Road project to alleviate traffic problems

Precincts 2 and 4 will share expense to add more lanes to Atasca Oaks Drive

Planning is underway in northeast Harris county on a project Precinct 4 officials say could help alleviate traffic in the Atascocita area.

The plan includes widening Atasca Oaks Drive from Atascocita Road to south of FM 1960, from a two- to four-lane concrete boulevard, as well as modifying the existing traffic signals.

The plans will be completed jointly with Harris County Precinct 2.

The project will cost an estimated $2 million, and will be split between the two precincts.

“This just proves how residents of both precincts benefit when we combine resources,” said Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle.

The design phase of the project is expected to be completed by September 2017.

If the project goes to bid in early 2018 as expected, construction could be complete before the end of third quarter of 2018.

Once the project is complete, motorists will be able to travel more quickly between FM 1960 and Atascocita Road during peak traffic hours.

Humble City Manager Darrell Boeske said the construc-

tion, which is outside the city limits, will not have any significant impact on traffic in the area, but it’s definitely a mobility improvement residents have needed for a while.

“It’s not a road that runs into Humble or serves us in any fashion, but there is a lot of traffic in that neighborhood and there are some apartments out there,” he said.

“The only problem I see out there is that there is no room to stack cars … so you have people backed up in parking lots when they are trying to turn north to FM 1960, or south to Atascocita Road.

“It is certainly another artery that will ease traffic in that area.”

Precinct 2, which borders the boulevard on two sides, will pay to modify the traffic signal system on Atascocita Road at Atasca Oaks Drive.

Details: www.hcp4.net/Community/RoadsBridges.