 and continues northeast of Kingwood to link with Interstate 69, would be open in March.
However, issues related to right-of-way acquisition for segment G, as well as wet weather in the fall, hampered the completion of the project.
“Trying to identify (or) project specific dates for the opening of a corridor totaling 38 miles, given so many fluid aspects inherent to road construction, makes for a very difficult task,” said Texas Department of Transportation spokeswoman Raquelle Lewis. “(The contractor) has provided us written notification that they anticipate having segments F1 and F2 ready to open to traffic within the next 30 days. Accordingly, we are hoping to have traffic driving on the initial segments of the project the first week of February. Likewise, we are still anticipating ultimate completion of the project by March 31.”
Construction of the 38mile stretch of roadway from U.S. 290 to U.S. 59 near Humble started in July 2013 and cost $1.1 billion to build.
In October, Ibette Cavazos, public information officer for Zachry-Odebrecht Parkway Builders, the contractor developing the three northern segments of the parkway, told members of the Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce Transportation Committee that the three segments were on track to be completed by the end of December 2015. However, as the completion date for those segments neared, the contractor indicated the three segments would be delayed.
However, with the latest announcement that Houston’s third loop will be opening in just a few short weeks, local community leaders are happy to share the news.
Bruce Hillegeist, president of the Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce, shared the news on his Facebook page, which drew hundreds of likes and more than 50 comments.
“This is a real game changer for us,” he said. “People are happy to see this. They are excited and we have to be progressive.”
Envisioned in the early 1960s, the Grand Parkway crosses seven counties and includes more than 180 miles of roadway.
The first segment, which connected I-69 to Interstate 10 in southwest Houston, has been in operation since 1994. In 2011, the TxDOT began construction on Segment E, which connected I-10 to U.S. 290. That segment was completed in 2013.
At the same time, construction on segments F1, F2 and G began in June 2013 with a target completion of October 2015.
In anticipation of the opening, representatives from the Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce and the Tomball Economic Development Corp. recently took a tour of the nearly completed Grand Parkway with members of the North Houston Center for Economic Development, the Greater Houston Partnership and the Harris County Precinct 4 representatives to see the opportunities for economic development as a result of the Grand Parkway.
“We are all so close (proximity), but they were just amazed at what we had to offer out here,” Hillegeist said.
The Greater Tomball region has become a significant player in attracting business large and small, including Baker Hughes, which relocated to Tomball in 2012, and Packers Plus, which announced plans to relocate to the Tomball Business and Technology Park in 2016.
“The idea behind doing that trip was to get a little more of an understanding of the activity that’s going on in the north Houston region,” said Kelly Violette, executive director for the Tomball EDC. “We wanted to bring everyone together, and look at regionally what is going on, and the spine of it — being the Grand Parkway — and how that really connects us.”