County says no to changes in road plans

Despite objections from Woodlands, future projects will remain in place

Montgomery County Judge Craig Doyal says it’s too late for The Woodlands Township to weigh in on the county thoroughfare plan, a map designed as a guide for development over the next 50 years, after it was unanimously approved by the Commissioners Court in January.

Ed Robb, chairman of the Township, went before the commissioners March 8 to relay the concerns that the board unanimously voted to present in a resolution opposing five of the dozens of county projects included in the road plan: the extension of Branch Crossing Drive from Research Forest Drive to north of FM 1488, the extension of Gosling Road north from Texas 242 toward Conroe, the extension of Grogan’s Mill Road north of Vision Park Bou- levard to Texas 242, the widening of Grogan’s Mill Road south of Woodlands Parkway and the extension of Woodlands Parkway to Texas 249, the “poison pill” project that doomed the county’s May 2015 road bond election.

The plan has drawn criticism from The Woodlands, the county’s largest urbanized area, for includ- ing these recommendations to extend and widen roads within the community that board members say would bring additional traffic and spoil the hometown feel they say residents have paid a premium to enjoy.

The resolution alleged that the planners, the Houston-Galveston Area

Council, did not hold a public meeting in The Woodlands, thus precluding its residents from providing their input prior to the finalization of the plan.

But Doyal says they had their chance to speak up. H-GAC held four public meetings last fall — one in each county precinct. The meeting in Precinct 3 — which encompasses most of The Woodlands — was held at the Shenandoah Municipal Complex, just north of TheWoodlands.

“We gave everyone an opportunity,” Doyal said. “They opted not to appear.”

Obvious choice

Woodlands boardmember Gordy Bunch said the fact that The Woodlands has a population of 110,000 people, compared to Shenandoah’s less than 3,000, should have made it the obvious place to hold the public meeting.

As for the objections to the potential road projects, Doyal sees a need to keep them on the plan as a guide.

“Most of them have been on the plan for decades,” Doyal said. “I’d be real leery of removing any of those projects on the plan. They were recommended by professionals who knowwhat they’re doing.”

Woodlands boardmember Mike Bass, however, believes that H-GAC put too much emphasis on creating thoroughfares through communities as an alternative to increasing congestion on Interstate 45, rather than coming up with a solution to fix the freeway itself.

“Whenever you try to put something that is designed to bring cars through an area — when it goes through the heart of a community — you have to give deference to the community,” Bunchsaid. “This community has spoken and it doesn’t want these roads.”

But, as the county is projected to double in population — to a million people — by 2030, Doyal says it’s the county’s responsibility to consider every possible project that could help ease the strain onmobility.

“I’ve been in this county mywhole life. I’ve watched it grow,” Doyal said. “We need to be looking at every roadproject possible.”

Furthermore, he says that the roads that The Woodlands opposes are not currently funded and may not be built for a long time.

“Some of these roads, it may be 30 years before we build them,” Doyal said. “These are lines on amap.”

Doyal said the Woodlands Parkway extension, whichhas been the topic of heateddebate in the county over the past year, is more imminent than some of the other projects, but still lacks funding andwon’t be built for at least two years.

Advanced timeline

But, as Charlie Riley, the commissioner for Precinct 2 — which includes part of The Woodlands and the land to its west — has spoken of advancing the timeline of the Woodlands Parkway extension, Bunch believes it may be time for The Woodlands to look at another way to gain control of which road projects are done.

Currently an unincorporated special improvement district, The Woodlands has little say over its roads, which all belong to the county. But if the community were to incorporate and become a city, its local elected officials would have jurisdiction over roads within the city limits.

“I believe that our community is united against these major thoroughfare plans, and if incorporating would give us an opportunity to protect us, I believe our community would want to go forward with it,” Bunch said. “We need to start looking at it sooner rather than later.”