Rosenberg to widen Bryan, Spacek roads

City council authorizes manager to negotiate contracts with consultant

Rosenberg City Council approved spending up to $978,565 on engineering work to prepare for widening Bryan and Spacek roads.

“The project will consist of widening the existing twolane undivided roadways to a four-lane curb-and-gutter boulevard on Bryan Road from FM 2218 to approximately 760 feet east of Spacek Road and Spacek Road from Bryan Road to the northern boundary of the Oaks of Rosenberg subdivision,” John Maresh, the assistant city manager of public services, told City Council May 19.

The work also includes realigning Bryan Road at FM 2218 and conversion of the intersection of Bryan Road and Spacek Road from a “T” configuration to a four-way intersection to accommodate the anticipated expansion of Spacek Road, according to council documents.

The work will require construction of two new bridges over Dry Creek to replace the current single one, installation of an underground drainage system and replacement of water and sanitary-sewer lines. A sidewalk will be installed on one side of the boulevard as well.

It is undetermined if the Texas Department of Transportation will require a study to decide if a traffic signals are warranted at the intersections.

The engineering contract is with Landtech Consultants of Houston. Maresh said city funds would cover the engineering but that funds haven’t been secured for construction. Councilor Susan Euton asked Maresh what the total cost for the project will be.

Maresh responded that cost estimates depend on the results of the engineering work.

“There are some things we have to look at with regard to utility lines and, perhaps, doing some upgrades due to the growth in that area,” Maresh said.

Fort Bend County bond elections allocated $1.1 million in 2007 for Bryan Road and then another $4.7 million in 2013, Maresh said. The 2007 county bond election authorized $1.5 million for Spacek Road.

“The county bond funds are typically capped at 50 percent of the construction costs; so it is possible the city may not be able to fully utilize all of those funds on the Bryan Road portion of the project,” he said.

“The city’s current capital improvement plan has allocated approximately $2.24 million for Bryan Road and $656,000 for Spacek Road. A portion of these funds will be use for the engineering services. Therefore, the city will have to secure additional funds in fiscal year 2016 to fully fund the construction phase,” according to Maresh.

A timeline provided to council by Landtech Consultants estimates construction will take 183 days, beginning next April and running to December.

Councilor William Benton said people he spoke with during the recent election campaign expressed concerns about the need for better lighting on Bryan and Spacek roads.

“Once design is completed, we will send that work to CenterPoint and they will design the streetlighting plan,” Maresh said.

The council voted unanimously to authorize the city manager to negotiate the contract with Landtech Consultants.