Woodlands wary of road projects, traffic
Officials don’t want it to be a ‘cut-through’ community
THE WOODLANDS — The Township Board of Directors got a look at potential road projects around the community but their position to the county and state is clear: don’t use The Woodlands to relieve traffic.
Representatives with the Houston Area Galveston Council gave an update to the board Thursday on a current study being funded by Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley.
The study encompasses 279 miles in Precinct 2 which includes The Woodlands north of Research Forest Drive.
Board members were vocal on how projects in the study could affect mobility in The Woodlands. Because the township is a special purpose district and not a municipality, the board has no authority over roads. Those responsibilities fall with the county and the Texas Department of Transportation.
“If the county and TxDOT continue to want to direct traffic into The Woodlands to relieve traffic outside The Woodlands, I don’t support that and I think most of the residents in The Woodlands can’t support that,” said Board member Shelley Sekula-Gibbs. “We are not eager to be a cut-through community. I don’t see the county working with TxDOT to keep that traffic out of The Woodlands.”
Sekula-Gibbs pointed to an upcoming $40 million state project that will widen Texas 242 from FM 1488 to Interstate 45 to help reduce traffic on FM 1488. She said she along with residents along Texas 242 are not supportive the project.
Board member Bruce Rieser said improvements to the intersections at Interstate 45 and FM 1488 and Interstate 45 at Texas 242 would improve mobility without funneling traffic through The Woodlands.
Carlene Mullins, a principal planner with the Houston Area Galveston Council, said the study does identify those intersections and includes short- and long-term projects to address gridlock including signal optimization at both intersections, additional turn lanes and a director connector at I-45 and Texas 242.
Despite the board’s concerns about the two intersections, it did support several other recommendations in the study including addressing the Research Forest Drive and Grogan’s Mill intersection.
“Research Forest and Grogan’s Mill has always been a hot-topic intersection,” Mullins said.
During a focus meeting last year, several area residents shared their concerns about the intersection including overgrown vegetation, high traffic speeds, wrong-way divers, lighting, drainage and lack of enforcement.
Mullins said the county has addressed some of those issues by installing missing signs, improved pavement marking and clearing vegetation.
Rieser said a speed limit reduction is needed for the area.
“It is winding, it is blind and there is a lot of traffic in that area,” Rieser said “It might behoove us to slow the traffic down a little bit.”
The study, conducted by the regional organization which considers issues and areawide problems, includes additional short-term projects.
“We are also recommending road shoulder improvements be made along research forest where the cyclists have to dart out into the road in order to continue their path on the shoulders,” she said.
Mullins said the study is expected to be complete by the end of the year.